Simplicity is a word that strikes fear into my heart. Strange as that sounds, it’s true. Although I live much more simply than many in this materialistic world, I am not sure this is a virtue for me as much as a necessity for the vocational pursuits I have chosen (feast or famine in the acting/writing world).
This summer, I worked for my alma mater one more time. And again, the summer flew by so quickly I can’t believe it’s over. So I started thinking about others doing the 9-5 thing who don’t ever get a break (unless you call two weeks of vacation a year a real break from the grind).
It isn’t that I sit around and do nothing when I’m not working a full-time on-site web gig. Not at all. It’s just that the work I do tends to not have much pay attached to it. But for whatever reason (perhaps it is because I love acting and writing while I’m just good at web design and coding), I don’t feel like time slips away like when I am going into an office and sitting at my computer all day. Don’t get me wrong, there are benefits to the office environment I chose to work in this summer. For one, the people are great. They are friends, and I enjoy spending time with them. Also, the grind of the past few months is financing a couple of short films and the next couple of month’s rent to boot, so that ain’t too shabby. But where did the time go?
And what does this have to do with simplicity? Well, I have discovered with my finances in better shape than they have been in for a long time, I am tempted to go out and spend it on frivolous things. You know, the types of things you can’t live without like an iPod or upgrading to Final Draft 7. When I make more money, I find out how complicated I want to make my life. I want to find the Freedom of Simplicity that Richard Foster writes about.
This post was kind of scattered. It’s late, and I just wanted to throw out what I’ve been thinking about lately…
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