Setting a Deadline on Tubing to Work

Today I headed to work in a somewhat unusual way. You’ve heard of National Bike to Work Day, right? Well, Boulder takes that a step further – today was the 8th annual Tube to Work Day!

Except… that’s actually not me in the picture. That’s just some random girl who happens to be my exact doppelganger! (And it freaks me out every time I look at that picture and still think she looks exactly like me.) Except that I don’t own those sneakers or those pants or that sweater and I did not, in fact, tube to work today. I got dressed in my pearls and my pantyhose and my pointy toed heels and drove to the office in my car like a normal person. So sad!

(I also didn’t participate in bike to work day this year because June 24 was a day that I had to drive nearly 90 miles to conduct interviews… and also because I still haven’t bought a bike for myself here. Bad Coloradan! I need to get back on the Craigslist hunt for a bike soon.)

I love the whimsy behind Tube to Work Day, and I wish I could have participated. Seeing my twin tubing down Boulder Creek made me realize that I’ve been missing out a bit lately. Things have been rather busy with work, and outside of my amazing birthday celebration this weekend, I haven’t really enjoyed all the fun events and activities that Colorado has to offer. I used to go do something new it seemed like several nights each week – and usually get a group of my friends to come too. Lately, though, I’ve been either working till bedtime or am just plain tired and wanting to cook dinner, watch TV or read, and go to bed early. Clearly my advancing age is making me a lot more lame 😉

Ever since Adam and I talked about it six weeks ago, I’ve been thinking a lot about what my perfect day would look like. Unfortunately, although I mostly know what my perfect day is, I’m not actually living that perfect day regularly – and it’s not for any good reason at all. While I know I should feel lucky that I ever get to live my perfect day (see: my birthday, which was basically magical), I’d like to make it happen more often.

One thing I love about being 30 is that I have life a lot more figured out than I did ten or even five years ago. I pretty much know what I want, and I know when it’s acceptable to stand up for myself to get what it is that I want. Winning the lotto and being rich without ever having to work for it – that’s what I wanted when I was 20. Now, I want to spend most days working at a job I love and raising a happy family, while still having time to read and run and hike on a daily basis. Some days that sounds just as crazy as my twenty-something pipe dreams, especially if you read all the stuff out there on women on having it all. (I like this article that refutes the whole career-or-family choice.) But most of the time, I think it’s totally doable.

Fortunately, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the way work has been overwhelming me lately, and I think by early August, things will lighten up a bit. Even more than my workload lessening, my work come August will be a bit more regular and less erratic than the interviews I’m currently conducting all over the state. (Though I wouldn’t trade working on this report for more free time – it is really fascinating work and I’m so honored to have been invited to lead this initiative.) The report-writing is really thought-provoking and fun, and it’s certainly helping me learn and grow, but routine always puts me at ease!

Of course, I’ve been saying for weeks that things are going to slow down soon, and they haven’t yet – so I’m setting a deadline. Life has to be balance of work and leisure, and while I think it’s okay to let one or the other get out of whack for a little while, it’s also important for me to look at the big picture and recognize when I’m making excuses. If something goes on long enough, it’s no longer the exception to the rule – it is the rule. So if by August 1, I’m still going crazy, then I’m going to call an audible and figure out how to make new rules… that include some tubing and other lighthearted daily pursuits.