Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The Balance

Maintaining a balance between family, fitness, work, and fun is the perennial challenge. Like my favorite guitarist says, "Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug..." Mark Knopfler has it right.

Lately, I've been the bug. But the trick is to keep moving forward, fighting to restore the balance when it makes sense, and just riding the wave when fighting won't help.

Sometimes, you have to know when to just step back from things and let the situation settle down a bit - let something go while other things occupy a larger proportion of time than they should.

Which places you atop a slippery slope - skipping out on the things that make you whole even for a short time leads to longer and longer periods of imbalance... next thing you know, you wake up and it's been weeks, maybe even months since you last did that thing you miss.

I've often said that I've yet to meet someone who'd died wishing they'd worked another day. And that my day job constantly gets in the way of my hobbies... but at the end of the day, our day job tends to be the more definitive factor in our longer life, the thing that people most remember us for, the thing that pays the bills and creates new opportunity to do like George Carlin said, "Buy a bigger house to keep your stuff."

There's a symbiosis between our day job, our hobbies, and our family life - each, in balance, makes the others better somehow. As much as we'd like to believe there's a 'place' we'll go and find some kind of static situation, a utopian life where things just magically work out, well, that's probably never going to happen.

Or is it?

I think they call it retirement.

But first we have to pay the bills...

4 Comments:

Blogger Andy Magness said...

d2g - found your blog looking for arrowhead info - i actually raced (on foot) back in 2008 but only made it to melgorges - trying it again this year on a borrowed pugsley. briefly browsed through your site and enjoyed it - particularly the focus on real world endurance training - i'm in grad school with a young family as well so i've been grappling with this issue myself over the past several years and also started a blog as kind of an outlet and to sort of consolidate/develop/test my philosophy and theories. Are you racing this year? Andy

9:35 AM  
Blogger Mom & Dad said...

Another awesome day! We are watching your blue dot and are so glad you are enjoying yourself. Loved the message so we knew how you were and Navenka called tonight and said she had spoken to you and that you are doing well. That's awesome! The kids are having a great time and so are we. Love you and miss you. Stay safe and enjoy! Love, Mom, Dad, Lance & Tia xoxox

8:32 PM  
Blogger Mom & Dad said...

Hi Don! You have come 50 miles since I went to bed last night! Awesome! You are at route miles 584 according to the site. You are awesome! Auntie Pat sent an email saying You are awesome! She saw what I was writing on FB. The kids are having a great time and so are we. We are enjoying watching your progress and are cheering you on from here. Love you and miss you, Mom, Dad, Lance & Tia xoxox

10:41 AM  
Blogger Mom & Dad said...

Rick & Todd hunt about 3 miles from Lincoln and Edonna's sister and family live in Helena. xox

10:45 AM  

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