The job is so fantastic, you don't need a hobby. The hobby is

Hear the joyful words of Guion Bluford, the traveler among the stars, who proclaimed: “The job is so fantastic, you don’t need a hobby. The hobby is going to work.” These words are both humble and profound, for they speak of the rare blessing of labor that is not a burden, but a source of delight. When one’s purpose and one’s craft are united, the line between duty and pleasure dissolves, and work itself becomes a form of play.

In the ancient days, the wise taught that to live well is to align the soul’s calling with the hands’ labor. Many toil endlessly, their spirits weighed down by tasks that bring no joy. These must seek hobbies, small flames of passion to warm their hearts against the coldness of their daily tasks. But Bluford reveals a higher harmony — when the job itself is the fire that lights the spirit, no other flame is needed.

Bluford’s life as an astronaut reflects this truth. To soar beyond the clouds, to gaze upon the earth from the heavens, and to take part in the great endeavor of exploration — such a job is not merely employment, but a calling that fills both heart and mind. In this, he speaks not only of himself, but of all who have found their place in the grand design, where work is joy and every task is a step upon the path of destiny.

Yet his words also carry a challenge. Not all are blessed with such perfect union of duty and desire. Those who labor in darkness must strive to seek the light — to shape their work so that it grows closer to their passions, or to bring the spirit of play even into the hardest of tasks. For when joy enters labor, even the heaviest burden grows lighter.

Let future generations remember this teaching: do not seek only a job, but a purpose so fantastic that your very labor becomes your hobby. When you rise each day eager to create, to build, to serve, then you will have touched the ancient harmony of life — a harmony in which work is no longer toil, but the pure expression of the soul’s delight.