Volume XXIII, Number 26 (Issue 1135) | June 30, 2025
Goldilocks Got It Right… Apart From the B&E
Dateline: Old Edward Club, Highlands, NC
I am sitting on a screened porch listening to the rain and thunder as lightening flashes all about. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, it is a rain-cooled 75°. The rain has been falling, at times intensely, for the better part of an hour. As a result, the small stream I can see from the porch is starting to rise. As one who lives in drought-plagued central Texas, it is a welcome sight and sound though I wish this life-giving rain were making its presence felt back home.
Sandy and I are here with two of our grandsons in tow. In a day or so we will be joined by our middle daughter and her family, bringing the total number of teens and preteens in our troop to five. We have been visiting this area during the summer since pre-covid days as it affords us a means of escaping the Texas heat while simultaneously enjoying a quiet, relaxing setting. It is good to get away from our everyday trials and tasks to focus our attention on family while also catching a bit of pure down time. Fitting in some work-life balance is clearly a good thing.
As a card-carrying member of the Boomer generation work-life balance was not part of our model – at least not in the initial stages of our careers. Leave it to a future generation to alert us to that concept. But now that it is part of the conversation and expectation employers and employees alike need to have some perspective. For like Goldilocks, there can be too much, too little, or it can be just right when it comes to the time you and I spend on family, self, and career.
When it comes to our career, there is considerable wisdom in the old adage, “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” The same goes for Jill. At the other extreme, short of being born into immense wealth or hitting the
lottery, all play and no work has a limiting effect upon one’s progress in almost any career endeavor. Thus, finding a balance or middle ground makes considerable sense. There are times when work and career must be a priority – particularly when others are dependent upon your knowledge and skill set or when you bank account needs a bit of TLC. At other times family and other important interpersonal relationships need our undivided attention. Children do grow up fast and relationships left unattended soon flounder. One only need watch the first ten minutes of your typical Hallmark movie to be reminded of that latter point of contention.
Then there is the unquestioned need for time for self-care including the mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional aspects of our being. Like so many in my generation, when two or more of the demands on my time were in direct competition, I put work first. It served me well in my career, but I paid a price in the other dimensions of my life.
But now we come to the newest generations where it seems the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction. Now, family and self are being given top billing at the near certain expense of career growth – which in itself is odd given the way “opportunities for personal and professional career growth” score in most corporate culture/ employee satisfaction surveys.
So, what is a person who wants a good measure of each to do? Admittedly, there are seasons in life when it appears to be easier to prioritize one thing over another. But young to mid-adulthood is not one of those periods. Looking back, I wish I had been a little more family-focused during those years when I chose to prioritize getting ahead in my career. Now, having adult children who are doing their best to balance it all, I see the struggle and marvel at the steps each of them have taken to achieve a modicum of balance.
So it is that in the final analysis and based on first-hand witness as well as some first-hand experience, the pursuit of a balance between competing interests is what it takes. That means there are days, weeks, and even months when work must be prioritized while at other times when we can and should focus on family and relationships. But amidst it all we must consistently devote a part of every day to self.
Looking back, would I have done things differently when I was younger? I think so. I hope so. But in the end, I have few big regrets. How about you? Will you, do you have regrets about how and where you have spent that precious commodity that is time?
Soli Deo Gloria
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed-or indeed only one. “Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42
J. Keith Hughey
Mobile: (210)260-0955
E-mail: keith@jkeithhughey.com
Website: www.jkeithhughey.com
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Copyright 2025 by J. Keith Hughey. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted for reproduction and redistribution of this essay as provided under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Recent issues of Musings may be found at www.jkeithhughey.com. Your comments are always welcome.