Live to work OR work to live

[fcb2001]

iam currently balancing work and grad school, when i graduate next year, i will most likely be salaried, i get paid by the hour, osmetimes ive had to work past 40 hours so i got overtime pay.

[Paul]

I truly enjoy my job as a teacher working with troubled kids.   As the whole nation is aware we earn no where near the salary that our experience and education deserve, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.  But even here, family always comes first.  At the interview for my present job I asked the principal what she expected of me should I be hired.  Her response was great.  "Take care of yourself, take care of our students, take care of our school."   We still experience that philosophy there, that while our job is extremely important, taking care of our families comes first and I am blessed to work with people that support each other when personal or family crisis arises.

[PORKY]

WELL , I might be wrong but as I see it the biggest problem is th Jones's and the Gimmie's. First theres the "jones's , YOU know who i'm talkin about , the live down the street . The family with  the cottage and the boat , we ALL want a lil of what they have , HELL all of it plus more !  Then theres the GIMMIE'S  ya know " hell i cant afford to pay cash for it, but i'll charge it (loan), I'll show those JONE"S how great i am, so GIMMIE it . Then we GIMMIE this , GIMMIE that, GIMMIE GIMMIE GIMMIE then we have SOOO many GIMMIES that we have to work 30 hours OVERTIME weekly  to make all the payments !  one day we wake up and discover we cant go to the cottage and use the boats n jet ski's cuz we have to work to make the payment ON THEM !We cant go up hunting and use the snomobiles at the cottageI need the OVERTIME.  OH HELL , the overtimes gone and my hours are getting cut , NOW WHAT ? Instead of buying just the cottage and being able to go and enjoy just that we LOSE all of it . OUR big house the 3 cars (2 drivers)75g cottage, 45' boat , 2 jet skis a couple sno/mos!! As the house is getting foreclosed on and were moving our belongings into a uhaul , there goes the JONES"S in thei 92 reliant , driving up north to their shared cottage that they get every other weekend and go out in the 24' power boat to tow some 99.95 water ski's,and enjoy their friends and family  and to top it OFF ? its only thursday !   

[PBurke]

i work in the oilfield. so work is all there is. no holidays, no weekends, no nights, no weather. just work. that is the mentality here. work more dammit. by no means am i lazy but that is horsecrap. what is the point of working ALL the time to make more money and not enjoying the people you are supporting? and kids think they have to have the best of every-damn-thing. ok kids i'll go back to work. daddy loves ya. you get my drift?

[PORKY]

WELL P.B. , thats Exactly what im talkin about , and believe me they WILL grow up to regret it and wish they had the time BACK to spend with you all over again my DAD was a fireman and always worked a second job as well as going to some sort of school at nite to "MAKE A BETTER TOMMOROW", well he was TOTALLY disabled at the age of 48 (i was 10) in a fire well all the "extras" he had worked for tommorow were out the window and all those hours we COULD have spent "bonding" and doing family things were gone TOO!There may come a time in our lives when ALL WE HAVE is our memories , and if all weve done all of our lives is work then we HAVE NO MEMORIES !  we may be able to recall "on june 19th of 74 me and my son went hunting and he shot his first turkey"  but  do we REALLY want to sit back and think "on june 19th '74 i worker a double shift and didnt do anything with my son " ! Harry Chapin's "cats in the cradle" is a synopsis of my life (sort of parafrased)   

[herronm]

Here is the intro to a great book titled "To a Child LOVE is spelled, T-I-M-E".

http://store.simpletruths.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=simplet&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=274379909&Count2=191520333&ProductID=1164&Target=products.asp

