Jan 29, 2008

Balance

These are a couple of not so good pictures that I took this morning at the rose garden. Arizona doesn't get cold enough for roses to go dormant so they have leaves all year. When we prune them, we pick off all the leaves so that they will have all new leaves this growing season.



While I was at the garden center this morning I overheard a couple of the volunteers discussing the amount of time they spend at the center. One fellow said that he had resolved to cut back, but had been coaxed by others to relent.

That is the problem with being a volunteer anywhere. Once you commit to something it is easy to get dragged way beyond what you signed up for. This struck me because as I mentioned yesterday, this is a very busy week for me.

The Roman dramatist Terence said, "There is nothing so easy but that it becomes difficult when you do it reluctantly."

I like working at the hardware store, working at the garden center, playing golf, bowling and having lunch with my friends. But when any of them becomes so demanding as to squeeze out the others, I get resentful.

I think that the key to happy living is being able to balance what you have to do, what you choose to do and what you want to do. Otherwise, even the most fun becomes tedious.






Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

8 comments:

Bobby D. said...

Ha! I can totally relate. I put in more and more hours with a Vol. group until I realized one day that there was more pressure there than at any job. The more you do, the more others heap on you, so you need to draw a line. Otherwise people will take advantage of your sweet nature.

dennis said...

Dennis doesn't know what Volunteer or work means, but Dennis wonders how the Seafood King is doing.

Kurt said...

As a former teacher, I can tell you that, in my experience, volunteering means you don't have to show up.

Anonymous said...

I balance my two day work week with a five day Wii-fest.

Jams said...

Boy, truer words have never been spoken. You hit it right on the head. Balance! That's the key...at least one of them.

Fred said...

I notice you didn't mention your "Dean Activities" at all. Don't worry, we'll try to handle the investigations ourselves. (The trustees, students, and faculty.)

Steve Reed said...

Absolutely! And it's HARD to stay balanced! (That's why I've laid off my own blogging for a bit!)

Anonymous said...

I like roses.