Miles from Fenway: Just Walk Away

I should be writing about how excited I am about the Gagne trade.

Or how I leave this evening bound for Rhode Island and a tradition that has stood with my high school friends since somewhere in the mid - to - late nineties.

I should be writing about loving the summer, that song "Naive" by the Kooks, and how listening to it while walking down my tree-lined Brooklyn street always puts a bounce in my step.

But instead, my chest is so tight that it feels like I'm having a panic attack. Because I have a problem ... I work too hard.

I am about to spend two of my "vacation" days working from home. So much went wrong at the office this week (of course - always on a week you're taking time off, right?) that I actually broke down into tears in the office today. None of it was my fault, and I think I handled it really well, but the problem with having a boss who doesn't understand what you do is that - she doesn't understand what you do. So when things go wrong, she has no idea how much time it takes to fix, and how that time is time you can't spend on other less-important projects. Hell, she doesn't even always understand what's important and what's not.

So instead of heading to Rhode Island relaxed, happy, and excited to sit around getting wasted with people I've known for two decades, I'm leaving my apartment wishing there was some way I could add ten extra hours to my day. Or just stop time altogether so I can catch up.

I need to learn how to walk away. This isn't healthy. It's just a job. But unfortunately, I'm proud of the work I do, and even knowing this wasn't my fault, I feel like I've let people down. Even if those people don't realize that they're asking unreasonable things. Even if they don't seem to appreciate my willingness to give up precious time with my family and friends in order to work on days I shouldn't be.

I'm so not going to be able to sleep tonight.

Labels: work

posted by FINY @ Wednesday, August 01, 2007

5 Comments:

At 8/01/2007, Cope said…

Don't know what to say other than that totally sucks. I hate seeing that yur boss remains clueless....take YOUR time. You need it more than anyone I know.
At 8/02/2007, Chief Slacker said…

Not to give you another thing to be wound up about, but I know you had some family back here in MN and I really hope none of them were involved with the I-35W bridge.

I really hope the RI trip goes well and once you get out tehre that work stress disappears :O)
At 8/02/2007, Esther said…

I know it's hard to walk away, but you HAVE to. If you don't you're going to burn out faster than anyone else I know. This weekend is about you and your friends, not work. It'll be there when you get back.
At 8/13/2007, East Coast Teacher said…

I hope the weekend away helped to restore a sense of balance to your life and finds you less stressed.

As for that Gagne trade, I don't know that I'm so excited about it given the outcome of today's game.

Please convince me that it was, in fact, a good move.
At 8/14/2007, Michael Leggett said…

Feel Good:

Stay calm;

You've got an invite to my Millenial post #1000, symbolised by an M