Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Back to work; for how long?

It's been awhile since I've written. I got a job! The summer has been a fairly steady blur of work, which has been great.

Heading back to work after such a long break left me with all sorts of questions: whether I would adjust to working again being primary among them. Well, I did. It was actually really great to remember that my work ethic, though it had been sidelined for several months, was actually not impacted by the break in the least. In fact, I found myself more focused, determined, and sharp after some time to regroup. I can breathe a sigh of relief on that one. In conversations with friends who are similarly situated, this seems to be a shared concern.

But, like many people now, my job is contingent upon various projects, so there are breaks in between work. The flexibility is really great, and as I am currently on a break, I'm finding time to take care of all of the projects, hobbies, and volunteer activities that I cultivated when initially unemployed.

It seems that the face of employment has already shifted dramatically, which leaves me wondering how our attitudes towards employment will continue to evolve. I know that my has shifted drastically, from being willing to offer up my sense of individuality and freedom in exchange for the illusion of certainty that I'd have a job to not being willing to trade so much of myself for just money. It's a balance, for sure, but as I see people around me choosing to spend more time doing what they love and spending time with their loved ones, it gives me hope that, collectively, we can shift the emphasis from money as a means of self-definition to money as a necessary tool to live. Then we can get on with what really matters!

Until next time...