Comments on: Idle.

By: Mom

Mom — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:18:18 +0000

Babe: I think Caitlin is right on the money. I have worked hard all my life and generally, I have been fortunate to have jobs that have allowed me to be my personal best. But, was ever single day of every single job full of fun, excitement and passion….absolutely not! I never had the option of not working since I was single until the age of 33.I had to work to survive and I would have taken any job in order to make ends meet and in order to be able to enjoy the people and things I enjoy. For me work has sometimes been what I was doing in order to support the lifestyle and the dreams I had and that was OK for me. Sometimes work has to be something we do to fill the time and to pay the bills and to pay for our pleasures. I think that right now that is what you should find in the way of a job. And, you nver know what else you may discover in the process. I do know that sitting alone overthinking every hour of every day rarely gets us even close to the kind of discovery we need. Leave the future and passion aside for a while and find something that gets you interacting with others and maybe making some extra income too. And, most of all remember we love you and so do lots of people!!!

By: Allison

Allison — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 06:03:40 +0000

You might want to check out @jenny_blake’s recent post: http://www.lifeaftercollege.org/blog/

By: Caitlin

Caitlin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 20:09:26 +0000

Hey, cool!

I think this is definitely an interesting phenomenon that did not affect generations that came before us (at least not to the same degree). We want our work to be fun and fulfilling because, let’s face it–who wants to spend 40 hours of their lives doing something that feels like a complete waste of time and energy? Our time is far too precious for that.

I also think that it’s this sense that there is something better for us–that work should be play and play should be play and really we just all want to be playing all the time–that has our generation in a death grip of panic and immobility. I see it everywhere in my friends. They can’t decide what to do, so they do nothing. They glorify idleness in their minds as a retreat from the world of “the man” that the rest of us have to suffer through. And I used to envy them their freedom. But I want more than that in life–I don’t want to idle indefinitely in the gridlock of indecision!

By no means do I think of my current job as a long-term possibility. But my wants and needs have become much simpler–I want love, enough money to live on, eventually, a family (which will certainly take precedent over any work-related obligations), and the ability to travel. And if I cultivate my “passions” outside of the workplace, maybe I can convert those creative pursuits into a career–eventually. I think what our generation lacks most is patience. We have to build our lives slowly, but we were born into a world where instant gratification reigns supreme and we can’t stand to wait for anything.

You are a wonderful, creative woman with a loving husband and your whole, long life ahead of you. If you want your work to make you happy and give you purpose, bless you–you should! But don’t wear yourself down expecting it to happen right away.

Whew, sorry, that comment was practically a post in itself. The point is, you’ve got some time! While the rest of us are worrying about finding the perfect mate AND the perfect place to live AND the perfect job, you’ve knocked two of those out the park already! You’re way ahead of the rest of us

By: Kendal

Kendal — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 18:03:31 +0000

I wish we lived closer so I could chat with you about this stuff over coffee. I’m with you 100%.

By: Becky Mochaface

Becky Mochaface — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:30:33 +0000

There’s nothing wrong with either being passionate about your job or just being content and satisfied with it. We just have to figure out which best fits us and what we want out of life.