(Originally published at "A Year of Service" 4/8/16)
I suppose anyone who begins a project of considerable length must also give an account of why the project has been undertaken lest somewhere along the road to completion they forget the original purpose. In this case, this blog is my meditation on the path I'm traveling right now. That path has evolved into a satisfying blend of work and leisure where nearly everything is some form of service to others. It's not the path I ever envisioned for myself and I certainly didn't consciously plan for it. So how did I get here? Where am I going next? Is this a place where I can spend the rest of my life?
Many of my day-to-day activities can be described as service. Indeed, I think of my job as service. It brings in an income but much of what I do involves developing and maintaining relationships with people in the workplace. I wouldn't be there if I weren't providing some significant service to my employers. My tree planting and other gardening activities are enjoyable for me but they are service as well. Hopefully, at least some of these trees will exist long after I have disappeared from the planet. I'm also hopeful that some of my neighbors enjoy my efforts and may themselves be inspired to protect and improve the environment. So while gardening is my passion, it's also become much bigger for me. It produces results that benefit the people around me and people who are yet to be born. If I'm successful, my efforts also provide some protection to our brother and sister species.
I plan to use this space to record and develop my thoughts about how service is shaping my life. Over the past couple of years I've begun to recognize service as an emerging new reality, the lens through which I now view myself. I'm unsure why service did not beckon to me when I was in my teens and twenties. I've always given generously of my time to others, but unlike so many youngsters, I never spoke about my future or my calling as one of service.
To see how meaningful service has become to me at this time in my life leaves me with questions. Why did I not recognize the value of service as occupation earlier? Why has it become so important this late in life? How will this new self image as servant affect my choices? Is this just a phase? So, as always, I need to explore these questions and writing as I go will help me impose order on the noise.
