On Edge in Austin
Dear Linda,
Okay, so I had two kids and went back to work. My wonderful husband is working part-time from home and taking care of the kids, and I am honest enough to admit that he also does 90% of the housework. I carve out time in the mornings to go to the gym, and sleep as much as I need to. I have a desk job, so I can't complain about my work. However, I do have to help out my aging parents from time to time.
So why am I still worn out all the time? I am not trying to be an overachiever; our kids don't have any scheduled activities other than school/day camp. We live a quiet life. But I feel as though workdays are a blur, and the weekends are just a different hamster wheel. Does everyone feel this way just by virtue of being a working parent?
On Edge in Austin
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A Little from Linda:
Dear Edgy,
I don't know anyone -- kids, no kids, job, no job, who does not feel pretty hamster wheelish most of the time. Maybe it's the connective technology of modern life, where you never get away from the cell phone; maybe it's the pace of late capitalism. But I suspect it's more a part of the human condition than you, or most people, think. We know from history that when factory workers started to organize and bargain for ONE DAY off from the seven day work week, they were told, "if you don't come in on Sunday, don't bother coming in on Monday." There's a reason the ancients thought slavery was good -- they couldn't figure out any other way that people could get enough leisure to have any life of the mind. Of course slavery is probably not a good solution, but it does show how far back your feeling goes.
Feeling tired can also be a symptom of mental or physical problems that I don't have any expertise in. But if you are healthy and cheerful, I fear you're just here in the Human Condition with the rest of us!
L.