I’ve spent a lot more time working this summer than I had last, resulting in less kayaking and less running/jogging on the back roads near the cottage.
Finding a work-life balance is something that I think everyone needs to find for themselves.
When I was at the cottage the previous two summers and it was just me and my Father-in-Law with my wife visiting occasionally, I would work a fair amount at night and sleep in a little bit and then some during the day and would find myself going for a run in the afternoon (3 or 4pm) or I might Kayak for an hour then, and then usually again after dinner.
But this summer with my wife here in Michigan, I wanted to spend more time with her and my client needed me during a normal work hour, which has meant less kayaking and less running/jogging. I cannot blame this all on work, there is a part of it that is just personal conviction.
But there was a lot of stuff I had wanted to do this summer that I let slip by, I am glad that I went to Traverse for the Startup Weekend. It gave me a chance to meet some folks that I would consider a friend, not a really close friend, but more than just an acquaintance, I also met a number of people I would call acquaintances.
But there was a Maker Lab type setup at the NMC that I wish I had been able to make time to go to, but with Traverse a good 40 minutes away, it is hard to be able to make it there in the evening to spend time working in the Maker Lab, not so much because of the 40 minute drive there, but it would be that 40 minutes home.
The State Theatre in Traverse is volunteer run and to some degree reminds me of the Alamo Drafthouse, before they started franchising/showing up everywhere. They show “almost first-run” movies, it looks like they get movies from a few months back and sometimes foreign films, we saw Jon Favreau in Chef and happened to show up on “Free Popcorn” day, they definitely could have used an experienced concessionist back there slinging popcorn. There were a number of things that they were doing wrong, and while I don’t think I could have eliminated the wait that folks endured for their free bag of popcorn, I definitely would have shaved minutes off the wait. Some of their issues were purely technique, another part of equipment, get the right tool for the job (namely a metal popcorn measuring cup).
But why do I bring up the State Theatre, because on Friday nights they show a late night flick and for a great price like 2 tickets for $5. That week it was going to be “2001: A Space Odyssey”, the downside it did’t start until 11pm. Back in Austin, Gina and I would have been there, but with a 40 minute drive home through the woods of northern Michigan, nope.
So while I truly love Bellaire, there are some drawbacks of small-town life, being far away from neat things like the Maker Lab or the late night Friday flicks at The State Theatre. But with my Internet connection, I am never far away from work.
Which is why finding that work-life balance is important, a number of times I have found myself sitting at my desk at it is 6:30 pm and before I know it, the clock has moved to 7:15 pm, and I was supposed to stop working at 5:30. Also, I have a BAD habit of not eating lunch until about 3pm, but namely because from noon until about 3:00pm I have a hard time finding a stopping point.
But just like the nice 40 minute walk I took yesterday, I took Emma Lou (our schnauzer) for a walk, you have to just make the time.
redftech 