It's always interesting when someone asks my Musia or Mordechai: "What does your Tatty do?" They usually say something like: "He fixes chairs", or "He types on his computer".
It's a good thing they're not writing my resume. But why is it that they don't make a better case in 'selling' me - like "He teaches" or "does Mitzvos with people"?
I think it's because in reality, we spend 80% of our time on things that are not our mission in and of itself, they merely lay the groundwork and enable us to ultimately achieve our goals in life, the things we ultimately take pride in, and consider our accomplishments.
So how do we maintain a sense of fulfillment throughout our journey, and don't resent the petty and sometimes annoying 80% of our time?
The story of Pesach Sheni, "the second Passover" celebrated this Wednesday offers us great insight. A group of Jews approached Moses, frustrated that their occupation in worldly matters held them back from participating in the Passover temple service, they demanded a solution. G-d responded: Give them another Passover. Indeed they should not lose out.
The key is that these Jews got their desired result, only because they never got entangled in their daily routine and lose sight of their goals in life - to ultimately achieve a deeper connection with our creator and celebrate another Mitzvah.
The message here is this: Don't lose focus going about your daily grind, and forgetting why you do what you do, and what your all about. A few moments of reflection during morning prayer is a great way to reorient ourselves for the day. If we stay focused on our "why" we can bear and inspire almost any "how".