I’ve been thinking about job satisfaction and general happiness. It’s like the chicken and the egg. Which comes first? Seems logical that a satisfying career would be a major factor in one’s overall contentment. But some experts say it’s the other way around – that the key to job happiness is being happy in general, and that you don’t have to find fulfillment at work in order to be content in life.
It’s a moot point for me, because I’ve always had jobs I enjoy. And I’ve always enjoyed life in general. I’m one of those rose-colored-glasses-wearing, sunny-side-of-the-street kind of folks who annoy the heck out of other folks like my late husband, Barry. He used to joke that my eternal optimism was a mental illness, that normal people just aren’t that happy all the time, especially while on the job.
But then, as I used to tell Barry, my work life is far from normal. I’m fortunate to be able to do what I love and love what I do. Besides radio broadcasting, storytelling, acting and writing, I have a wonderful day job. For 15 years, I’ve worked for Kaunoa Senior Services, a division of the County of Maui’s Department of Housing and Human Concerns. Far from being a stereotypical cog in the grinding wheels of bureaucracy, Kaunoa is an efficient, enlightened agency with an admirable mission: to continuously create special and exceptional experiences and opportunities to make the retirement years of Maui’s seniors feel like the best years of their lives.