(No picture today, there's no time to find one.)
There are so many thing I want to share with all of you... my paper sale adventures, my tomatoes, my endless search for creativity, my take on the Harry Potter craze...
But, alas, it is not meant to be. "Why?" you ask. That, my dear friends, is the topic of today's conversation (and I do think of it as a conversation, not a rant).
What happened to life?
Is this is? Am I living it?
I vaguely remember something about balance and family and hobbies. I have fond memories of dinner before 8:30. There were board games and frisbee and books somewhere.
Not now. It's over. I am not sure if this is a product of my upbringing or my life stage or my location or all of the above. But, I do know that I don't have any time for ME. I also know that I'm not the only one.
In the Chicago loop, people are rewarded for giving themselves up. You are promoted faster if you work late and your bonus is more if you put in 60 hour weeks (60 hours, by the way, is pretty average).
But, I want to know why! Why do I feel guilty if I get on the 5 p.m. train if I was in the office by 7:40 and I ate lunch at my desk? Why does my firm say, "it is fine to telecommute a day or two a week," if when I decide to work hours 46-52 from my dining room people roll their eyes.
One of the things I miss most about my home town is that people seems to slow down every once in a while. Or, maybe it is that you have to cram less life in.
Let's observe. This morning, I had to leave early to go by the ATM, so that I could get to the train station early, so that I could refill my parking card, so that I could take the 40 minute train ride into the loop, so that I could wait in line at Starbucks for 6.45 minutes, so I could walk to my building where I go through security to take the elevator up 25 floors, to go through security again, to change out of my shoes into my other shoes, and take my laptop out of the secure cabinet, and.... sit. I am tired just thinking about it. (And, did I mention it is a 30-40 minute round trip to Target?!)
By comparison, it took me 2 minutes to drive to high school. 2 minutes!
But, I digress...
How do we change our circumstance? I am honestly asking you. Is there a magical place where your commute is 10 minutes and your evenings begin at 5? (No, really begin.)
2 comments:
i don't know but tell me if you find it.
part of me think that's a myth of an older generation and a selective memory. or that easy days come with cheaper salaries.
but i really do think you should move closer to home. at the least, your target might be closer.
I have to agree - I think closer to "home" would be easier in that sense. However, I think that it is possible to find companies that do not expect people to work overtime, mine being one example (even the bosses rarely stay late). With that being said, I think it's also likely that companies such as these are not necessarily what you, or I, envision for our careers. It's a trade-off; I think life is all about trade-offs.
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