[2021-12-22] What brings you joy?
For tonight's post, I once again consulted my list of Questions by Categories, selecting "What brings you joy?" After pondering the question for a few seconds, the phrase that came to mind was a job well done.
Upon further reflection, I could have said spending time with my family or talking with a friend or reading a good book. And I might have repeated past answers, including having a positive influence on others, seeing Christmas lights, receiving a good number on my CA125 test, performing acts of kindness, or gardening.
But I think there is significance in the first thing that comes to mind. I believe that it says something about our character—for better or for worse.
Granted, my answer may simply be a reflection of what I did today: a lot of little jobs that felt satisfying once completed. Perhaps if I had spent the day gardening or doing a puzzle, those joy-inducing activities might have sprung more readily to mind.
In either case, I have always derived deep satisfaction from completing a job and having done it well. Perhaps I get this trait from my mother, who used to say that if a job is worth doing, it's worth doing well. It doesn't matter whether the task is large and remunerated or small and voluntary. If I know that I've done a good job, I will experience joy.
The downside, I suppose, is that I am easily perturbed when I see a job that has not been completed or not done well. It was one thing to comment on such matters as a boss. It is something entirely different to impose on family members my standard of when and how a task should be finished. Sometimes I feel like the old border collie who takes to herding children in the absence of sheep.
But this old dog can learn new tricks: leaving to others to define what brings them joy. For me, it may be a job well done. For others, it may be the stuff they do after the job is done.
