Do you know the feeling when the workplace sucks the life out of you? With the husband regularly away on business trips and myself working late I am asking myself, what the heck are we doing here.
I compared notes from ten years ago when we prepared to leave Germany. The business travels, the late hours. Didn't we want to get away from this? Now it's déjà vu all over again, and I am not amused.
Thankfully I have outlets to temporarily escape and clear my mind, even if it is just for an hour or two between rainfalls. And I remembered something I learned in my time in Canada:
Take it, change it or leave it! But don't dare complain, eh!? And so, I cycled on keeping these words in my heart and mind.
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| Naked Tree |
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| Not good... |
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| Me and the Townie |
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| Finding serenity in a pond. |
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| Bird Watching |
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Gelassenheit
Wahrscheinlich kennt jede(e) das Gefühl, dass die Arbeit langsam das Leben übernimmt. Wir sind ja schließlich in Deutschland. Mit dem Gatten permanent auf Reisen und ich selbst Überstunden kloppend, frage ich mich manchmal, was das alles eigentlich soll. Ich denke an die Zeit vor zehn Jahren zurück, als wir mit dem Weggang nach Kanada genau das hinter uns lassen wollten. Überstunden? Endlose Geschäftsreisen? Ich habe gerade ein déjà vu! Aber was habe ich in Kanada gelernt?
"Nimm es hin, ändere es oder lass' es sein. Aber beschwere Dich nicht!" Und so radele ich so vor mich hin und bewege diesen Spruch in meinem Herzen...
Your landscape in these photos with those magnificent clouds look like your Canadian home !
ReplyDeleteYou should allow yourself to complain any time you need to. Complaining- even at its most annoying- is a communication. Sometimes we don't know what we are trying to communicate and those having to listen to us sometimes don't know either. But it's important nonetheless. Complaining has many roots!
Thank you Martha. Although life is good, I sometimes feel unhappy and misplaced, constantly looking for something else. I try not to be that person, and often tend to bite my tongue instead of saying something.
DeleteEine ewige Tretmühle, aber muss ja sein, denn sonst könnten wir uns unsere schönen Hobbies nicht leisten :-)
ReplyDeleteWas mich richtig nervt, sind Arbeitgeber, die sich einen schönen Lenz auf Kosten der/des Angestellten machen. So gut wie nie anwesend, sich aber als vollen Mitarbeiter betrachten und daher niemanden mehr einstellen.
Funny, glaube mir, das sage ich mir jeden Tag, sonst würde ich nicht mehr hin gehen... Ich weiß, was Du meinst. Mein Chef ist an sich nicht so schlecht, aber leider ein Micro-Manager, und das demotiviert leider das ganze Team, weil sie das Gefühl haben, sie können nichts richtig machen.
DeleteLovely countryside!
ReplyDeleteIn fact, the scenery isn't that bad ;-)
DeleteI like the look of the storm clouds in the second shot, but then again, you know I am warped that way eh? The reflection shot, is nicely framed.....very good.
ReplyDeleteOf course you do, Dom. There is nothing better than dark clouds to make for a dramatic scenery.
DeleteWe know the feeling. Roll on lotto win......
ReplyDeleteIf only I played...
DeleteWe too...
DeleteI think many people feel that way from time to time. You made a big investment moving closer to home and that may alter your perception, making normal job challenges seem worse than they may be.
ReplyDeleteThen again, maybe a change professionally may eventually help. It's good to keep an eye out for opportunities.
The good thing is that you know how to make changes. Many people stay in a rut all their lives.
Find your passion and do what you can to make it your living. Much easier said than done.
In the meantime you are blessed with beautiful surroundings.
Hang in there.
David, you get very close to the point, and I believe a professional change might be exactly what the doctor would prescribe. Lucky me, I am not the person to can stay in a rut for too long but I am still in quest of what to do next.
DeleteI can sympathize. Finding the right work-life balance is hard, really hard, especially in a family of 2 busy professionals. But having outside interests goes a long way to helping, so grab every chance you get to use your 2 wheels (of all kinds) to continue to search for those moments of serenity. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteCanajun, in Canada it was always possible to keep a work-life balance. Of course there were demanding times but usually they were very rewarding times, too.
DeleteI am making the most out of my current situation and I am happy that we don't have the kind of winters here that would give me cabin fever on top...
I am glad you have ways to get out and clear your mind.
ReplyDeleteSounds like they are working you like a rented mule. Must be why they give you so many weeks of vacation time. They know you are going to need it.
So true Brandy, the vacation days I had in Canada were more than enough to recharge, in Germany I have the feeling I need a vacay every other week or so... ;-)
DeleteI can truly relate to the experience here of late of having the workplace "suck the life out". I've just come through such a month of this and have finally emerged to the "light at the end of the tunnel".
ReplyDeleteI have taken this time now to recharge and have found myself not riding the bike or scooter but hovering in the house cooking and reading and working puzzles, just trying to "let go".
I like your buzz words. I will keep those for myself as well.
Lovely photography, as always..glad you could enjoy the calm.
Deb, that light at the end of the tunnel, well sometimes it's the oncoming train, right? Any kind of recharging is good. For me I just currently lack the patience of reading a book or so.
DeleteSonja ... I find there is nothing better for the sole than getting out into the beautiful outdoors, breathing in the scenery and getting active. I'm sorry work is getting to you, but I think you have already figured out the balance; vent a little and then get outside and give it hell!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Karen. And the fresh air activities help a lot, thanks the gods.
DeleteA lot of positives to your current location such as fabulous scenery, proximity to some incredible, historical areas and year around riding. But this whole "working" thing could go away. It interferes with your vacations....
ReplyDeleteNow, you get right to the point of it. The root cause is... work interferes with everything fun ;-) Thanks for your insight, Richard.
DeleteEgal wie oft man sich bemüht und das Beste gibt - es gibt immer jemanden, der ein Haar in die Suppe wirft und behauptet, der Koch wäre schuld ...
ReplyDeleteDer Herbst ist da, der Winter naht, Veränderungen im Hormonhaushalt - das hat seit Jahrtausenden Auswirkungen auf ALLES. Das Hinterfragen, was das eigentlich alles soll, ist prima. Das Fragen ansich und das sich-auf-das-Townie-schwingen sind Aktionen. Raus aus der gefühlten Opferrolle. Bist Du tapfer angegangen, Sonja.
Fragen bedeutet Lebendigkeit leben, denn liegenbleiben und "hat ja doch alles keinen Sinn" röcheln hat wirklich keinen :-).
Ab und an ist Jammern aber erlaubt, denn wer immer nur stark sein will, vergißt, sich selber auch mal eine Zeit der dünnen Haut zu erlauben.
Thumbs up, pretty woman - you're right on right ways!
Hey, Heike. Scheint ja so, als wenn Du das auch genau kennst. Ich gebe zu, meine persönliche Jahreszeit der dünnen Haut hat begonnen...
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