« Too Much Work Life Balance...Is There Such a Thing? »
Friday, February 25, 2011 at 9:35PM | Jessica Smith Yes. So says my friend Erin Reppy, a friend I've known since high school. Today I got one of those emails you love to get. Completely unexpected, totally thoughtful, and leaving one in stitches of laughter.
You always wonder if your friends from high school actual read your Facebook updates. In Erin's case, I know she does. In fact, she took the time to send my son seersucker hand-me-downs from her son after I expressed my penchant for them in a Facebook update last summer. So, obviously, she knows I've relaunched this blog with a focus on sharing my attempts to blend work and life and the challenges that presents. Her letter to the small business owners in her town underscores the need for not just worklife balance but worklife effectiveness.
She prefaced her email with
I just think it would be interesting for you to hear my side of what living in a city where nobody works real hours - makes me crazy...
You see, her issue isn't with trying to find work life balance herself. It's with the fact that everyone in her life seems to have mastered it!
Read on...
Dear Small Business Owners,
Your quest for work/life balance...is making me sick - and fat.
I live in city where work/life balance goes beyond working from home and flexible schedules. People just don't work, businesses are simply closed whole days of the week (beyond Sunday) and hours of local stores are 10 to 6.
This is making me sick, literally. Last week on Thursday afternoon I get in my car to leave work and notice I have a drug-addicted, red hue to one of my eyes. Pink eye. Never had it before in my life. It's 4:45 on Thursday - my doctor - who I love and have referred over a dozen friends to - doesn't work on Fridays. I chose her as my physician because she is a young, down-to-earth doctor with her own practice, you don't feel like you are walking into a factory when you walk into her office. I need a prescription. I need to call the office right away before she turns into a pumpkin for her long weekend. 4:50 p.m. Thursday afternoon,voicemail abound at the office.
Same week, last week, my trainer, who owns her own business and personal training studio, sends an email to all of her clients that she's changing her personal training hours to 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. because "as you well know, I am a busy mom and want to free up my afternoons". Really?? So now my 5 p.m. training sessions, which I have pre-paid for are to be offered by another trainer. Um, wasn't the idea of owning your own training business so that people would come see you?
Need your hair done? I made an appointment 6 weeks ago for highlights so I could get a Saturday appointment and I got cancelled because of a child's soccer tournament that came up because their team made it to the finals. When was I offered to re-schedule? She could make it up to me by fitting me in any day that week around lunchtime. I'm sorry, I become the inflexible customer that can't justify taking off work for highlights.
Don't get me wrong - I am a huge proponent for the life/work balance quest. I am a mom - I have been on this yo-yo for years. I had the big job, had a kid, went back to work full time right away, felt guilt for racing to get to daycare by 6:30 p.m., flexed my schedule, went to part-time, moved out of state to try to slow down my hectic lifestyle, stayed home, went back to work temporarily, went back part-time and now work full time. I totally get it.
I also live in community where it is important to support small business. What are my options at 6 p.m. and I need a birthday gift for a party? I'd love to support the local toy shop that beautifully hand wraps every gift that goes out the door. But - they close at 5 - and I'm at work. Solution? - Target.
Dear lovely personal trainer - where now will I have to fork over my money I was paying you to make me suffer in agony for flat abs and a firm booty? Gold's Gym.
I don't know if there is a solution to my lack appreciation for your wonderful "flexible schedule", but there are two things I am sure of:
1. I'm tired of hearing about how there just wasn't enough demand to support your small business in this economy. Be more available. Open your damn door more often.
2. I'm jealous of your ability to leave work at 2.
So, if you find a magic bullet for this life/work balance quest, please let me know. In the meantime, I'll be at Walmart getting a prescription to rid myself of pink eye.-Erin Reppy
Erin Reppy currently works in the financial services industry – by no fault of her own. She has dabbled in advertising, sports marketing, alternative health services and other entirely unrelated industries. After living and working in the Washington, D.C. area for 32 years, she moved South in an attempt to slow down and tame her type A personality.
Erin is breast cancer survivor and plays an active leadership role in the Columbia chapter of the breast cancer group, Young Survival Coalition.
She is married with a 6-year old son. She hates cooking, loathes 1st grade math homework, and has just about had it up to here.
Reader Comments (3)
I loved this post! My dream has always been for everyone to have access to flexible careers that allow them to still have rich lives. But I guess I never fully thought through what that might mean to people who just want a way to get at some of those services - while balancing their own lives. Laughing at Erin's wonderful email, and agreeing there's much more to this discussion. Hmmm...maybe there's a creative model that might make this work. If only everyone were available at the same time to help figure it out. ;-) Thanks Jessica and Erin!
My favorite thing is the 8:15am Thursday morning PTA meetings, and they talk about lack of parent participation.....
Erin, Hilarious and so true! As a mom of five, flexibility is a must, but I hate it when others try to embrace it- like my children's pediatrician, who I've used for over ten years and adore. She decided to go part time and move to a clinic because she's had two children and only wants to work two days a week. Damn flexibility. But I still love her. :)
Jessica, I just found your site.... not even sure I should tell you how, but I will. I read an article the other day about a professional journalist as he calls himself, hating on sell out mommy bloggers. I've been blogging for right at three years and I've never understood the hate and jealousy of other writers feeling like mom's who blog are sell outs or bias.
So, it's been on my mind for a couple of days and I started googling mommy blogger haters, because google seems like the best method for researching the topic. (I have a life I swear) There was an article from another male writer who just did not understand bloggers who are mom's and get these opportunities to drive cars and review products and is it all ethical.... and there was a link to your site, which I love. Which I am now excited to follow. Looks like you've got this stuff all figured out- glad I found you. :)