The Vacation Life

I asked my friends, to tell me about their work/life balance. I asked was it important right now or were they willing to sacrifice it at this stage to have more of it later? They mostly agreed that it was important to create one, and that other perks of the job would have to yield a great enough return for the job to worthy of having so much work time invested. None of them want to be, as my best friend put it, “right now, my schedule is flexible. In five years, it won’t be…I’ll be damned if I’m in my 40s with no freedom to enjoy my family and free time because of work.” The stress of work can literally kill you, which we all agreed upon – it can be seen most obviously in Japan where businessmen literally collapse in the streets from exhaustion and overwork. Responding to weekend emails, tolerating clients and co-workers who live to nit-pick also are reasons some twentysomethings chose to scale back on the work side of life. “You grow and then you stabilize. You do reach a point when you’re content, but you have to make sure you take the steps to be comfortable there and done what you’ve wanted to do career wise in the process.”

We definitely have mastered the art of smiling and following up with an, “absolutely I’ll get right on it” and proceed to continue scrolling Instagram or our preferred online shopping store. For me, I do this to keep my mind and eyes from glossing over while entering data that feels mindless but has to absolutely be on point (at least that’s what I tell myself to keep from feeling awful (not) about slacking off). I happen to like my job and employer, I even like my boss but work is still work and I have days were I still hit the “absolutely” smile! Creating a balance within yourself with work is the most important I would argue. If you have family and friends who are missing you, then it becomes an even greater challenge. Now not only are you trying to finagle me time, you are also having to find time for them as well, and it’s imperative (if you working like a mule has an end goal that is attainable in the foreseeable future) to have people in your corner who will rally around you and push you to be the best and achieve the goal. Support, encouragement, and faith in what you are doing are as necessary as the motivation and determination within yourself. And while we’re here, please stop telling those who are comfortable pushing papers at their 9 to 5 that they should not be. Every Monday through Friday occupation is NOT fulfilling someone else’s dream. I happen to work in a school. Should I feel wrong for working there? What dream of “the man” am I working toward by enriching the lives of children and their families each day? If you’re doing what you like, that’s awesome. Doing what you love? Even better. Don’t knock someone who is doing the best they can, even if they aren’t pray for them if it moves you that much but don’t berate and belittle them.

Anyway, here’s the thing though: we millennials over think and overreact to everything. If we are not outraged or offended by the action or inaction or our significant other, heaven forbid we tell a friend; because they will find the outrage for you. There’s often a false sense of, if you’re with someone who works hard, and they care about you, they’ll be available to and for you at all times. If they are not, then somehow they didn’t prioritize correctly. Give us a parachute, because we’re about to jump to conclusions. Other folks and your friends may say your partner doesn’t care about you or doesn’t want to be seen with you, which is quite often not even close to the case. The fact is, there are literally some jobs and careers which don’t allow for partners to have ample amounts of free time. Some people have to go on vacation to getaway, the only free time they find is that which is literally scheduled on to their calendars, and even then it may be difficult to break free from the pressures of work. I give them credit for making themselves break away for a moment and being able to take a deep breath. After all, no matter how many hours you work, as my father used to say, “I ain’t ever seen a Brinks truck followin’ a hearse.”

TL;DR: Secure the bag, drink lots of water and maintain your mental health.

#friends #patience #work #fun #adulting