(no subject)
Since I know at least one person who still checks this periodically, and since I’m so overdue for a post I can’t even remember the last time I did, it’s about time…
I counted last night, and this is my 16th year playing volleyball in a league of some kind. It doesn’t matter what the level of competition, who’s on my team (although I’ve certainly had more fun with some than others), or what else is going on in my life. The minute I step onto the court and the first serve crosses the net, everything outside the gym disappears until the game is over. Volleyball was my saving grace during grad school: it was the one time a week when I wasn’t completely immersed in museums, and as much as I like museums, that break was crucial to my sanity during those two years. Now that I’m working, and even though I live on my own, volleyball is still the best “me” time I have every week.
I was talking to a coworker this week who said that the people who do best in the museum world are those who have found other things to do outside of work, and that too many people become completely engrossed in their jobs to the detriment of any other personal lives. I think that’s true about the working world in general, although people who consider their jobs to be more than just a job - those in public service, for example - can be especially prone. I love my job and the fact that it (hopefully) directly impacts our visitors, and since most of my friends here also work in museums it’s easy to talk and think nonstop about work and the museum field. That’s why I’m so thankful that I’ve found other activities to join, that I’ve met other people in the community, and that I’m able to take time to get away and visit family and friends.
It’s all about balance.
I counted last night, and this is my 16th year playing volleyball in a league of some kind. It doesn’t matter what the level of competition, who’s on my team (although I’ve certainly had more fun with some than others), or what else is going on in my life. The minute I step onto the court and the first serve crosses the net, everything outside the gym disappears until the game is over. Volleyball was my saving grace during grad school: it was the one time a week when I wasn’t completely immersed in museums, and as much as I like museums, that break was crucial to my sanity during those two years. Now that I’m working, and even though I live on my own, volleyball is still the best “me” time I have every week.
I was talking to a coworker this week who said that the people who do best in the museum world are those who have found other things to do outside of work, and that too many people become completely engrossed in their jobs to the detriment of any other personal lives. I think that’s true about the working world in general, although people who consider their jobs to be more than just a job - those in public service, for example - can be especially prone. I love my job and the fact that it (hopefully) directly impacts our visitors, and since most of my friends here also work in museums it’s easy to talk and think nonstop about work and the museum field. That’s why I’m so thankful that I’ve found other activities to join, that I’ve met other people in the community, and that I’m able to take time to get away and visit family and friends.
It’s all about balance.