L'art de vivre

As the Christmas holiday approaches and finals have begun to return to the hell from whence they came, I have realized that even with school being over, I am only going to have a few days off for Christmas. And considering that two of those days comprise the weekend, really I only have two free days. My first day off is the 22nd (Saturday) and I have to return to work on the 26th. I realize that my complaining may not be justified as others have much tougher work schedules than myself, and may even have to work on Christmas day itself. What I am trying to explain in this post is that we as Americans take our jobs too seriously. The French have what they call l'art de vivre (the art of living). They don't live to work, they work to live. Every holiday possible, including many we haven't heard of here in the States, will get every employee at least one day off. Tuesday holidays are a good enough reason to take Monday off and make it a four day weekend (faire le pont). Some well-meaning capitalists would be outraged at such an attitude. "Time is money" seems to be the slogan here. But is money so important? Our society has become so infatuated with commercialism and keeping one up on our neighbor that while we are more prosperous than even, we are also working harder than ever in order to afford the lifestyle we have become accustomed to living. I'm not saying it is bad to want to have a good life, but for crying out loud, take some time off and relax a little. How are you going to enjoy your new toys if you are working 24/7. Life's too short not to enjoy it a little. So go out to a movie, take a nap, read a book or kiss a girl (or boy, depending on your gender or sexual orientation). Live your life, not your job!