In the faint light of the attic, an old man, tall and stooped, bent his great frame and made his way to a stack of boxes that sat near one of the little half-windows. Brushing aside a wisp of cobwebs, he tilted the top box toward the light and began to carefully lift out one old photograph album after another. Eyes once bright but now dim searched longingly for the source that had drawn him here.
It began with the fond recollection of the love of his life, long gone, and somewhere in these albums was a photo of her he hoped to rediscover. Silent as a mouse, he patiently opened the long buried treasures and soon was lost in a sea of memories. Although his world had not stopped spinning when his wife left it, the past was more alive in his heart than his present aloneness.
Setting aside one of the dusty albums, he pulled from the box what appeared to be a journal from his grown son's childhood. He could not recall ever having seen it before, or that his son had ever kept a journal. Why did Elizabeth always save the children's old junk? he wondered, shaking his white head.
Opening the yellowed pages, he glanced over a short reading, and his lips curved in an unconscious smile. Even his eyes brightened as he read the words that spoke clear and sweet to his soul. It was the voice of the little boy who had grown up far too fast in this very house, and whose voice had grown fainter and fainter over the years. In the utter silence of the attic, the words of a guileless six-year-old worked their magic and carried the old man back to a time almost totally forgotten.
Entry after entry stirred a sentimental hunger in his heart like the longing a gardener feels in the winter for the fragrance of spring flowers. But it was accompanied by the painful memory that his son's simple recollections of those days were far different from his own. But how different?
Reminded that he had kept a daily journal of his business activities over the years, he closed his son's journal and turned to leave, having forgotten the cherished photo that originally triggered his search. Hunched over to keep from bumping his head on the rafters, the old man stepped to the wooden stairway and made his descent, then headed down a carpeted stairway that led to the den.
Opening a glass cabinet door, he reached in and pulled out an old business journal. Turning, he sat down at his desk and placed the two journals beside each other. His was leather-bound and engraved neatly with his name in gold, while his son's was tattered and the name "Jimmy" had been nearly scuffed from its surface. He ran a long skinny finger over the letters, as though he could restore what had been worn away with time and use.
As he opened his journal, the old man's eyes fell upon an inscription that stood out because it was so brief in comparison to other days. In his own neat handwriting were these words:

Wasted the whole day fishing with Jimmy. Didn't catch a thing.

With a deep sigh and a shaking hand, he took Jimmy's journal and found the boy's entry for the same day, June 4. Large scrawling letters, pressed deeply into the paper, read:

Went fishing with my dad. Best day of my life.

[Hawk]

This is a great thread!  I really think our society has turned to a "work to live" environment
and I quickly realized this 5 years ago when I was the "top producer" at my firm and I got
the stink eye whenever I wanted to leave early to go to my son's t-ball games, etc.  I finally
got tired of their attitude in general when I was making them a ton of money so I resigned
with grace and told them I was leaving to start my own firm.  You would have thought I told
them I was fixing to set of a bomb in that office.  They were outraged and offered me a piece
of the company, etc.  I respectively declined and worked my 2 weeks notice and never looked
back.  Now that I work for myself I produce almost double what I did at that firm and work half
of the time I used to.  If that firm was still around I would send them a picture of me with my
middle finger in the air, but I'm pretty sure I put them out of business.   

[BaldRob]

Most of this has to do with the company you work for...

The first company I worked for after leaving the Navy had absolutely NO concept of life... the pay was crap, the travel was ludacris (Oh my god... they've went PLAID), and the work environment, when we were actually in office, was miserable.  It was the type of company that if you returned home at 2 am from a trip on a Thursday night/Friday morning, they expected you to be in the office at 8 am sharp Friday morning... if you were a minute late, you got "counseled".  I lasted 2 1/2 years in the environment before finally being able to leave.  To a certain extent, that job jaded my strong work ethic I developed in the Navy...

However, the next (and current) job is totally different.  Before the promotion and ability to work from home, I was contracted to a defense contractor (with minimal travel)... at that point, being hourly, we were expected to work 40 hours... no more, no less.  Obviously there were times when we had to work OT, but those times were the exception, not the rule.  And depending on the state of the project, the OT could either be taken as time-and-a-half pay or as comp time in the following weeks.

Now, I work from home for the most part and the travel varies.  Weeks when I'm at home, my schedule is my own and the work load varies... but due to instructors being on the road and in different time zones, I do get calls into the evening hours sometimes.  When I'm on the road (which thankfully isn't much anymore), I'm working about 9 hours a day... but it's not a hard 9 hours, since instructing is fun!

With that also, the man who owns the company is a firm believer in working to live... he doesn't want the instructors teaching more than 2 weeks a month, which covers their salary and provides a small profit.  When they are home, they are home.  This helps prevent burn-out.  We do have them do some tasks while they are home, but it's more along the lines of prepping for the next class or doing research for potential customers... stuff they can do in their PJs at home!

