Labor ~ according to Dictionary.com is productive activity, especially for financial gain; physical or mental work, especially of a hard or fatiguing kind. A job or task done or to be done. And here's a few synonyms: chore, daily grind, job, strain, stress, struggle, sweat, and toil.
No wonder every-so-often writers go through slumps, wondering if their efforts are worth it. We've been programmed to see labor in a negative light. Now I'm not sure about you, but I didn't start writing for financial gain or as a chore. Writing is definitely mental work and sometimes it's hard and stressful, even fatiguing. And I do consider it my job, but is writing a task in the sense that it's a struggle of sweat and toil? That sounds rather unpleasant to me. If it is to you, you might want to reconsider your view of work & labor.
Here's my definition of Labor ~ an act, driven by a deeper desire to explore and give of oneself, to grow and expand the mind and body; to mature and see all life has to offer through new eyes. (Can you tell I've given birth 4 times?)Labor Day is a day to celebrate the act of work. When did work gain such a negative connotation or receive grimaces and sighs? Work is good for us, pushes and challenges us, makes us grow and stretch beyond our preconceived means.
The same theology that I share with my kids, who play ice hockey, applies here. I tell them "When you've skated all you think you have, when you're racing for the puck and think there's no more in you yet keep striving forward....that's when you grow--the true labor of work. The gift of becoming who you are meant to be."
There are ups and downs in this writing business, just as in all aspects of life. Embrace each, take from it what your personal journey needs, and toss the rest. Writers labor very hard. And the true gold at the end of each writer's rainbow is being able to look back and see where you've been and where you are now. There is power in that knowledge and future growth in that power.
Happy Writerly Labor Day!!
