Emily Dickinson’s Occupations
To live is so startling, it leaves but little room for other occupations.
-EMILY DICKINSON-
Emily Dickinson is considered one of the greatest American poets. She’s one of my favorites. I have to remind myself that, though she was a prolific writer and shared poems in letters to family and friends, her true fame came after her death. Her first book of poetry was published in 1890, four years after she died. Her words live on. That is the beauty of writing and sharing. The words live on, even if the writer does not.
I appreciate that she penned the words above. Consider her use of occupations, and how the meaning of the word has shifted since she lived in the 19th century. In Emily Dickinson’s time, women didn’t typically work outside of the home. She wasn’t likely to have had a job even if they did. She was a recluse, living her life in Amherst, Massachusetts, doing minimal traveling, and barely leaving her family’s home the last twenty years of her life. Much of her time was occupied by reading, writing, enjoying nature, observing, reflecting, corresponding. Keenly observing. Deeply reflecting. And the results are treasured poems that are her living legacy.
To simply use occupations to describe the different ways in which we use our time in any given day is intriguing to me. How do I occupy my time? Do I pay attention and notice? Do I get caught up in being productive and forget to be reflective? Life needs to be a balance of these two if we wish to generate energy to keep following our true purposes.
Today, when we use the word occupations, it is mainly referencing our jobs, employment, careers. It’s what we get paid to do. Occupations are now tied to salaries, wages, status, education, training, expertise, hours and overtime. Many of us would also say it is tied to stress and ongoing fatigue. Some are so caught in the web of money and materialism that they push themselves relentlessly so they can make more money and buy more stuff. They forget that part of their time should be occupied enjoying the fruits of their labor, uninterrupted by phones, emails they “have to” respond to, or being available 24/7.
Sorry, I digressed a little there. Back to Dickinson’s words. If we live even a few minutes of each day in full attention, it can help us shift how we occupy our time. To notice fully the bee that just landed on the blossom. To take in a day’s unique sunrise or sunset. To listen to raindrops fall. To hear the laughter of a loved one from another room. To flip a switch and see the light come on immediately. This is to be startled to full awareness. This is to wake up and breathe in a return to what matters most.
Sometimes life startles us back to this awareness with hardships, illness, loss, or events that remind us that our lives and the time we have here are fragile and precious. Why wait for a big startle? Why not startle ourselves with a pause, a breath, a look or a listen? Aim for some small startles today.
