On Duty

This morning I woke up just before 4am.

My brain had fully switched on - like a battery that had fully charged.

I had already planned for an earlier than usual morning (I had a number of things to catch up on, and wanted to get a head start) - but this was even earlier than the Early I had in mind.

I got ready - quietly - in the dark. I finished getting dressed in the cold dark garage to avoid making any noise. I left before the sun rose.

At some point, and I'm not exactly sure why, the word Duty came to mind.

I like that word. When I think of something as a "duty," it washes away any feeling of frustration, exhaustion, annoyance. It resonates more than the word obligation which seems more weighty. Obligations can cause a knee-jerk reaction to push back and say "no" - but Duty is something you internalize.

Duty is the thing you do, not necessarily because you want to, but because you need to. Duty is the path to Purpose. It's how we find our Meaning, our Energy, our Drive.

Duty is a powerful way of reminding ourselves why it's worth doing the things we do. It's our why.

This was on my mind, for a long drive, as someone with something to think about.

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