A life well lived
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Weekly Dose of Work Recovery Vol. 4.22.26
"Beware the barrenness of a busy life." — Socrates
This past week, I had the honor of reading our extended family's favorite memories of my 94-year-old grandfather at his funeral. He lived such a good life and was beloved by many.
What people remembered most about my grandfather was exactly what you'd expect of a life well lived. It was memories of the mundane moments, conversations on front and back porches, the times he made the effort to attend grandkids' birthdays even when it was a long drive, and the passion for the outdoors that he instilled in generations.
Those were the memories that filled the 20 tributes I read aloud. Not one shared favorite memory mentioned the legacy of his long career.
Even his obituary made little mention of his legacy working his entire career for Northwestern Bell as a lineman. It was a mere footnote in his 94 years of love, service, and time with family and friends.
Now one could make the argument that since he retired in 1986 (that's 40 years of incredible retirement! I want that :), his work was a long time ago, but the people who showed up at his funeral weren't focused on the work he did either. Not one iota.
And that speaks volumes to me, as I sit here writing this in a season where I'm pondering what I want to do with my one wild and precious life in my next 40 years.
Reading those 20 memories tells me — and I hope tells you — a whole heck of a lot about what you need to know about what truly matters.
Work has its place. It can be meaningful, even vital. But something gets lost and even broken when we place work above all else and let chronic stress quietly erode our health, our relationships, and our joy.
For the people who love you most, your work is likely to be a mere footnote in your story.
Even if we wish to use our gifts in the corporate or professional world, or we have big ambitions for our business, the truth is that when our time comes, those things aren't likely to mean much to the ones we leave behind.
Our legacy is measured so much more in the love we give and share, and in how we show up for family and friends. I share this because work can certainly be a source of joy and fulfillment — and yet if we aren't careful, it can consume us and steal our limited time and energy.
I don't know when my time will come to a close, any more than anyone else does. But my grandfather's life reminds me that there's still time.
Time to slow down, to show up, and to make sure the people we love know it.
Sincerely,
Bree
This week's did you know…the ultimate advice for managers is…
Arthur Brooks wrote in The Atlantic that in an era of never-ending "next big thing" management fads — anyone remember Six Sigma? — the best advice for people managers may simply be to be more human, especially as tech takes over.
Because a century of management fads have tried to treat employees like machines, and the big revelation is that people work better when they're happy. Shocking! Six Sigma gave us color-coded belts (I was a black belt, after all). But it turns out we should have just cut the pointless meetings and let people be friends.
Source: A Management Anti-Fad That Will Last Forever, The Atlantic
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