I returned late Tuesday from a transportation conference on the Oregon coast. Extrovert that I am, I had a great time between doing a presentation, 
attending other presentations, chatting it up with keynote speakers, receiving an award, playing pool after hours with friends and going running on the beach. I even got my workaholic friend Mike to play Frisbee with me before we left Seaside (I’m trying to help him learn work-life balance, which I think I was embracing before the phrase was even invented.)
So now I’m back in the usual workaday mode — no presentations to give or attend, lots of emails, no beach, a tight schedule to juggle, constant decisions to make. I miss the big fun of the conference on the coast! The playful child in me would love for the fun to go on and on. As I was working hard in the office all day yesterday, I was literally mourning the end of that short, sparkling episode in my life.
I’m not unique. We human beings all go through this, all the time. We love pleasure — and there’s much more to life than pleasure. A very vibrant child in me loves to have fun, loves the conferences at the beach — AND, the adult in me is the one in charge, not the child. I have grants to manage, meetings to organize, programs to oversee, all of them aimed at reducing the carbon emissions that cause global warming. I love my work. (Even if I didn’t, I would still have to work.)
Of course we don’t all have jobs that directly address global warming, but I think we all grapple with self-discipline, especially in our current culture which preaches consumption and all fun, all the time. All fun all the time is the dream of children, not adults. I love children and fun, but we need a culture in which adults are in charge. We sure don’t have a shot at sustainability otherwise.
Despite feeling blue yesterday as I missed the beach, I was quite productive, and I’ll have a productive work-day again today, no matter how I feel. Which yields a solid, grounded satisfaction that extends across time with a sustainability that fun-at-the-beach cannot offer.
photo courtesy of Monica CMV
Sounds like you really resonant with nature,perhaps if everyone allowed themselves to do that we could all find enjoyment without relentless consumption.