Work and Play on Labor Day

When work and play meld together the result is productivity and enjoyment. I am often criticized for being a workaholic--someone who can't seem to relax and enjoy life. A man who is constantly on a quest for improvement and a man who sacrifices joy and replaces it with work. We hear about such people and we read stories of men who pursued excellence while giving up time for the ones they love.

But I am not convinced this adequately describes me. I love my family and love being with them. All my boys mean so much to me and I relish every moment with my wife. At the same time, like most men, I find meaning in my work and in accomplishing tasks. Unlike many, however, I find little difference between work and play. I play by working and I work by playing so that the two become as one.

Fishing is play and is fun, but I also find fishing to be hard work at times. Anyone who thinks fishing is all fun and play has not had to clean a mess of catfish at the end of the day. And anytime you own a boat, hard work is inevitable. The rewards from the work are the moments of relaxation and demonstration of the fruit of your labors.

Typing this blog is a melding of work and play for to type is a form of work and to think is a type of work but I also receive great pleasure from the experience thereby making it a form of play. When children play on the playground, they are working and when a mother decorates for a birthday party, she is playing while working. Now granted there are times when work is not play such as cleaning the house or plowing the field or setting up a fence. But the more "play" we put into the work, the better the work.

"The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his life and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him, he is always doing both"—James A. Michener.

I have the fortune of enjoying my work and playing while working. This is not unusual for a musician but it can be unusual in other professions. Yet, it seems to me, that we should respect work and respect play and try to blend the two together for greater productivity. I have rarely (maybe never) been told to "work harder," but I have been told to play more. So I respond with this admonishment, "I play as I work" and I love what I do. All time is valuable--time at work, time at home, and time with friends. So on this Labor Day, I work, I relax, I play, and most of all I treasure the moments to spend melding it all together with family and friends.