Working on purpose: A lesson from my stepfather
This weekend was my stepfather’s funeral and burial with full military honors. He passed away a month ago after a long, painful illness. Though I’m grateful he’s no longer suffering, my family is heartbroken to be without him now. His memorial was exactly what he would have loved—old friends and colleagues talking about the good times and laughing.
He loved his work and service to his community. His closest relationships and friends grew out of those two areas of his life, including meeting my mom. In the month since he passed, I’ve thought a lot about what makes a life well-lived, especially at this turning point in my life and career.
Taking his example, I want to love all my work so much that it doesn’t feel like work at all. It just feels like a purpose, like living. When someone asks me what I’d do if I could do anything, I want to reply, “Exactly what I’m doing now.”
So often people say, “No one ever said at the end of their lives that they wished they spent more time at the office.” Perhaps that’s true, but can’t we change that? Shouldn’t we love everywhere we go and everything we do, including work, especially when so many of our hours are spent on our careers? Why not love it? Why not have it feel like another place to call home with people whom we love and love us in return?
I don’t think that’s too much to ask — to love how we spend our days and the people we spend them with. After all, how we spend our days is how we spend our lives. I saw my stepfather live a whole life and career that way and the love he generated in return was evident during his memorial service. Let’s build careers like that. Let’s let our work be filled with joy and reciprocity and laughter.
Thank you for everything, Pop, especially your example of how to work and live. We’ll do our best to carry on.💕