The Task Within The Task

What we are really doing when we are doing what we are doing

There are certain moments in life that stand out to us. You know the ones I’m talking about. Special conversations that turned into “light-bulb moments”; Notable experiences that changed the course of your life; Ordinary people who gave you extraordinary feelings that you can’t explain.

I had one several years ago while riding the bullet train in Japan. I was there working as a background singer on tour with Christopher Cross. We had a new drummer named Doug and I hadn’t gotten a chance to get to know him very well yet. As we stood on the train platform, juggling our bags and waiting for the train to arrive, our road manager randomly handed out our tickets.

Waiting on the train to arrive in Osaka, Japan

When the train arrived, I looked at my ticket for my seat assignment and hurried onto the train car to get into my comfy seat for the 2 hr ride from Osaka to Tokyo. As fate would have it, my seating partner for the ride was Doug. We had barely gotten settled into our seats before Doug said to me, “I’m so glad we are sitting together! I’ve been wanting to get to know you. Tell me everything. Where are you from? How long have you been singing? Do you have a family? I want to hear about it all!” I was a bit stunned as I hadn’t had a stranger seem that interested in me before, but as I turned to him to reply, the big, friendly smile on his face showed me he was actually very sincere in his desire to hear about my life. “Gosh, Doug,” I said chuckling a bit, “Do you really want to hear that much about me and my life?” And that’s when Doug said the words to me that I’ll never forget: “Yes, of course I do! That’s why we are here.”

“That’s why we are here.” — Hmmmmm.

I thought about his words for a minute and then I said, “Tell me more. What do you mean by that.”

He explained, “I don’t believe it’s random that you and I are sitting together today. Everything in life has a purpose and I believe that you and I were seated next to each other today to learn from one another. So let’s start by learning about each other.”

I was still kind of mulling over my new friend’s interest in my life, but I decided to just go with it. We spent the next couple of hours talking about our families, our careers, our likes and loves and hobbies etc... and at the end of the ride, I said, “You know, we could have spent these two hours with our ear pods in, just passing the time, but this was much more enjoyable, talking and learning from one another.” And then he said it again. “Marcia, that’s why we are here. That’s what life is all about. You are a singer and I’m a drummer, but that’s not really who we are or why we are in Japan. Yes, because you sing, that brought you here to work and because I drum, that brought me here to work. But what we do, (singing and drumming) is just the conduit to get us to the people we need to connect with, grow with, and learn from. What we do isn’t what our lives are all about. What we do isn’t why we we are here. Human connection is why we are here.”

There it is: The task within the task.

“There is much evidence on several levels that there are at least two major tasks to human life. The first task is to build a strong “container” or identity; the second is to find the contents that the container was meant to hold. The first task we take for granted as the very purpose of life… the second task, is more encountered than sought.

The task within the task: what we are really doing when we are doing what we are doing.”¹

We spend so much time in the first half of life trying to be successful. But somewhere along the way, if we are doing the internal work of achieving wholeness and integrity, we realize that being successful in the eyes of the world doesn’t equate with living a significant life. A life that really matters. A life that bears good fruit.

Growing up as a Christian, I often read this scripture in Matthew 7:

“By their fruit, you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

We are all here to bear good fruit in the world. To make a positive difference in the lives of the humans (and even animals and nature) that we encounter each day. God entrusted the world to us humans, so I believe it’s our duty to take care of all living things.

My task today might be going to the grocery store, but the task within the task might be to speak words of encouragement to the obviously discouraged boy who is helping bag my groceries. Or I could be heading into the studio later to sing a demo, but the task within the task is to make a positive difference in the lives of the people I work with in that session. Or, my task today might be to take a hike to exercise my body but along the way, I encounter an injured animal I need to stop and help. Yep, the task within the task.

In other words, the task within the task is bearing good fruit as you go about your daily life. It’s about easing the suffering around us in whatever way we have the capability to do that. No matter what we are doing, we can bring a bit of God’s Divine Love into our work, our errands, our lives and the world. And no matter where we are, we can love each other and learn from each other - making a difference in the lives of family, friends and strangers.

Or maybe even with a new friend on a bullet train in Japan. Thanks, Doug. :-)

What do you think is your reason for being here? What is your task within a task today?

Love ya’ll…. M

1. From “Falling Upward”, by Father Richard Rohr