My favorite part of the week has got to be the weekend! LOL… Even when I was still in school I loved the weekends. Not just for the late nights, partying and no work but everyone getting together without worrying about having to get up early. No stress…just for the fun of it. My entire work week is focused on what must be done today, what I ran out of time to do yesterday and what I know I will have to do tomorrow! Not until Friday do I feel that rush of freedom known internationally as TGIF!
Going back and forth from Europe to the US has given me a special insight on things I used to take for granted. My friends in Europe say American’s “Live to work, not work to live…” I thought about this and didn’t really understand why until I began sharing my days with my fiance Morten.
In order to keep him as much a part of my life as possible, I send him pictures and messages updating him on what I am doing, going and basically just what’s on my mind. Honestly, it has become almost second nature now, clicking pics from my cell phone and uploading it to Face Book or kimberanna.com. Giving him play by plays of movies I watch, events I attend and even virtual “to do” lists. As I began reviewing what I was doing I began to see a pattern. I spent most of my day working or helping others. I spent very little time sleeping or doing “me” things. I began to look around and noticed that the majority of my friends do exactly the same.
When asked what my plans are, my first answer always involves work, “I’m off,” or “I work late..” Other countries don’t seem to structure their lives around the few moments they can’t find something work related to squeeze into. When they go home, they are home. Very few people keep their cell phones by the bed in case a client calls! There is no, “I’ll take it all home and look it over to see if there’s anything else we can do to it!” They know that whatever is wrong can wait until the workday begins tomorrow. They have the patience of a nation that has thrived for hundreds of years.
Our views on work are so different that I find myself wondering how this big difference effects our views on life. In America our country was built on blood, sweat and tears. The strongest survive, when the going get’s tough/tough get going, and of course the American Dream of rags to riches. We may be a notion obsessed with success and money but even more so, we have deep roots of pride of country, honor and work ethic. We are a hungry young nation created by the best and brightest people from all over the world. An international melting pot that produces a culture contantly changing to keep up with the demands of the present and challenges of the future. Our hunger to compete and succeed on the global scale is what continues to drive us.
So when people say, “Americans live to work and not work to live…” I do not feel very slighted. It’s true! What makes us “Proud to be an American!” is the spirit passed down from our founding fathers. Anyone from any walk of life has the oppertunity to become whatever they dream to be. “If you believe it, you can achieve it!”
Now, more than ever I see that spirit in the eyes of my community. My friends and family working to help our community not only weather this storm but overcome the struggles and rise above the crowd. No only do we work for personal success, we work to help our neighbors, county, state and country get through these lean years. We’re a young nation but our history has been scarred by extreme highs and tragic lows…through them all we have remained steady and come out a stronger nation for it.
Like our parents and grand parents did before us, we continue to work. Work at the office, work at home, sometimes work two and three jobs. We do this because we know deep down, if anyone can do it…we can!
YES, WE CAN!!!
