Everything in moderation

Do you agree with the quote? I have heard it often. Most often when I am in a conversation with someone who is struggling to find balance. The two words and concepts seem linked to me -- moderation and balance. I tend to seek both when I've gone overboard. It is easy to get caught up in desire and passion. I love being totally engrossed in an activity or pursuit. Or a tasty meal. A bag of licorice. My work...

In all the years of developing my career and working I never did achieve moderation. A healthy work/life balance has always eluded me. At the beginning of this year, I was determined to change that. I had decided to go part-time. The plan was first hatched in the fall of 2019. It took a lot of thought and some therapy to really consider following through. All my adult life I have believed that working long and hard was the only way. Going part time felt lazy or irresponsible. Yet, it seemed to me to be the best option since I was just unable to balance my nonwork life while full time. It's worth a try.

Plans were disrupted mightily in 2020. We all lost control, even the illusion of control. My part-time work schedule lasted one month. When COVID hit, I went back to work full-time. I dove in completely. In the early days, we tended to think the whole pandemic thing would only last a couple of months. Eight months into it, no one really knows when it might end. Two months into it, working 7 days a week for long hours, I got a nasty case of the shingles! That changed everything for me. I quit my job. Perhaps the more balanced or moderate approach would have been to go back to part-time.