The year was 1989 and I had just finished another ceremonial soiree with 60 of my American, French and Soviet peers in Paris, France.  I had been selected to represent the United States as a student delegate to tour France in celebration of the bicentennial of the French Revolution and we made our way by bus, by train and by air around the countryside meeting school and governmental officials, participating in town hall-style meetings and interfacing with the media.  It was a fascinating trip for a high school kid from suburban Michigan, believe me!  

On this particular evening we had the pleasure of meeting the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, who no doubt had his hands full as the Gorbachev’s policy of Glasnost resulted the slow reversal of decades of repression that began with the Bolshevik’s desire to eliminate the worldly and spiritual powers of the church in the early 1900s.  We also met the first female to fly into space, a lovely Russian cosmonaut named Valentina Vladmirovna Tereshkova.  Mme. Tereshkova was full of life, her call sign on the Vostok 6 mission was Chaika, or “Seagull” and her charming presence as we looked over Paris that evening from the top of the Tour Montparnasse left an indelible impression on my young mind.  

Earlier in the trip I had met an inquisitive Russian reporter, Peter Polojhevets.  He wrote for the cultural and education section of the national newspaper “Pravda,” and Peter was a fascinating fellow.  No doubt under intense scrutiny while participating on a trip like this before the fall of the Soviet Empire, he was eager to gain insight as to the typical life of an American teenager and I somehow became the subject of his story.       

The interview took place on one of our many bus trips through the French countryside.  With the help of an interpreter, Peter asked me many questions about my life, my habits, my days and my dreams.  At one point he asked why I did not wear a watch, to which I quipped “So that I don’t get a tan line(!),” a reply that tickled his fancy and made it into the article instead of my serious explanation that I offered once his laughing fit subsided.   

My real answer to Peter’s question was that I didn’t want to feel constrained by the passage of time.  Just prior to the trip I had been deeply immersed in the study of classical poetry in my A.P. French Lit class, and the poem “A Cassandre” (which I referenced in an earlier post https://gregghake.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/carpe-diem/), rocked my world.  It was the first time I had really felt the pressure of the finite nature of our time on earth.  

Thanks to Pierre de Ronsard’s beautiful verses, I vowed to make the fullest use of the time I had available to me to enjoy life, to give it my all and to make a difference in the world.  Ditching my watch was just a symbol of that, offering a constant and timely reminder of my newly discovered perspective.  Like all symbols, though, its value passed and I moved on.  To prove my point, I now have a watch…and a tan line on my wrist.      

It is far better to make every hour in the day count than to count every hour of the day.  There is a natural, rhythmic oscillation between exertion and rest, and as the saying goes, “All work and no play makes you…a manager.”  Just kidding!  Actually, the saying I believe is “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”  Imbalance is unhealthy and leads to a lack of ease mentally and disease physically.  Setting the balance is your responsibility.  Many people aspire to “work hard” and to “play hard,” yet few, in fact, manage to achieve and maintain a healthy balance.   

Take heart!  Balance is achievable.  Rest periods are available throughout the day and don’t necessarily require time off.  There are lulls in activity, quiet points in conversation, occasional moments of stillness in the morning and evening that can all be used to advantage.   

Take the time to identify the brief moments of rest throughout your day today and don’t miss them because you’re fretting about what is coming next.  The majority of rest periods that appear throughout the day are missed by people who are ostensibly too busy to notice them.  This is true for parents, for business professionals, for students…across the board!  

Note the rest periods – no matter how infrequent they may be – and mentally or vocally give thanks for them.  Take the time to breathe deeply, to shift your focus of attention, to notice something you haven’t in the world around you.  It is well worth the “effort.”  The more you find a reasonable balance between work and rest the more pleasant your life will be.  The more you enjoy life, the more others will enjoy you.  I assure you.  

Let me know if you would be interested in seeing a translation of the article.  I’ll try to dig it up.  

Have a wonderful day.  Do svidaniya!