Professional Motivation

I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.
"The Greatest Love of All" written by Linda Creed and Michael Masser

A song made famous by the late, great Whitney Houston, I found myself singing it to my six year old at bedtime.  It was late. I was tired, low on energy and extremely overwhelmed by work.  How was I going to do everything and do it right with such a short amount of time . . . There's only one me?

Do you know the sort of overwhelmed that makes people religious?
Hey girl, want to hang out?
Naw, I gotta pray tonight.
All night?!
Yes, Lord! 

Well, I was going to sing the requisite two songs, then cry, pray, mediate, work and repeat. and "The Greatest Love of All" just came to me. I got through the entire song with my daughter asleep in my arms and found a gift in the last lines:
And if by chance, that special place 
that you've been dreaming of
leads you to a lonely place
find your strength in love.

How did they know my life? I was only two years old when they wrote the song. . . How did they know?!!

Creed* and Masser totally called it!

The only thing that revives, motivates, and carries me through 

when there is coal ash in my water,
the senator won't return my calls,
I have more meetings and tasks than time to work,
and the dog bites

is L O V E.

As hard as I work to keep the faith, love comes so easy and, though money and recognition can be nice, my own unyielding love for people, the planet and myself gets me through those impossible work days every time.

Photo by Megan Walsh

During an expression of solidarity with all children organized by Latin American Coalition

*Though written for a biopic on Muhammad Ali, Linda Creed had been fighting breast cancer when she co-wrote the song discussed in this post.  Her foundation is Linda Creed Breast Cancer Foundation.