Finally, Some Normalcy

For the past five years or so, it seems all I did was work. There was even a time when I worked two to three jobs at a time. Even my weekends were spent working, and I lacked sleep because of work.

Even when I gave up the freelance jobs, it seemed I still couldn't get a "normal" schedule. Somehow, I ended up working for companies that -- although they were good companies -- required a lot of work to be done and had sorta like "erratic" schedules where I had to stay in the office till the wee hours to coordinate with foreign counterparts or to meet deadlines.

It even came to a point last year when I got really burnt out that I didn't look forward to going to work anymore. That was the second time I got burnt out. The first time led to my quitting my last freelance job, and the second burnout probably was partly responsible for my quitting my previous job.

Not that I'm complaining or anything. I did love my previous jobs and I did learn a lot from them. I guess that I'm just appreciating my current job more now. I was sort of reluctant to move jobs and leave my comfort zone, which was my former job. And it's true that while I don't find my current job very challenging, I'm really grateful that it allows me to finally get some normalcy back in my life -- at least when it comes to balancing work and life.

Work to live, and not live to work. It seemed the latter had been true for the past years. I had been so focused on my job to ensure I do everything right and because I was so intent on making ends meet. But now, I think that I'm actually working to live.

My work load is just right, and I have arranged my schedule so that I'm in the office by 7:00 or 7:30 am and leaving between 4 and 5 in the afternoon. This leaves plenty of time for leisure, which I hardly got before. Now I even get to watch American Idol as many as three times for every show. I no longer have to download the weekly shows just to watch them. And obviously, now I have the time to blog and do other things. Plus I'm more rested now, as I get more sleep.

I am also able to enjoy my leaves more, as I don't have to worry that missing work for a day would cause some kind of disorder in a project or task. And I definitely don't have to be on call (duhh???) while I'm on my leave. I also don't have to put up up with colleagues whose working habits differ from mine and for whom I have to adjust my schedule. My boss is pretty cool and respects how I choose to do my work.

A friend said that it's hard to strike a balance between a a non-stressed life and a challenging job, as challenge would often equate to stress. Conversely, a relaxed working environment would probably equate to boring. But then I guess we can never really have everything we want.

After working so hard for the past years, God probably gave me this job, so I can take some time to rest and have fun without letting my bank account suffer. Again, I guess God gives us what's best for us, and I can't help being really thankful for the job I have right now.