Is that an oxymoron?
Really, if it's work, can you love it?
And if you love it, is it work?
Pedantic questions aside, what is it that I really enjoy about my work?
For much of my last two decades, my identity has been defined by my qualifications & work. In direct contrast to how I thought of myself for the previous two decades of my life. I loved art, music, life in general. I drew my energy from the world around me, from books, from sketching & cartooning, from spending time in nature, observing things around me, curiosity driving many of my questions, & driving the adults in charge mad. I loved solving problems, words, cross-words, puzzles & math. I loved the idea of travel, the idea of meeting my idols, the idea of learning new things.
While I didn't have much of a choice in the path I ended up on, it started a course of events in my life that didn't make any sense at the time, but in retrospect, have been perfect. Maybe that's the case of most people, if not everyone. For two decades, I tried to find every avenue to learn & do things other than what I had "qualifications" to do. Not being formally accountable for these things was a double-edged sword: I could experiment with my learning, but I would forever remain a dilettante.
Today, I find myself doing work I love. I get to work with words, help apply math to real-world puzzles & problems, to learn. I occasionally get to travel, & rather than just meet my idols, I get to meet amazing people every day.
What isn't to love?