[PigPen]

First, I applaud Schro for the sacrifice he and the Mrs. made. My wife has been a stay at home mom since our kids were born. It puts a strain on us, but she has held down a few part-time jobs and is starting another one this week. For me, it's work to live because live month to month. I come from a humble background, as does my wife. We don't have an expensive house, drive fancy cars or any of that. We have only one newer vehicle we're making payments on, and I drive the old beater pickup. I make a decent wage for where I live, but the cost of living is slightly out of control. Add to that, the healthcare costs I pay each month and it gets tight. We're not starving, but it gets scary sometimes. I will put in anywhere from 50-60 hours in a normal week. Sometimes more, which upsets the wife. But I won't leave until the job is done. We get paid a base salary plus commission on sales for the whole department. When I asked for a raise, the response I got was "Sell more". In my opinion, we can only sell so much work and not beat the technicians into submission. I have heard of several other dealers in town who have cut their advisors pay because the boss thought they were making too much money. IMHO, they busted their butts for it and deserve every penny.

I'll get off my soap box now, have a great Thursday Gentlemen, and Ladies

[Hawk]

I truly enjoy my job as a teacher working with troubled kids.   As the whole nation is aware we earn no where near the salary that our experience and education deserve, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.  But even here, family always comes first.  At the interview for my present job I asked the principal what she expected of me should I be hired.  Her response was great.  "Take care of yourself, take care of our students, take care of our school."   We still experience that philosophy there, that while our job is extremely important, taking care of our families comes first and I am blessed to work with people that support each other when personal or family crisis arises.

I applaud what you do!  You're a good man!

[andrew]

I have learned, through the years, how important it is to spend time with my family and not work night and day. 

Being self-employed, I was of the mindset that I should accept all work that came my way and was working very very long hours, in years gone by.  The money was great, but it wasn't doing me any good because I didn't have time to enjoy it with my family.

During the past 5 years, I've declined all part-time contract work.  Now, I spend every evening and weekend with my family.  I still spend several evenings each week catching up on paperwork, but it's at my leasure and the phone isn't ringing off the hook at all hours.  It's been good for all of us.

[PBurke]

here is one of my favorite songs. it pretty much sums this all up. the artist is JAMEY JOHNSON.




Jamey Johnson, The Dollar Lyrics
Looking for Jamey Johnson tabs and chords? Browse alphabet (above)

Artist: Johnson Jamey
Song: The Dollar
Album: The Dollar Buy Jamey Johnson Sheet Music
Buy Jamey Johnson CDs

Daddy hugs his little man
says son I’ve got to go
and he pulls out of the drive and disappears
as they walk back in the house
the young boy asks his mama
where does daddy go when he leaves here

mama tells her little man
your daddy’s got a job
and when he goes to work they pay him for his time
well the young boy gets to thinking
and he heads up to his bedroom
and comes running back with a quarter and four dimes

(chorus:)
and says mama how much time will this buy me
is it enough to take me fishing or throw a football in the street
if I’m a little short then how much more does daddy need
to spend some time with me

the young boy tells his mama
now I know daddy’s busy
cause most times when he gets home it’s dark outside
but tell him I’ve got me some pennies
saved up from the tooth fairy
and I keep ‘em in my piggy bank and I believe there’s thirty-five

(chorus:)
and mama how much time will that buy me
is it enough to take me camping in a tent down by the creek
if I’m a little short then how much more does daddy need
to spend some time with me

mama how much time will this buy me
is it enough for just an afternoon a day or a whole week
if I’m a little short then how much more does daddy need
to spend some time with me

mama takes her little man
sets him on her lap
and starts dialing up some numbers on the phone
she says daddy come home early
you don’t have to chase that dollar
cause your little man has got one here at home

[PigPen]

Awesome song Paulie, he's a great artist and writer.

[-Doug-]

Excellent post Paulie!

[Zeekev]

Great Lyrics PBurke.

I am lucky enough to work for the Federal Government in Canada. We have a 37.5 hour work week and overtime is usually on a "volunteer" basis. The Department I work in is very family friendly and they don't usually allow more than 12 hours per week of O/T to avoid burnout and take away from family time. My wife was able to take a few years off when the kids were born and return to her job when they started school (she works for the Gov't also). We are able to make a very good wage and spend alot of time with the kids/family. Don't want to miss my little ones grow up. I remember  my Dad being at all my hockey, football, soccer, baseball games and playing golf with him and my brother on the weekends in the summer...I hope my kids will cherish the time we spend with them as much as I did with my family growing up.

KC