I have been doing alot of thinking. Thinking about service to others, as a woman, a mother, a wife, sister and daughter. Whether it's service to your family, other people, or at work. Does anyone else think about service and what it means to them? What does it mean to you and what do you think it means? I wonder if service is an outdated concept today. I worry that we have become so focused on our own immediate needs and wants that we perceive any demand on our time as an unwelcome intrusion. I am quite aware that current society places unreasonable and relentless demands on our time and that we become swept up in trying to do what is expected of us as parents, children and adults. We live on the edge of time, pursuing personal goals, meeting deadlines and paying bills. I am just as guilty as the rest of the world. But I do know that as a mother, I have found the greatest satisfaction in service to my family. An outdated concept perhaps and not one we talk about in general conversation. For many years, I gave of my time, patience and knowledge through my work and it drained me of every cell in my body. Trying to assist people within impossible situations is a relentless and unfulfilled task that is doomed to suck you dry. Folks certainly don't appreciate your time, nor "wisdom", and are quick to cut off a slice of your soul if their own needs are not met during an interaction. Regardless, many many of us continue to do this work day in and day out. For sure, service to one's family can sometimes have the same effect, but when given freely, knowing that the return on your investment won't be quick, we perform a basic service to the one's we love by telling them our love and time is unconditional. I don't mean service that leads us to be a doormat, nor that our needs aren't important. My own self care is critically important, but not in the same way nor meaning that it carries today.
When I was growing up, my uncles were farmers and they cared for their animals first, before themselves. The milking, feeding and care all happened before breakfast. After this task was done, coffee was made and a full breakfast was eaten in leisure time. I think we've lost sight of this concept and what it means to sacrifice for the greater good of family or our livelihood. We have flipped our concept of service upside down, so that what "I need" or what "I think I need" comes first and others are last. If we think about it, this must be so, because how could it be that thousands of children spend more time in someone else's care than their own parents? Yes, yes I know that parents both need to work to support their families, so don't blast me too badly. I know that some would say they are sacrificing by putting kids in daycare so they can afford to buy them all the tools and gifts necessary to function in current society. But it's a viscous circle, non? I worked for decades with families, and perhaps because of that I've gained a rather sceptical view, but I've met people every single day who disrupt their family and children because of unmet needs. We don't understand anymore that our needs can go unmet for awhile and that's okay! Anyway, I am aware that I am drastically over simplifying this enormously, and life isn't that simple any more! Just provoking some thoughts and playing a bit of devil's advocate. Maybe we should think more often of service to others, and by that I include young children. Shovel your neighbours walk or cut their grass, get groceries for a shut-in, or sleep on the floor with your very sick child.
What do others think?
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