“They deem me mad because I will not sell my days for gold; and I deem them mad because they think my days have a price.” - Kahlil Gibran
"They feed you on the guilt / To keep you humble keep you low / Some man and myth they made up / A thousand years ago " - Melissa Etheridge, Silent Legacy
Recently, a colleague of mine asked if I was planning to go "back to work". It's not a strange question, as she doesn't know my story really. I do a lot of unpaid work with this retired colleague, so she's many years ahead of me in that respect. I took her question at face value and said, simply my truth: I am working. I am just not being paid for it.
Do our days have a price? Banish all thoughts of morality, duty, consequence particularly the religious overtones. Fundamentally speaking, then, no. Our days do not have a price. We are to be what we are to be. Enjoy life. Think beautiful thoughts. You can still work hard, but don't take it so seriously - there is no price you pay. Your only compass is your own conscience, which is tempered by the culture in which you were brought up in.
You choose to live by choice, not chance. Choose to make changes, not excuses. Choose to be motivated, not manipulated, to be useful, not used; to excel, not to compete. I won't give in to the restless pull of the "price you pay", I will walk away.
I choose self-esteem, not self-pity. I choose to listen to the beautiful thoughts, not the random opinion of others. I choose to stop worrying, take action, and keep the fire going. At least I'm trying, at least I have enthusiasm and I enjoy what I do, whether I'm paid for it or not. I am a rebel thriver.
My beautiful thoughts for today (sorry, Springsteen or Etheridge lyrics again):
"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive"
"And the wonder, let the wonder never cease"
"Life is full of wonder, love is never wrong"
"But just across the county line, a stranger passing through put up a sign / that counts the men fallen away to the price you pay / girl before the end of the day / I'm gonna tear it down and throw it away" - Thank you, Bruce for doing just that for 40+ years.
