Wild Forests

2005-08-20 - 11:22 a.m.

I had a brief, rushed coffee with Cate the other day - we went to Merlo and I had a raspberry white chocolate brownie, which was delicious. I love raspberries.

Cate was talking about the public holiday which she spent at work, and I said, "Do you ever feel like you have no time for yourself? You just seem to spend so much time at work." She thought about it, as she always does when she's about to answer a question. "Not really," she said. "My work is so important to me. This is what I want to do, what I've always wanted to do, and I want to make sure I get the best start I can, to really dedicate myself to it now." She shrugged. "And there's nothing else I want to do with my time."

It's funny, that moment when you realise you're not quite as similar to someone else as you thought you were. The way I think about my work, and my life, is completely different. I love my work - it's fun, it's interesting, it's a challenge - but god, I'm glad to leave the office on Friday. If I had to work weekends, I'm sure I'd find it pretty soul destroying. I need time for other stuff.

Not only for blogging (which I must admit is a bit time consuming, but something I love doing), but for my new attempts at jewellery making, going for bike rides, reading other blogs and catching up with the world, and spending time with West, which is especially important. Taking photographs, gardening, attempting to write, trying to remember to do yoga - in fact, I have a hard time squashing in everything I'd like to do around work. But wanting to do those things doesn't mean that I don't enjoy work - I just enjoy a whole lot of other things as well.

Talking with Cate makes me feel a bit lacking in ambition, and I guess I am, compared with her. If I was given a salary of $60,000 per year to write and blog and take photos, then I think I'd give up the law quite happily (apart from doing freebie conveyancing for friends, of course). Cate feels much more passionately about the law, as do other people I know, and it makes me feel a bit ashamed to be doing something that I'm not head over heels in love with.

But we can't all be in lust with our work, especially not if we're naturally lazy. I think I'm really lucky to be able to do something I enjoy, something I get excited about, even if it is something that I'm not terribly emotionally attached to as a career.

Sometimes I feel a little sorry that Cate's not having the same delicious fun with life that I am at the moment (or at least I don't think she is). And perhaps she feels sorry that I don't feel as passionate about work as she does. We can just continue to pity each other in secret.

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journal latest archives extras reading recipes links design contact notes email guestbook lately Music discoveries - 2005-09-04 Greatest clerk in the world - 2005-09-03 Time wasting - 2005-08-29 Destorying the patriarchy - 2005-08-28 Remnants of winter - 2005-08-27 diaryland	2005-08-20 - 11:22 a.m. I had a brief, rushed coffee with Cate the other day - we went to Merlo and I had a raspberry white chocolate brownie, which was delicious. I love raspberries. Cate was talking about the public holiday which she spent at work, and I said, "Do you ever feel like you have no time for yourself? You just seem to spend so much time at work." She thought about it, as she always does when she's about to answer a question. "Not really," she said. "My work is so important to me. This is what I want to do, what I've always wanted to do, and I want to make sure I get the best start I can, to really dedicate myself to it now." She shrugged. "And there's nothing else I want to do with my time." It's funny, that moment when you realise you're not quite as similar to someone else as you thought you were. The way I think about my work, and my life, is completely different. I love my work - it's fun, it's interesting, it's a challenge - but god, I'm glad to leave the office on Friday. If I had to work weekends, I'm sure I'd find it pretty soul destroying. I need time for other stuff. Not only for blogging (which I must admit is a bit time consuming, but something I love doing), but for my new attempts at jewellery making, going for bike rides, reading other blogs and catching up with the world, and spending time with West, which is especially important. Taking photographs, gardening, attempting to write, trying to remember to do yoga - in fact, I have a hard time squashing in everything I'd like to do around work. But wanting to do those things doesn't mean that I don't enjoy work - I just enjoy a whole lot of other things as well. Talking with Cate makes me feel a bit lacking in ambition, and I guess I am, compared with her. If I was given a salary of $60,000 per year to write and blog and take photos, then I think I'd give up the law quite happily (apart from doing freebie conveyancing for friends, of course). Cate feels much more passionately about the law, as do other people I know, and it makes me feel a bit ashamed to be doing something that I'm not head over heels in love with. But we can't all be in lust with our work, especially not if we're naturally lazy. I think I'm really lucky to be able to do something I enjoy, something I get excited about, even if it is something that I'm not terribly emotionally attached to as a career. Sometimes I feel a little sorry that Cate's not having the same delicious fun with life that I am at the moment (or at least I don't think she is). And perhaps she feels sorry that I don't feel as passionate about work as she does. We can just continue to pity each other in secret. \| previous - next