Tuesday, July 22, 2008

(Can't Get No) Satisfaction?

‘Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him – for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work – this is a gift of God.’



I was listening to one of John Frusciante's (pic above) solo when the quote above (believed to be from the wise King Solomon) popped into my mind. Frusciante is a brilliant guitarist, well maybe not as elaborate in his techniques as Steve Vai or Joe Satriani, but the way he puts his soul and energy into his songs makes up for it. He's successful in his career, has made it big and probably living the good life - but is he happy? I probably will never know the answer to this unless I am Frusciante himself.

As for me, I’ve not made it big yet, am doing alright with my career and living a relatively simple life. Being a community pharmacist is at times very challenging and at times very boring and mundane but that’s something we all have to deal with. After 10 years of marriage to your spouse, will you tell him/her that it is so boring to see their face everyday? No, you deal with it! Look forward to new challenges and experiences together. However, being satisfied and happy with your work doesn’t mean having no ambitions or staying stagnant either.

I do not know if I will be working the same job 10 or even 5 years from now, but I want to learn to appreciate it. Every night when I lie down to sleep, I want to be able to say that I'm pleased with my work today.