It takes all walks of life to create a successful world!

We all have to do it even though we may not want to.

What defines "work"?

Is it clocking in at a desk job from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day?

Is it selling produce at the local farmer's market?

Do we individually or collectively define "work"?

This article won't make much sense if I start from the beginning.

Let's start with now.

At 10:00 a.m. I sat down to write this article.

Because before that, at 9:36 a.m., I saw two business men walking in to the bank across the street from the post office where I had some mail to drop off minutes before.

And before that, I was at home making sure my mail was in order and ready to ship at the post office while convincing my daughter that she had to run errands with mommy because that's just the way it is.

Prior to that, I was at the school down the street, dropping my son off for day camp where I accidentally spilled his chocolate milk while I opened his breakfast packet.

My day started at 6:30 a.m.

Let me replay it for you in order of the events as they actually happened.

I woke up at 6:30 a.m. and contemplated if I really felt like getting up this morning. No, not really. But then again, what would happen if I didn't?

Life would go on. The world would still function despite the fact that I didn't feel like doing anything.

I did get up though because I not only have to take care of myself but there are others who depend on me.

By 7 a.m., the coffee was brewing, I was properly attired, and sitting at the computer checking my email messages.

At 7:30 a.m., I was waking up my son and getting him ready for summer camp while I did a few things around the house.

By 9 a.m. I had brought my son to summer camp and set up his breakfast pack on top of the cafeteria table, wiped up the chocolate milk I spilled by accident, drove to and stood in line at the post office for quite some time waiting to ship a first-class parcel, drove to and stood in line at the bank.

By 9:36 a.m., two business men dressed in suits and ties walked to the skywalk from the post office parking lot. They were headed to the bank. They were starting their day at work.

By 10 a.m., I was back home sitting down at the computer to write this article. Because it had occurred to me at that very moment back at 9:36 a.m. A time back in history that could never again because it already came to happen.

And what was I thinking at that fateful moment? That it takes all walks of life to make the world a success.

If everyone started their day at 9:30 a.m., I doubt very much the world would be bustling with commerce.

Factoring in the time differences from one country to the next, it's hard to imagine any productivity happening at all except for a few wee hours during the day.

What would the world really look like?

There was a time in history when practically every man, woman and child worked from home. They grew crops, fished and hunted to eat. They gathered firewood and made fires to stay warm. There were no faucets to drink from. Instead they would carry buckets from the river to their house for cooking, cleaning and washing clothes.

Yet was this not work?

Imagine in today's society if we all had to individually work for ourselves. We had to farm and hunt to feed our families. Some of us still do. There are game hunters and fisherman, it's true.

But what if we all had to do it to survive?

How is it that we've come this far in the world yet we have to depend on others to make a paycheck for ourselves?

Society has changed to expect people to work in order to get money to pay for things they need.

Contrary to an old textbook context, showing pictures of women and children gathering buckets of water down the river, today's textbook would probably show people in business suits dressing for success and walking up a busy street hustling and bustling with booming businesses.

As I stood in line to drop off my one parcel at the post office this morning, I saw a stack of priority mail boxes, neatly taped, at the side at an empty clerk's station.

An employee came out of the back and pointed to the stack of boxes waiting to be attended to. She made a comment to the only clerk in the front waiting on customers that the man will be back to drop off more packages.

A few minutes went by and I saw a man, dressed in ripped blue jeans and an old t-shirt, wheel in some heavier boxes on a dolly cart.

He set them down as he wiped the sweat off his brow. He stopped to lean against the counter to rest and then went on his way.

It appeared he was an online seller, delivering the shipments for the day, and going back home to sell more.

By the time I got to the bank and saw the two business men starting their day at 9:30 a.m., I thought it not fair that while some have to work so hard, others seem to have it so easy. I can't imagine how far I'd fall behind in my work if I didn't start my job until 9:30 a.m.!

I thought about the mother tending to her sick child at camp this morning. I knew from experience she had probably been up all night, carefully counting the minutes until she herself could get some rest. Watching over her daughter peacefully sleeping before the next round of coughing wakes her up.

I thought about the homeless man who stands on the busy street corner and begs relentlessly for spare change in the hot sun.

I thought about the construction crew on the highway hanging light poles, going in to overtime to avoid rush hour.

I thought about the truck drivers who have 24-hour road shifts who sleep on the side of the road in the cab of their truck, alone, after driving for more hours straight than many people are awake!

I thought about the restaurant owner who has been in business for over 50 years, for the past 3 hours he has been preparing todays specials for the lunch rush.

I thought about all of the people I've ever worked with. What was the meaning of all of this?

Individually, we are one.

Collectively, we are the world.

So then, who really defines work?

Are we not all one together working in order to better our lives, feed our families, put clothes on our backs and pay our bills?

Modern conveniences come at a price. Yet who is he, the homeless man, that stands on the street corner begging for pennies in the heat of the hot sun, sweating off pounds, waiting for someone to help him. Is that not in itself a form of work?

Who is one to criticize someone from bettering themselves by sacrificing themselves to better the life of their children by staying home to parent and working on the side to make ends meet. Is that not in itself work?

Who is to scorn the working man who puts in 100% effort but yields little pay. Is that not work?

It takes us all to make the world go around.

The working man, the stay-home mom, the postal worker, the banker, and if it hadn't been for the homeless man on the street corner begging for spare change, would we not realize how fortunate we are?

What in the world would we do if life was different than it is today. Would we know how to survive on our own? Could we plant our own food or hunt meat for trade?

When asked that question, a high school student answered that if they want to eat, they'll go to the grocery store and buy food.

What in the world have we become?