Dear Pages,
In my old journals, the ones I tore up to make things out of, there was a plaintive page of words; actually, most of the pages were plaintive, but that's not what matters now; this plaintive page, this plea, was to be the sparkling spirit I always wanted to be- I wanted to make it my daily pursuit, this lightness of being. That was back in the day, for sure, but, I think I have done alright by this creed. And no one is more surprised than I to have made some progress!
But, it's the vocation, the Vocation, the Calling, that I want to talk to you about today. My other Calling is To Make Things, but, it might be that this secondary Calling should be my first. My secondary Calling is to Be Cheerful. To spread cheer. To sow cheer. To reflect cheer.
Maybe you have a job right now (I have one), and maybe it isn't in line with your core values (whatever those are!), and maybe it is even in conflict with your core values (Whatever. Those. Are.) and maybe you are supporting great gobs of awfulness indirectly. I urge you to consider going on the dole. Because I have been thinking that maybe productivity as defined by workplaces and employers and businesses and corporations is actually working for The Man in its most negative sense. Because, maybe we are not the world, like the song insists; maybe we are, unwittingly, The Man.
See, because here is the thing: They can pay me to believe in The American Way. That'd be a start, at least. Anything else is pretty hypocritical on the part of both me and my employer. Me and The Man.
But, what of the Calling? Because the Calling is what you do, and it isn't the same as your job, and it isn't necessarily how you get money. So, my new job, my new primary Calling, is to Be Cheerful. I plan to have some business cards made, and maybe even get an 800 number; and then, you can call me, anytime you need me, absolutely toll free!
