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Priorities
Apr. 25th, 2002 09:25 pmI realized today that most of the differences between myself and one of my coworkers boil down to one fundamental disagreement about priorities. I don't know if realizing this will help us get along any better, but maybe it'll at least let me try to figure out how her mind works, and try to predict how she'll respond in a given situation, so it won't be quite like sharing a desk with a temperamental volcano.
We'll call her Heather, for her disturbing emotional resemblance to the character from the movie of the same name. Heather works extra shifts whenever possible. She works full-time at our clinic, plus part-time at three others. She bragged to us recently that she hasn't had 24 hours off in a row in over 8 weeks. She views anyone who doesn't do likewise as lazy, and feels that the money she makes is worth the sacrifice of time.
I... don't quite understand that frame of mind. I work hard - all vets do. But driving myself to the breaking point for the purpose of more, more, more money doesn't make sense to me. And living on a budget doesn't make sense to her. Fundamentally different ways of viewing the world.
She grew up rich, and places money as her first priority. She wants to be able to buy anything, and I suppose she can. She has a big house, drives a fancy car, wears designer clothes. I rent a tiny apartment and shop at sales and the Salvation Army. But I just can't imagine living like her. For me, time is more of a priority. I cherish my time off, even when I don't spend it doing Big Important Planned Stuff. Being able to spend a day baking, or reading a book and drinking tea, is as important to me as I suppose shopping at L.L. Bean is for her.
So... we think differently. And no matter what she tries to make me feel, I'm not lazy for wanting to keep my free time for me; I'd rather buy paperbacks and have the time to read them than buy hardcovers that I never get to finish because I'm always working. And, as much as it may feel wrong to me, she's probably not crazy for filling her life with work. The only hard part that remains is trying to help her realize these same things...
We'll call her Heather, for her disturbing emotional resemblance to the character from the movie of the same name. Heather works extra shifts whenever possible. She works full-time at our clinic, plus part-time at three others. She bragged to us recently that she hasn't had 24 hours off in a row in over 8 weeks. She views anyone who doesn't do likewise as lazy, and feels that the money she makes is worth the sacrifice of time.
I... don't quite understand that frame of mind. I work hard - all vets do. But driving myself to the breaking point for the purpose of more, more, more money doesn't make sense to me. And living on a budget doesn't make sense to her. Fundamentally different ways of viewing the world.
She grew up rich, and places money as her first priority. She wants to be able to buy anything, and I suppose she can. She has a big house, drives a fancy car, wears designer clothes. I rent a tiny apartment and shop at sales and the Salvation Army. But I just can't imagine living like her. For me, time is more of a priority. I cherish my time off, even when I don't spend it doing Big Important Planned Stuff. Being able to spend a day baking, or reading a book and drinking tea, is as important to me as I suppose shopping at L.L. Bean is for her.
So... we think differently. And no matter what she tries to make me feel, I'm not lazy for wanting to keep my free time for me; I'd rather buy paperbacks and have the time to read them than buy hardcovers that I never get to finish because I'm always working. And, as much as it may feel wrong to me, she's probably not crazy for filling her life with work. The only hard part that remains is trying to help her realize these same things...
