Sure, the business of caring for people! Some people are well paid for that, and others just barely get by. Those are the hands and hearts of direct care workers, who help folks manage the activities of daily life. Their biggest payoff? The appreciation and respect given them by those recipients. Doing for others is so often it’s own reward. That’s how it is for me. It’s the sort of job I would do for free if pay were not needed, but it is, and I do receive some for the earnest, ongoing, efforts. Thankfully, it’s enough, so far, because I can do without some things. Would have a difficult time doing without those people who rely on me though.
This morning my wife Tanya quit her nonrewarding supermarket job of 5 years, opting instead to spend much more time as a caregiver herself. A job where she can be more than a cog in a careless gearbox. When your job is caregiving the measure of appreciation you receive is palpable, and you become much more important to the people you work and care for. Everything you do is important and infinitely more meaningful. You’re no longer a number, or an ant in a porous, overpopulated, hill.
You don’t flash a big paycheck. You do flash frequent smiles. You also receive them. Your heart, compassion, and overwhelming desire to do good are employed. You feel happy more often. Joy hangs, walks, and rides around with you. Heck, it sets up housekeeping inside of you, and visits every day.
Here’s to caring for others, and making it your business to do good. You know, for people who need you. The list of things which might make you feel better is one I haven’t yet seen.
Loving care and tenderness. We all need it…both sides of it ♥