Working on the Weekend – Perspective Shift

For a few months now I knew that I had a work trip coming up that would require me to be gone the entire weekend. I thought of every possible excuse to get out of it, and finally settled with the fact that I had to suck it up and go. The trip was this past weekend and I found myself in a TERRIBLE mood all week just thinking about it.  Things have been so busy since Thanksgiving and I was craving a lazy weekend where I could wear over-sized sweatpants and take at least five naps by sundown on Sunday. It’s basically illegal to have to work on the weekend, right? What about work/life balance? What about those two very important days of rest required to get up and start again on Monday?

So it ended up the weekend wasn’t the most horrible thing I’ve ever been subjected to, in fact, I actually enjoyed it. I got to spend a lot of quality time with my boss. Most people wouldn’t see this as a blessing, but it was great to see her in a different setting than our office.  I also got to meet a lot of the Managers who I support. None of them live in Charlotte so our relationship has only existed via phone and email until this weekend.  They were all extremely nice and funny (and happen to love Baby Guinness shots) and I think they have a new respect for what I do after getting to know me.

Enter my perspective shift: There are so many unemployed people out there who would do anything to have a job. There are also people who have jobs that require them to work EVERY weekend, or EVERY night. After reevaluating, I am embarrassed by my bad attitude leading up to the weekend. I don’t appreciate enough the amazing company I work for. I have a fantastic boss who is the most considerate and flexible person I’ve ever worked for. I work with a team of people who genuinely care about me. I earn a salary that affords me useless shopping sprees at Target and random flights to Chicago at the drop of a hat. I work for a successful company that is growing and not downsizing.  Yes, I did have to work over a weekend…but I also get to work from home when I’d like, arrive to work whenever I feel like it in the morning, and leave at night without having to take my work home with me. My hope is that my experience this weekend will teach me to stop dreading things that might actually turn out well. And to especially count my blessings on how lucky I truly am!