Working out some linguistic kinks

I love to work. I love working in my balcony garden, working in my kitchen, working on composing song lyrics, working with my students on discovering wonderful new things.

To me, "work" implies finding out how things work (!), eliciting excellence and beauty, uncovering Truth.

There can be a negative connotation to the word "work" which conjures up excessive effort, unpleasant drudgery, and an attitude that one is never good enough. But if you don't bring those elements to your work, then work can be fun. Work can be productive. Work can be what it means to be human.

I have been avoiding using the word "work" or any of its derivatives, like "workshop" or even asking my students, "What would you like to work on today?" From here on out, I'm reclaiming "work" to represent what I love about engaging with our awe-inspiring universe: What a WORK of art!