Life In The Margins, July 21st

What we do after work, after the kids go to bed, after after is what counts. (Always a nod to Mr. Miyagi!) It’s what we make time to do in the margins that determines our level of happiness because work is always just work. And even if you love what you do (like me), your personal life is completely a choice, whereas work is a necessity to most of us.

I take this concept to heart. About 2010 I started an amazing practice from Memorial Day through Labor day. I took off my watch. Let me tell you why. Because when you leave for the day, or take off your uniform or push back from the desk, your time is your own.

And when the weather is nice during those few precious summer months, I feel like we have an obligation to enjoy every moment of daylight that we can. Because those days with extended sunlight go pretty quickly. So the reason for the watch removal was so that I literally could not tell what time it was and that was the point. 5:27? Ok. 6:32? Fine with me. 7:37. That works. I would eat when I was hungry and maximize the evenings outside enjoying the lush surroundings and slower pace, taking a walk, meeting friends for a meal, volunteering, participating in organized games or sports, shopping, errands, whatever. The point is that I used the time.

I am one of those (sometimes annoying) people who are passionately curious. So in the margins of my workday, I’m always busy focusing on some sort of research, writing, testing, tasting, organizing or trip planning. Even I find it hard to stay on top of the influx of information I follow regarding restaurant openings, current events, destination highlights, women’s issues, beauty tips and fashion trends that I can eventually weave into my blog. It’s all just so interesting to me. There’s a better burger than the best burger I’ve ever had? I gotta try it. Some bakery just launched a square croissant sandwich with applewood smoked bacon and lightly scrambled eggs in Nashville? I can work that into an upcoming business trip I think! The Louvre is having a special fashion couture exhibit in Paris? I’m getting tickets. My favorite calculator now comes in a rainbow combination? Oooh a fancy desk accessory I may need. There are so many amazing things to look at, taste, see, experience, wear and enjoy. The possibilities are endless. I feel like I need to push the margins…

The word margins makes me think about a letter sized piece of paper and the default guidelines that are set up when you use a program like Word to draft a document or open Quark or Illustrator to create a handout or logo. When I open a new file, my first thought is always about extending the margins to maximize the space on the page and limiting the white space. Then I run into printing issues with the printable area. I don’t know anyone else who thinks like this. Do you? Usually, people just begin typing and ignore the page setup. But not me. As usual I’m looking to literally push the boundaries, even on a blank page! But I did just see a printer that does “full bleed” meaning it can print the whole entire page from corner to corner with no white space, thus crushing the margins which I think is so cool. I have to look into that purchase.

Life in the margins isn’t always so much fun. When the workday is over and you’re left to your own thoughts, the stress of the broken dishwasher or making partner at work or your ailing parent or the argument you just had with your brother or your upcoming bills might plague you after hours. Roles and responsibilities of our lives come into a sharper focus when the traditional workday concludes. Some of us even log onto our computers after hours just to avoid dealing with home problems. Work can be used as an escape. Heck, I’ve done it—thrown myself into a job when my home life was going through a rough patch. It didn’t fix the problems there, but I was certainly productive on the job.

The margins are also a place for rest. We cannot always go at 100% speed one hundred percent of the time. Margins are meant for us to recharge, review, reprioritize and reorganize. Most importantly they are there for respect—respect to ourselves for trying to live our best lives.

No matter what choices you make in the margins, squeeze them in but make them count because “the life you want is built in the margins of the life you have.”