Comments on: Duty free

By: Julie

Julie — Thu, 03 Mar 2005 04:11:15 +0000

Personality test results definately depend on the mood you in when you take them.

I admire you for getting in the water to enjoy your children. I’m not a “poolside sitter” either. They grow up way too fast.

By: jenny

jenny — Tue, 01 Mar 2005 05:54:22 +0000

I am too amazed at the time and prep it takes to swim… but I love it. And “duty”… I definitely struggle with the joy of “doing” versus the “should” part…

By: Bob V

Bob V — Mon, 28 Feb 2005 18:40:09 +0000

Julie, your initial reluctance to be called dutiful says a lot about its definition.

Duty – things we don’t want to do but we feel bad about not doing.

We never invoke the word “duty” to refer to things we want to do. Calling the other parents into the water is not duty, which is why your calling it duty is humorous. Your use of duty in that case isn’t consistent with the above definition. Duties are necessarily chores.

Wouldn’t it be nice though if the things we once considered duties became things we wanted to do? Your experience at the pool is just such an instance. How perfect would our lives be if we actually wanted to do all the things that we had to do? How can we come to love our duties?

By: ilona

ilona — Mon, 28 Feb 2005 18:03:31 +0000

DUTY is not a four letter word! Oh wait…it is… but as you point out it gives safety and consistancy and often leads the way to freedom of joy. Thanks for showing me this so clearly:)

By: Anita Rowland

Anita Rowland — Mon, 28 Feb 2005 14:42:01 +0000

taking my grandson to family swim has just been great this winter! But it’s true about the time it takes to shower and get dressed afterwards seeming inordinately long.