Introducing Work / Life / Balance
It's all part of the same whole.
I currently have a mentor who tells me I am “this close” to being required to ask their permission before I take on anything new - new projects, new trainings, new responsibilities at work. I’m already informally “strongly encouraged” to at least INFORM this person that I’m looking at taking on a new thing (which I do out of courtesy, most of the time). This person has my best interest at heart, and has a lot more experience in certain realms I am wading into than I do. I value their opinion, generally.
And I detest being required to ask for permission about anything.
So, here I am, arguably at a HIGHLY questionable point - of the academic calendar as school is gearing up to start again, of the regular calendar as it’s oppressively hot and summer is a time of fruition, not necessarily beginnings - starting a new thing. Without asking for permission.
But because framing is important, I do think that information about exactly what you’ve signed up for is valuable. This first edition (episode? installment? issue?) will hopefully offer some orientation to Work / Life / Balance and what this space might offer us both.
I’ve maintained a blog when that was the format du jour, but a newsletter feels different. A blog is an invitation - I put it out there, people can find it or not, they can read it or not, they can choose whether they get notified of new posts or not. I can’t really track, unless they tell me, whether they do any of these things. Newsletters, most generously, nudge people by showing up uninvited after the initial press of the “subscribe” button. In the less generous interpretation, newsletters accost people through their inboxes, and I don’t take an invasion of someone’s space, physical or digital, lightly. I have lots of thoughts about the institution of email that I’ll share later, but suffice it to say that I believe anything that draws your consciousness, however small and in whatever format, is significant. I'm humbled (and more than a little bit scared) by the idea that anyone would invite my words, thoughts, and offerings into their digital space.
A SPARK (OR SEVERAL)
A friend casually dropped the suggestion of a Substack for sharing book recommendations and photos since I have given up social media (because it really did make me miserable). I also believe that writing teachers should be writers themselves, and a part of writing is often sharing that writing with other people. I’m out of practice writing for an audience beyond my students, and know that my world makes more sense when I write about it than when I don’t.
In initial brainstorming, I struggled to come up with a unifying idea. I know that I can’t NOT talk about school during the school year. I know that I’d like to share the small things that mesmerize and bewilder, often simultaneously (houseplants, crocheting, the power of technology, the weather, things that exist on a spectrum of any kind). And, from a practical perspective, I know that I want to teach more yoga, AND I know that I don’t want to maintain a Squarespace or whatever other website OR go back on social media to disseminate schedules and information.
At the end of the day, it came down to writing about work, writing about life stuff, and writing about yoga. So. Here we are.
Work-life balance is an exhausting cliché. If I hear another administrator that I don’t have a personal relationship with tell me that my work/life balance is off, or take one more Canvas course about self-care, I might spontaneously combust. I know I’m tired, and I know it’s because I am “doing it all wrong.” We all are. It’s unavoidably true that work takes up inappropriate space in in a capitalist society; that just comes with the context, and it’s by design.
For that reason, Work / Life / Balance is not going to be about balancing your work and your life and how to do however-many-hour workweeks and time studies and set boundaries and say no to your boss (I’m terrible at that last one and would therefore be highly unqualified to talk about it). It’s not going to be about optimizing every element of your life to squeeze a little bit more work or life out of your days. It’s also not going to be about what to do if you feel like you’re burning out. There are plenty of books and think pieces about those topics by people who’ve done a lot more research than I have.
What this will be, I think (though I reserve the right to change my mind), is a place for thoughts about how work and life weave together. Because it’s also unavoidably true that most of us have to work and that we spend a LOT of time at work; work and life are really inextricable. What’s further true is that many of us work at jobs that involve the same stuff as the rest of life - relationships, intellectual challenges, getting in (and out of) our own way, uncertainty, boredom, constant change. Interweaving all of these things, at work and elsewhere, can look like a lot of things - physically, energetically, socially - and it’s a concept that historically both fascinates and confounds me.
The newsletter will be roughly formatted as follows:
Thoughts and anecdotes about public education, observations from shifting careers, and information about education policy. Almost certainly, there will occasionally be suggestions about what you can do to support teachers and students in this incredibly challenging moment for schooling. If you aren’t actively engaged with politics, I highly encourage you to read this section anyway.
A section that falls more in the “update” newsletter vibe. Observations and questions from daily life, tiny joyful moments, surprising and confounding situations, and small thing expansions/challenging thing contractions.
Focuses on yoga specifically, and will include upcoming classes I’m teaching and how to RSVP and log in, as well as ideas about balance on and off the mat.
Recommendations of things I’m reading/watching/listening to that have sparked something. It’s also where I’ll share projects I’m working on, at work and beyond.
WHAT I CAN PROMISE:
That I am speaking as myself and NOT on behalf of my school district or any other public entity.
That I will respond to comments and questions, although the timeline for responses is TBD.
That I will not tolerate any kind of abuse or questioning of other people’s humanity in comments.
That I’m glad you’re here.
WHAT I CANNOT PROMISE:
That this will be published on any kind of predictable schedule. I am shooting for 1-2 times per month, probably on Sunday evenings, but it’s all a little TBD.
To be brief. I won’t be, or at least won’t be frequently. In addition to a fascination with spectra, balances, and dualities, my Gemini-ness draws me toward the philosophy of “the more words, the better.”
That the structure, format, or topics I’ve outlined here won’t change. They probably will.
There’ll be question/comment space for you to engage with in some newsletters; I have mixed feelings about comments generally, but have had a net positive experience with Substack discussion boards, so am willing to give it a shot. Feel free to engage (or not) as works best for you.
Wishing you all the best as we try to stay cool this summer!
Collective Musings
What is one thing you love and/or value (they may not be the same) about the work you’re currently doing or have done in the past? What value has it brought into your life?
What is one thing that’s bringing you joy or comfort recently?
First off, I read the entire newsletter in your voice and visualized your arms/hands being very much animated. So, thank you for that lol.
My summer morning coffee has brought me so much comfort lately! Coffee with friends is even better, and I’ve had a couple of those outings this summer. Being able to sip my coffee, notice different things from all five senses, and have whatever thought pass through without giving it too much power is just… *chef’s kiss*