It’s the holiday season once again, and many of us will soon be taking at least some time off work. A bit of time to cease from what we normally do and (hopefully) experience a little rest. These breaks are part of the ebb and flow of life. Whether it be scheduled vacations, or some down time over the weekend, most of us have moments where we can put work to the side, even if only for a little while.
And although these times of rest and vacation from work are important, for some, they are the goal — the whole reason for working in the first place. Making it to the weekend, for instance, becomes the main reason for putting in another day during the week. Showing up week after week, year after year, is seen as just the cost of getting what we really want — more vacation time, or ultimately, a nice retirement.
And although these times may be enjoyable, what should the relationship between rest and work be? Is work only a necessary evil so we can eventually spend our time doing these other things we really want to do?
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Imagine the difference between what life would be like if a) I only endure my work because of what it allows me to eventually obtain (money, vacation, retirement, etc.), or b) I engage in my work for its own sake, seeing breaks and vacations as not only enjoyable in themselves, but also as a means of renewing me for the work I do the remainder of the time. One option puts half my life at odds with the other half, instead of seeing all of it as working together.
Work and rest are not in competition. Both are good and valuable. And just as working hard can make us appreciate the times when we can take time to relax, so can our times of rest rejuvenate us for our work.
But if we only see our work as the necessary dues we have to pay to get some rest, counting down the days or hours till it arrives, it means we’ll be simply enduring much of our time.
Not only can this approach put a damper on those times of rest we do get — i.e. that feeling at the end of a break when we don’t really want to go back to work — but we also end up missing out on the chance to engage and grow and flourish in half of our waking hours (i.e. the workday) because we’re seeing is as a necessary evil, instead of a full-fledged part of life.