“Your soul doesn’t care what you do for a living – and when your life is over, neither will you. Your soul cares only about what you are being while you are doing whatever you are doing.” ~Neale Donald Walsch
This appeared on my Facebook page today, and although I am not a follower of Walsch, what he says here strikes a chord. Let me tell you why…
Nine years ago, I moved my Dad in with me and, long-story-short, gave up my well-paying job in NYC. Consequently, I needed work that was part-time and flexible in order to care for him. Luckily, I was able to live off my savings for a bit and was able to explore my passion — yoga. I trained as an instructor, and have been teaching ever since.
Unfortunately, I discovered that I wasn’t able to make a living full-time teaching yoga. So, I had to find a part-time job. I became a waitress.
I often found myself justifying my job to the customers and telling them that I was actually a yoga teacher. (I also told myself that this was only temporary, and I would figure out another means of income down the road.)
Well, here it is, five years later, and I’m still waitressing. And, believe it or not, I love it. To stray from the topic somewhat…I’m making more per hour than I did in my cool NYC job. I don’t have to pay to join a gym; serving is so rigorous, I get my exercise on the job. Plus, now at 62, it keeps my memory from going to seed as the years pass by.
Funny enough, I read on some blogs that there are people who used to waitress during college and moved on to their careers, who ended up quitting their “professional” jobs…tired of sitting all day at a desk…not making enough money, and actually went back to waitressing.
A family member who waited tables as a college student, told me over Thanksgiving that now, with Master’s Degree in hand, as a Social Worker and therapist, she’s lucky to make $20 an hour after insurance companies’ “reimbursements,” rent, her own professional liability insurance, and other business expenses. She has considered supplementing her income by waitressing again part-time. Her mother, who also waitressed years ago, thought this was a bad idea. After all, what would her clients think seeing her serving tables? (Was this a veiled insult coming from my very own family member?)
Hmmm….waitressing has such a stigma. I was just as prejudiced myself, until I really got into this line of work. The job can be fun, interacting with all sorts of interesting clientele. In order to be a great waitress, you have to be smart, quick-thinking and quick-moving, agile, strong, flexible, nurturing, caring, and a psychologist (in order to be able to deal with certain challenging situations).
BTW, one of my yoga colleagues with a PhD gave up a prestigious job and has been teaching yoga for years. She told me recently that her family members still ask her “when are you going to go back to work?”
Oh well…this brings me back to the quotation at the top of the page. What is our essence? Are we teachers, servers, therapists, and professionals? Is our essence defined by what we do? Or is it more important that while we hold an honorable job, what we are being during that time is what really counts?
Namaste, Jane
