Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy. ~ Kahlil Gibran
Had the privilege to explore the Thai city of Chiang Mai a week ago. Chiang Mai lies snugly in a beautiful mountainous area and it used to be the capital of the ancient Lanna kingdom. Since the city is nowhere as huge and congested as Bangkok we decided to explore by bicycle. Our local guide Nong, was brilliant – and not only thanks to his charming smile. He made every effort to explain the local history as we visited a number of Buddhist temples and he did not even micro-flinch the slightest at my barrage of questions. Admittedly, I do get carried away at times…
At one stage while cycling along the banks of the Ping river Nong pointed out a “wishing stick/limb” to us. Now I’m sure the true meaning of the stick/limb gets lost in translation, but allow me to at least attempt an explanation. During the Songkran festival the Buddhist devouts make merit by providing support in the form of a specially carved forked stick/limb to tree branches that overarch perilously. Not just any kind of tree though. It would only be the branches of the revered Bo or Sacred Fig tree to be pampered in this manner. It is believed that Lord Buddha reached enlightenment while meditating under one of these trees. In modern times, Nong elaborated, entire families would work together side by side grafting the “stick” and then carry it together to the Tree. Here it will be blessed by a monk before being put in place to prop up the overhanging branch. The few examples we saw were painted a sunny yellow and some were even swathed in cloth.
Later while cycling towards a little village market I couldn’t help but think of these wishing sticks as stunning visual reminders of faith/love/devotion/human aspirations.
Which brings me to the quote at the start of this post – work is love made visible…
What if you treasure the ability to work and do so with total dedication but you are just not that keen on your current job?
Does one carry what seems like a burden just as the devout Buddhists carry the heavy wishing stick/limb through the village to the Bo tree? With humility of course.
Or does one choose the route of “carving” out a new job possibility like the devout Buddhists spend hours carving the wishing stick/limb?
I guess it is all about your perception. Whether to actively partake in the creation of your ideal job or taking a more laid-back approach. More important though is the willingness to accept (with love) the outcome. And to live/love with it.
If so, whichever path you choose to follow will lead to your bliss.
That’s all I hope for.
