What?! NO work?

I got a call from a older woman in my profession one day. It was to talk shop (of course). Since i felt some connection with her, I ventured to share that I will be quitting work at year's end. I appreciate her concern, but her immediate, snap response to me was: what are you going to do?
Do-ing is such a huge part of our lives that i guess my plan to stop work sounds really airy at best. Yes, what am i going to DO indeed?!
Actually there's plenty being done all the time - waking to the day, talking to a neighbour, feeding a stray, reading a good book, writing to waive that parking fine (haha), minding the kids...caring for the older ones... but i guess these are not 'jobs'.
She immediately offered me a position with the attendant, 'grab it while it's good' overtures.
I have never been worried about not finding something to do; being paid for it is another story!!
But so far Providence has seen to it that i have enough to get by. So at the nudge of Grace, I have chosen to be job-less - and I have already heard a mighty chorus of protestations....from within me and around me.
I have a fear of heights so looking down the rungs of my vocational ladder to find my feet to climb down was rather giddying and very unsettling.

Perhaps the relentless whirr of hard work Singapore style tires you too. You may not need to get off; but I would highly recommend getting away some. Detach yourself a little more in the new year from your work.
I am more than my work.
You are more than your work!

my swearing neighbour and her weight of love

as those who know me know, i am a feline lover. yup, it cat's rule and dogs drool for me. (i do like dogs, but they do drool).
one day when i came home, i found this notice at the lift landing:
"stop leaving your kittens at my corridor! i will CURSE you!"

that was strong. wow, the person who put up this sign must detest animals, i thought to myself.

well lo, yesterday i met the person who put up the sign. it was none other than the rather famous-in-the-nighbourhood cat-lady. she lives on the ground floor and has several cats outside her home on 24-7 surveillance duty.

she spewed the curses not out of hate for animals but for love of them. for every unwanted animal she finds at her door, she has to expend time and money to send them to the SPCA. i found out she works as a home-service masseue after her cleaning job's pay package suffered a dramatic 200-dollar reduction.

the weight of love.

she totally loses it that people will be so heartless and take her so much for granted.

i think those who dispose of their kitties at her place must have rationalised their way without thought for her. i was proved right when i bumped into someone and shared her plight. The reply: "but she loves cats what!"
She does love cats but she has not signed up to be the feline-rescue mission of the estate!

this only shows me one thing: it is so easy for us to think along our line of thought and completely miss another (perhaps more valid) viewpoint altogether.

as this episode goes to show, we can really get on each other's nerves without intending to. the only cure it seems would be to feel some other nerves on a regular basis - practice empathy - then, such wildly maddening things need not plague our communities small and large.