Value in action

Hey all you dedicated workers -- those that trade their efforts, physical and mental, for money to survive and thrive. I've been thinking about the value we get in return for all that. We usually measure it in terms of dollars and cents and the equivalent materials and services that we can purchase with it. A lucky few, relatively speaking, can also measure the return on their contribution in human terms, that is, live affected in some way by their efforts. The obvious professions come to mind: doctors, rescue workers, teachers, community leaders. But it's not just what you do in the working day that has this kind of value. We touch people's lives in small and large ways with every interaction. Comforting a child, calling a friend who is hurting, helping a neighbor move a couch -- the sum of these makes a difference. But on the flipside, the things we do can make a negative difference. It's easy to turn a cold shoulder to those that we do not care for, especially those who we feel have wronged us. Once we put up that self-protecting skin, we close ourselves to the possibility that we are MORE needed by these people than by our dear ones. Just a thought...