women & men & work

I just read this article about the so-called "mommy track." The mommy track is a slower-paced work lifestyle that got a lot of flack when it was introduced. But as the author points out, the mommy track is now being extended to non-parents. Because guess what the heck it is? A more balanced lifestyle, a more sane life style. Having been in the workforce for a few years doing many different kinds of jobs, the only acceptable options to me are working for self, creating, producing, helping people, these things, that really fulfill a sense of purpose. I will have time periods of intense work in these endeavors, but I don't want spend 30 years of my life working 60 hours a week. And according the article, more and more people are opting for more balanced lives. This is music to my ears because for so long I have been thinking about how the U.S. is ruining places like Europe that did have more balanced lifestyles.

There's a health component too. So may diseases are related to stress and obesity and today's workforce conditions increase these two risk factors. The long hours, the sitting in your chair for hours, the convenience of quick lunches. When I lived in Spain, I remember my senora, a chain smoker in her 60s, walking home for the siesta hour to make lunch for everyone in the household. There is just a different feel to the day when you have that break, especially if you get a chance to enjoy the outdoors for a bit.

And speaking of Europe, I have been thinking a lot about public transportation lately. I think public transportation affects the pysche of people a lot. Having to be in close quarters with people of different socioeconomic classes on a daily basis. In so many U.S. cities, people are divided and do not have the opportunity as much to cross-mingle. I think seeing people of different backgrounds adds a layer of empathy, I wonder if there are any studies on that?

I guess I'm just realizing more and more what kind of lifestyle I want to have. Anything I do, I need to have space to write, and that means much less than 40 hours of work outside the home.  I want to do a lot of work from home, like teach online classes but I need some work outside the home too.

But my identity is a writer. It is the backbone of my profession and a cornerstone of my identity. I realize it more in different ways each day. And everything will revolve around that, which requires a lot of solidarity. I have to give things up, I realize. But I can't have it any other way. I won't.