Work Life fate: We live, we work, we tweet & we die

Life’s Work in the Spotlight till the end

People die everyday, but when so many famous people transition at the same time it tends to garner media, and now, Twitter attention. It was easy to follow the events around the passings of a number of legends over the last week. But the deaths of Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon and a few other household names made news mostly because of their respective legacies; their life’s work.

We were offered every detail of their work life legacy. From their death, to the details of their career, to the family foibles. Most of all, the body of work left behind by these masters of entertainment is front and center – at least for the time being. TV specials and documentaries abound, and reams of information are plastered across the Internet. We know more about their life’s work than ever before – and in real time due to Twitter.

This tsunami of information is a wave that is washing over our consciousness alerting us to their incredible contributions and causes reflection on our own life’s work. They did not have empty careers, but vocations. Michael Jackson was the King of Pop and opened doors for more African American artists, Farrah Fawcett put a face to cancer and brought attention to physical abuse in the movie The Burning Bed. Ed McMahon brought smiles to late night television audiences. And what’s more, they all arguably worked in some capacity until the end of their lives. From most accounts, even in difficult times, they embraced and valued their work.

The events of the last week made me think a lot about how we value or embrace our working lives. In this tumultuous economy,  it’s likely than many of us will work well into retiring age. If that’s the case why be cogs in a wheel? Why not give thought to ones unique contribution. Whether we work for ourselves or someone else, there are subtle ways in which we contribute.

We might be the glue that holds the morale together in the office, the tough love voice that guides the direction of a business, or the peaceful addition in an otherwise difficult workspace which has undergone downsizing. Our work,can impact others even when our own lives are in transition, even in death. Such in the case with a close friend.

Gifting others in our work in the face of transition

An artisan friend of mine whom I have written about before is dying as a brain tumor rapidly consumes her physically, but not mentally at this juncture. Even in what may be the final stages of her life, she occasionally engages in her work of restoring antique books and artwork. I learned this not through speaking with her about it, but instead through a matter-of-fact moment.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to spend some time with this talented woman at her home in the mountains of upstate New York. It’s the first time I had seen her since the operation to remove the tumor. The procedure, along with chemotherapy will likely prolong her life by a few months, albeit with the consequences of hair loss and exhaustion.

After the hellos, she said she had something for me that was very important. Taking care of business was clearly paramount. I had no idea what was coming as she walked into the next room. To my wonderment she returned with an antique Torah scroll wrapped in blue velvet with Hebrew characters burnt in gold on the outside.

In the last few weeks as she recovered from brain surgery she took time to restore the ancient paper of this scroll which belonged to a mutual friend. It had been in his family for generations; a lineage that began back in Russia; when Russia was Russia.

Repairing this document was not work for her she explained, but instead an opportunity to forget about her pain for a short time and engage in her craft- her vocation.  Although it was clearly a painstaking process as she is losing control over the left side of her body, it was a joyful creative process. My friend is not famous, but her work will live on and be appreciated long after she is gone. Her life’s work was really a vocation; a manifestation of her core brilliance which we had the pleasure of enjoying, even for a short time.

We live, we work and we die. And if we’re lucky our career will manifest more as a vocation instead of the nine-to-five grind of the typical workplace.

For More Information: Write Judy at info{at}JudyMartinSpeaks.com. Visit her website at WorkLifeNation.com.