Well, firstly, we have a break from classes which means five fewer hours spent at Temple’s Fort Washington campus. Secondly, we have five more hours to spend as we choose. Lisa chose to spend the larger part of those hours with our nephew. I only committed a part of my time to him. I also decided to catch up on some work whose deadlines are fast approaching.

I sometimes find myself questioning the amount which I work. I ask myself what it is my employer wants from me, as an employee. Is it my time? Is it my experience? Is it my skill? These are separate things I think, and yet most employers demand all these things. Since that is the case, I hesitate to work much more than the standard work week, and yet there is a part of me that desires the work. There is a part of me that yearns to produce and create something valuable. Still, my energies need not be directed at job. There are so many endeavors I wish to pursue, and yet I worry about deadlines and expectations. On some level, I don’t care at all about work–not in the way that you’d expect. I don’t care about being fired. After all, Lisa and I lack responsibilities and dependents. On yet another level, my job, which takes up a majority of my time, is an integral part of my spirit. That ineffable quality about me some might call a soul is all tied into the things I do and the people I interact with every day.

This line of thought soon gets tangled in its own tendrils, and I realize I missed half an hour of productive time, and I table further introspection for the next time.

- Jamie