Life is full of hard work;
begins and ends with hard work; 
and that hard work comes in many forms.

Hard work can be physical; 
like picking an elderly lady, 
crying and embarrassed, 
up from the floor.

Hard work can be intellectual; 
like reworking your daily schedule 
to fit in a thousand new routines.

Sometimes hard work is emotional; 
like sitting still in a hospital waiting room; 
the only place in the universe 
where time does not exist.

And, occasionally, 
hard work is spiritual; 
like taking a good long look in a mirror 
to see what everyone else sees.