I’ve been meaning to write this type of post for a while now, some recent events have spurred me on! It’s something that has always meant quite a lot to me.
See I’m a daydreamer, a stargazer, a wonderer 
When I have a moment to myself, I’m often someplace far removed from where I currently am, with the ‘fairies’ and the ‘unicorns’, beneath the Aurora Borealis, a midst the untouched wilderness, gazing upon snow peaked mountains with nothing but the sound of the rustling leaves and birds chirping.
Some might label people like me lazy, distracted or unrealistic. I vehemently disagree ofcourse The only difference between people who carry out their dreams and those that spend their whole lives as slaves to the work system is that one day, the former had the courage to make one of the hardest decisions of their lives, and went against conventions and followed their hearts.
By far the harder choice than to conform and follow a path that’s tried and tested, is to put aside the multitude of doubts and take the uncertain plunge into a better life for yourself. So please, don’t feel sorry for me for not having the ‘resolve’ to endure 40 years of servitude, don’t pity me, I believe it’s far more likely I’ll like the person I am in 20 years time than you will.
So what is it I’m really rambling on about? Something that really get’s my tail feathers up. I’m talking about the dreamers of the world, the idealists, very often misunderstood and put down by the realists. I’m talking about the oppresive work and no play mentality that’s suffocating our work environments.
When did it become a sin to prioritize life over business?
When did it become wrong to spend the tiniest portion of the work day getting excited about what you might get up to on your next vacation?
After all, we spend more time at work than we do anywhere else in our lives, more than we sleep, more than we dream, more than we have fun, more than anything else. Can’t we be forgiven for living vicariously for just the shortest moments through our possible future holiday destinations?
And when the exciting time comes to book your holidays, when did it become the norm to feel guilty about asking for annual leave??? What’s the business world coming to when being given our leave entitlement almost feels like a favour’s been bestowed upon us?
What’s even worse than feeling this way, is having to worry about people higher up possibly changing their perceptions of you because you prioritize differently.
Bah, maybe we’re all imagining it, being over sensitive in worrying that if we ask for too much leave in one go, or ask too soon in the year, or ask too eagerly, or ask at the wrong time, at a busy work time, it might poorly reflect upon us and our commitment to our jobs.
Or maybe, (lot’s of maybe’s I know), maybe we’re all just becoming a little paranoid. Isn’t that just as bad? What is wrong with wanting to enjoy our lives outside of work. Why does it necessarily make us any less hardworking than the workaholic next to us?
I’d like to note, I’m meticulous, a perfectionist, and very hard on myself professionally. I like to do a good job and feel satisfied, but I sure as hell know what’s more important in the grand scheme of things. I work hard, put in extra hours when needed, try to be flexible with leave when I need to be, but enough is enough. Do we live to work, or work to live?
I know what I do. I certainly shouldn’t be made to feel guilty for feeling that way. At the end of the day, be proud of the work you do, do it well, care about it, but always remember you do it to live (a very fortunate few may feel differently). When did people start to forget this?
It’s easy to forget just how big and beautiful a place the world can be when you’re stuck in a rut, confined to a tiny narrow minded bubble people often create for themselves. Don’t ever settle and certainly don’t ever stop dreaming. I couldn’t imagine being sat in the office without the occasional day dream
There is a world of adventure out there, a world filled with beautiful crystal clear lakes, uninhibited natural wildlife, evergreen forests, arid deserts, beautiful corals, reefs and a multitude of glorious sea life underneath us, perfect white sandy beaches, green fields as far as the eye can see, all beautifully blanketed under the most spectacular universe one could ever hope to be a part of.
What is happening to those around us? When did we lose the right to just stop and simply be. When did we forget to stop and stare? When did it become so wrong to be idle? I’d like to finish the post with my favourite poem by William Henry Davies (1871 – 1940)
What is this life if full of care
We have no time to stand and stare?
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep, or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this, if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
they’re warm and stylish! Should keep my feeties nice and toasty in Abisko and Ivalo 
