Work And Life-How Do You Balance?

Well it is Sunday and May!!!  how can we be that far into the year already?

I am back at work full time.  Last week was my first week back every day all day and let me tell you it sort of kicked by butt!! We are still not open to the public but we have a lot to do to get ready for opening.  Looking at the bright side, and I do try to do that every chance I get, it is a luxury to be able to work on our gift shops and paint and clean without our guests in the middle of everything.  It does make it easier to get things done in a more orderly fashion.

For three weeks I worked mostly from home and only went in to work a couple of times a week for a few hours.  I loved not having to get out of the house at a certain time every day, not having to worry about what I would wear to work, when I would do laundry, etc.  I am very fortunate that my job allowed me to do that.  There are so many people without a job and having to rely on unemployment benefits to get them through this tough time.

Last Monday I put on real work clothes, packed my lunch, loaded my bag with my laptop,  grabbed my favorite to go coffee mug full of coffee and headed out.  Scruffy looked at me like  I was leaving him forever. And let me say right now if he was ever attached to me before it’s even worse now.  He will not let me out of his sight once I get home.  I’m thinking of getting one of those Moby baby carriers and strapping him onto me.  It would make things easier and keep me from tripping over him every step I take.

It felt really good being out and getting to see a few of my co-workers.  I am a people person and I like being out and about and around people. But I have to admit those weeks of quiet and solitude were actually really nice too.  I didn’t like the reason we had to stay in but I did enjoy the down time.

During my three week “sabbatical” I noticed that my stress level had gone down so much.  I was nicer, laughed more, had more energy.  I was talking to my niece on the phone and we were laughing and talking about a million different things and she said “Wow quarantine really agrees with you”. I guess there is a lot to be said and read into that statement.

I promised myself right then that I would not let stress get to me to the point that it made me not me.  There has to be a work life balance and I have never been good at getting to that point.  I think three weeks of taking it easy made me realize just how much I need that balance.

Over the weekend I took it easy and watched some things on TV I had been waiting to see.  One was, My Darling Vivian, a documentary about Vivian Liberto, the first wife of Johnny Cash.  It is on Amazon Prime and I highly recommend it.  It is quite a story told by their four daughters,  She also wrote a book called I Walked The Line, My Life With Johnny Cash.  As soon as I finished the show I ordered the book.  I can’t wait to read it.  Scruffy and I took a lot of walks, and I did a little cooking and reading and knitting and just enjoyed my time at home.  For me I think this is the best way to recharge and regenerate for my work week.  Work is a huge part of my life but I must not make it all of my life.  See? there’s that balance thing again.

    The weather today was just perfect

   The Rhododendron are blooming!!!!

 Scruffy in full running mode!!

       Kitty Kitty loves to lay in the patches of sun coming in.  She also loves my spinning wheel.  She thinks it’s a big toy.

 Molly always goes on our walks with us.  She sometimes gets tired and goes back to the house before we do. She’s an old lady so that is fine. 

So I have decided that when the world gets in the way.  I will find my quiet spot and my loved ones and enjoy my own little world.  How about you? What do you do to balance your work and your life?

Always remember,

Love your day your way!!!