The Value of Labor in a Life Well Lived

Instead of the frenzy of productivity that is for its own sake, work done with intentionality and balance creates room for rest, peace, and fulfillment

This summer, my husband, four children, and I moved from our colorful little farm on a Florida bayou closer to the bustle of town. Leaving the hum of sleepy cicadas, the stretch of snowy egrets over watery sunsets, and early mornings working in a big, old barn was tough to accept.

But our oldest son started high school, and adding another destination to the sunrise trek to the other side of the shining bay—in addition to all the subsequent trips required in a school day—caused us to reconsider where we live and work at this juncture.

Life progresses.

We didn’t dare list the four-acre oasis until we found an acceptable new option. Selling wasn’t the problem. Finding a new house and winning the bid were more formidable feats. Most desirable places were gone in a day or priced to sticker shock, as so many items from the grocery store to the gas pumps have become over the past couple of years.