For a long time I’ve considered my work as a spiritual practice, but I’ve been reluctant to speak of this.
Until now.
Why now?
I don’t have a single or immediate reason. It’s an accumulation of experiences, longings, possibly age – definitely age – and more. It’s also because I’ve been more dedicated to practicing meditation. As a result, I’m spending more time and energy on what’s most important, while spending less time and energy on what’s not.
Welcome to My Work is a Spiritual Practice
Have you ever watched a nature video in slow motion – a flower blooming, a humming bird hovering? It miraculous. It’s spiritual.
Welcome to my work, or at least the way I view it.
I get to see, and be part of, a process in which people become more of who they are, their authentic self. A flower in the human garden. I get to see them shed layers of “stuff”, old habits, defenses, who they thought they “should be”. I get to see them trade that in for a genuine self. I get to see them being reborn. I get to see them reclaim a joyous life. It happens in slow motion, with a retrospective view that’s more like a time lapse video…inside my head.
The journey is, at times, difficult for them, and for me. It requires fortitude, belief, seduction. Seduction? Yes. Sometimes people need to fall in love with who they might yet become. It’s usually a part of themselves that fell asleep. Love awakens.
The work of becoming who we are is difficult until we let go. The difficulty comes from the death grip of holding on, but we all do it. We hold on so we won’t be vulnerable. We hold on until we don’t. Then we begin to shed the thin outer layer of protection.
When that layer melts away, I get to see a life blooming in slow motion. It’s glorious. It’s a spiritual experience, for me.
Along the way, I hear people’s stories. It’s a privilege and I’m honored that people trust me in this way. So I hold their stories with tenderness, love and respect. Yes, love. That’s spiritual too.
Not everyone wants to do the kind of work that I do, as a coach and as a psychologist. I am grateful for this, too.
Other People’s Work as a Spiritual Practice
Tom is a dead ringer for Willie Nelson and the boss of a moving crew, who experiences his work as a spiritual practice.
“It’s like this,” he says. “Moving is hard for most people. It’s a vulnerable time for them. People are nervous about moving to a new community, and about having strangers pack their most precious possessions.”
So, I treat my customers with love and make them feel that I care about their things and their life. I want to help their changes go smoothly. If I can be happy about it, maybe they can, too.”
A man laments to his rabbi: “I’m frustrated that my work leaves me no time for study or prayer.”
The rabbi replies: “Perhaps your work is more pleasing to G-d than study or prayer.”
These vignettes are from Being G-d’s Partner: How to Find the Hidden Link Between Spirituality and Your Work, by Jeffrey K. Salkin with an introduction by Norman Lear.
Final Words, for now
It’s not the work itself that creates a sense of spirituality, but how we see it and what we bring to it.
Care to tell about your work as a spiritual practice? If so, I invite your comments.