…About Sunshine & Labor

…About Sunshine & Labor
This morning I came out to the porch early. I made my cup of coffee and sat in the porch swing. I am tired of the rat race I have been running. So, I thought I would steal me a few moments on the front porch swing with a cup of Jo, singing birds and sunshine. What a gorgeous morning! I know I can’t sit here all day. But at this moment, I had better not be disturbed.
You know…it’s really about the sunshine. It makes you feel better. Did you know that Seattle, Washington has the longest rainy season of any major U.S. city? Did you know it has the highest mental depression rate of any major U.S. city? Did you know it also has the highest suicide rate of any major U.S. city? And yes, it is related to sunshine. Sunshine is one of our major sources of vitamin D. You have probably guessed by now that vitamin D helps fight depression. Do you ever feel blah after getting stuck inside the house or office all day?
It’s not just the sunshine, but also the satisfaction of accomplishment. Follow with me here. My wife is a stay-at-home mom. From the time she gets up until she goes to bed, her schedule looks the same. She feels like she spinning her wheels because when she wakes up tomorrow, she will do it all over again. As for me, my job is the same as a broker. I invest in people’s lives. Some days the stock values go up. Some days they go down. I don’t know if I have accomplished anything until I have tracked the investment for 5, 10, or even 15 years! So for me there’s no real sense of accomplishment.
That’s where we help each other out… the laundry. For a family of 7, the laundry is a never-ending mountain of work. And, I do mean a never-ending mountain. Therefore, I have relieved my wife of the monotonous task of the laundry… she is happy. That alone is worth it! Now, this is where I get my sense of accomplishment. Have you ever waded through a week of laundry from a family of 7? It can’t be done!
I am proud to announce that I have conquered a mountain of dirty clothes… and my wife is proud of me. She is happy… yes! Seriously, I can’t begin to tell you the satisfaction I get when I look around the basement and the mountain has been removed. My wife tells me of her sense of satisfaction that she doesn’t have to face it. You see, I think we all have a need to be satisfied with our accomplishments.
I hope that you can accomplish something today or this week. Stick with it until you do, then get outside and soak up some sun even if you live in Seattle (you might have to get a sunlamp). Well, gotta’ go. I just heard the wash machine finish the rinse cycle.