To live abundantly, I pray

For the past week or so, like Blanche DuBois, I've depended on the kindness of strangers. I'm currently doing a part-time survey job, which was seemingly easy initially. Short survey of 9 questions, not at all time consuming, 50 travel agents out of the 150 list I had, 8 days. I turned out to be a naive fool, for I overestimated the willingness of these agents to accede to my request.

I've never been rejected more times in my life before, but it's a good lesson. After a while, your heart gets used to the idea. It makes each successfully completed survey even more sweet. It makes each kind person stand out even more and I'm more thankful than I can express to many of them. (Thank you Mr Hussein of Serangoon Air Travel, I was really touched.) But the pressure of meeting the quota and deadline does get to me, and I realised that the result is a more grouchy and less pleasant me.

This assignment has highlighted the importance of doing a job you enjoy. There were instances of regret, moments of wanting to give up and the degree of negativity went up and up. I wonder how many people are stuck in an employment they do not enjoy. Whether it is by circumstance, by a lack of choice, or for whatever other reason that they are not mobile, my heart goes out to them.

It saddens me to think that for many, ideals are forgone, dreams remain unfulfilled and lives are not lived to the full. This is reality isn't it? I truly pray that we may all have life, and have it more abundantly (cf John 10:10).