The Same Moments, The Same Days

To do great work and get to love what you do is a truly exceptional life experience. Only a few get to spend their life giving their time and energy day-in and day-out to the things they are truly passionate about. I count myself as one of those privileged few because not only did I get to work in a job and environment that made me come alive, but also because I got to work with some of the most talented and caring people I’ve known. With the passing of time, they no longer were just colleagues and superiors but good friends and a cherished part of my life as well.

A wise man called Steve Jobs once asserted that true satisfaction comes from knowing that what we are giving ourselves to is great work. Great in every sense of the word. We are each created with unique talents and abilities that make us really good at certain things, and that make us come alive when we do them. Our task is to find just what those abilities are and to give our lives to achieving greatness. It is our duty to ourselves, it is our duty to others, and it is our duty to our world to never settle until we find what it is that we love and how we can achieve greatness. If greatness is measured in our love for our work, then I have achieved utmost success in doing what I did and in doing it alongside each one of you. Jobs said the heart just knows…as with all matters of the heart, this heart knew for sixteen years. It continues to know and extends deep gratitude to each one of you for the indescribable joy, rich meaning and this great life I have.

As the moments turn to hours, and the hours turn to days,

Our lives are slowly built by these very moments

And a rich and meaningful life

Is built by the quality of the moments we choose to invest.

That one should be so lucky as me to give their moments

To their heart’s passion and their body’s reason

To build relationships with workmates who become deep soul mates

To belong, to really belong,

The sixteen years that passed are mere moments

Yet a gift beyond what these simple words can express.

As this body slows down,

I reluctantly let go,

But in my spirit I continue on with you,

Moment after moment,

I am one of the O so lucky few

And if I had another lifetime to live

And another and another

I would do it all again

The same piece of earth,

The same faces,

The same moments,

The same days

Right there with you.

01 January 2012, Moira G Gallaga©

This poem is dedicated to all those I've had the honor and privilege to work with during my 16 years in government service.