I have always been drawn to the idea of taking your time – the slow approach to building a home, working and living. I believe in the idea of good work done for its own sake beyond any external rewards or recognition, work and actions done for the pleasure and satisfaction of the feeling of a job well done and knowing that the foundation that you’ve made is on you and you alone.
Yesterday I spoke to my friend Elsa about the feeling of doing a lot of work that is not visible for anyone else but yourself. One example that I thought illustrated this rather well was the sourcing and sanding of the reclaimed floorboards that we used for the house. A task, and hard work, done by my partner and me. I know it is somewhat of a banal example, but this particular job was so important to us – it transformed the feeling of the home (at least if you’ve seen how it was before). Yet this particularly time-consuming job would not be known to anyone without being pointed out.
But even though it is not a job that is obvious for anyone except those immediately involved, an awareness exists within me beyond the satisfaction of internal completion, that when kept in mind, serves as further motivation, even when there is no external reward.
I do not know where this feeling comes from or when it has become part of me. But I think that once being comfortable that things take time and that I am not addicted to the immediate, external reward, I was able to let go of wanting my work to be known to and recognised by anyone and everyone. Although easier said than done, as long as my hard work is known to me and I am content with what I’ve done then that should be enough.
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