July Fast Company Article Kari Fruechte

Salter, Chuck, "Enough is Enough", Fast Company, p. 121-136, July/August, 1999.

This entire series of articles seemed more outragious to me as I read on. Yes, I realize we all have a great deal of stress in our lives, but how can we end up letting money and work manage our entire being? I will admit that I spend very little time just relaxing in my life now, but I still could not identify with the people in the article that survive on four hours of sleep and work eighteen hour days.

I found myself thinking back to my family of origin and how they seemed to balance work and family. I come from a family of farmers and my husband and I continue that type of business. We were used to long hours and short vacations, but I remember the work involving all of us as a family, and seeming a little less like work. I think tossing straw bales around on a hayrack and sorting cattle probably served as a type of stress release even though that was the work we did. And the pop breaks and fishing breaks are also strong memories. I can picture my dad and my grandpa getting quite a laugh out of the article I read about people paying thousands of dollars to spend a week at a place like "Canyon Ranch" to regain balance in their lives!

I have always looked at working as what we do to be able to pay the bills and maintain the family. In farming, the work also becomes your way of life, but you shape that life to fit your needs. The people in the article obviously took their work too seriously and let it consume them. From what I could interpret, they defined success as money and power. Now they are trying to add happiness to that formula. For those of us who struggle to earn a living that is a drop in the bucket to the participants at "Canyon Ranch," we have no choice but to go on and make the best of what we have. We can't afford to have someone else "fix" our problems, so we become very self-sufficient and learn about things like nutrition, stress management and balance on our own. While I am sometimes envious of people who don't have to work as many hours as we do, I would not want to type of life the article elluded to. In discussing this article with my husband, he found it quite humorous. I see him as needing to slow down and take some time off, but he still couldn't identify at all with the business executives in the article. He is a pretty entrenched farmer and is slowly building his business. While it will never grow at the rate of some of the businesses mentioned in the magazine, he feels the need to push on and enjoys the challenge. He does try to involve our sons, and spends time with them teaching them many skills they will use through-out their lives. We discussed that quality family time doesn't have to mean Disney vacations, but sometimes is as simple as building sheep feeders together and talking about life.

In talking to another co-worker, she felt the article was quite removed from our way of life in rural Minnesota as well. She and her husband live and work in town, and are busy with the daily activities of a young family. While she wishes for a slower-paced life sometimes, she agreed that our level of stress is less in part just because of where we live. No traffic, fewer crowds, shorter lines at check-outs, and more opportunities for peace and quiet are things neither of us would trade for a shot at the big money a city might offer.

I think the article made me a bit more appreciative of my way of life, even if we do watch every dollar we spend and wish for a little more time to unwind. I doubt if you'll ever find me or my friends and family at a place like "Canyon Ranch."

-- Anonymous, October 05, 1999