The Dream Toddles Along

In honor of the holiday today and the historic events of tomorrow, here are a few of the many uplifting quotes of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr:

"All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence."

There are many ways in which we can uplift humanity. Certainly, I see my own vocation of bodyworker as as such. Not only that my touch can comfort, soothe and support my clients well-being, but also in the sense that I have the opportunity to come from a place of Loving and service in my interactions with clients and co-workers. To me this applies to any job, regardless of what the nuts-and-bolts of the work. It isn't so much what we do, as where inside of ourselves that we do it from. Essentially, where in our consciousness we are coming from.

Obviously, we all work to get a paycheck so we can pay our bills, but this needn't be why we are there or what we are doing. So a coffee shop Barrista has a choice, they could give you your coffee so that after repeating the chore again and again for innumerable people they will be handed a paycheck at the end of 2 weeks OR they can give you a smile and warmth as they go about the various actions of their workday and share their Spirit with everyone around them and in 2 weeks they still receive a paycheck. In the first instance, the duties of dealing with customers becomes the requirement that must be met to receive their pay, and in the second the 'tasks' of their work become minor details to greater importance of serving the world by coming from a place of kindness and joy.

So whether a person rings you up at the register, fixes your car or manages a database, we can all uplift humanity just by choosing that as our intention. Dr King says that life's most persistent and urgent question is "What are you doing for others?" Sometimes, the most deeply reaching act you can do in service to another being is to give them a genuine smile or simply be compassionate and kind to them when they are in a bad mood and not being as polite as they could be. To choose the challenge of being light and joy, regardless of tasks, situation or circumstance.

At any given moment, we have the opportunity to choose whether we will uplift, what will you choose today?