Greetings from the University of New Hampshire! What a beautiful day! I have been sooo busy lately that I have not been able to get out on the river in what seems like an eternity, but today I had an open schedule, so I got up early and headed out for a paddle by myself. It was close to low tide (the tide had just started coming in), and the birds on the river are always more active at low tide, I suppose because fish are closer to the surface. I saw many great blue heron and of course lots of cormerants. Also because it was low tide, there were no boaters out. At points the river is only eight or ten inches deep - plenty for a kayak, no where near enough for a motor boat. So I had the whole river to myself, which I love. Kayaking alone for me is physically, mentally, and spiritually renewing. If you haven't tried it, I recommend it.
As of this week, I concluded a 27 month study in which I was following a cohort of recent graduates from our program as they went out into the workforce and began their careers. I have been interviewing them periodically, and as of this past Tuesday, I did the final interview. It's been a fascinating study as they shared their stories of finding their way and integrating work into their lives. My research here at UNH is focused on how people are socialized into an organization and a career. From the stories I collected during this study, a colleague of mine and I are working on a paper about vocation and calling among young people. And that is the theme for this week's letter. How do you live an integrated, whole life? How do you live a life worth the short time you are allocated? We hear so much about "finding your passion", but that sounds so trite and self-indulgent. I think of it more as discovering work that integrates with who you are, and helps to bring out your best qualities. Finding your vocation isn't really about you. It is about how you can serve others. You will be of better service to others if you can find your vocation.
Read
What: The Art of Manliness, Finding Your Calling Part I: What Is a Vocation?
http://www.artofmanliness.com/2010/05/24/finding-your-calling-part-i-what-is-a-vocation/
Why: From the article: "A vocation is work you do for its own sake; you almost feel like you’d do it even if you didn’t get paid. The rewards of wages and prestige are peripheral to getting to use one’s passion in a satisfying way. Those in a vocation feel that their work has an effect on the greater good and an impact beyond themselves. They believe that their work truly utilizes their unique gifts and talents. This is what they were meant to do." The rest is worth reading.
Watch
What: Parker J. Palmer - What is a Divided Life? (6 minutes)
https://youtu.be/gCvIZpMo8aY
Why: Parker Palmer is the author of Let Your Life Speak , a book about discovering your calling. In this video he talks about the challenge of living a "divided life" - a life that we live for others, based on others' expectations, rather than being true to who we really are. The divided life becomes a source of pain - and we need to find a bridge between our integrity and the work we do in the world.
Listen
What: The Moth, Listen Here Fancy Pants, with Anthony Giglio (14 minutes)
https://themoth.org/storytellers/anthony-giglio
Why: If you're not familiar with The Moth, you've been missing out. So here's your chance to fix that shortcoming in your development. The Moth is a live story telling show where people come and tell a 15 minute, true story from their lives. This one by Anthony Giglio is about his relationship with his dad, and his dad's apparent disapproval of Anthony's development - including becoming a professional food and wine critic. It's a great story. One about being true to who you are, and finding the vocation that resonates with who you really are, so you can avoid living the divided life that Palmer talks about.
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