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It’s 8:19pm here in Prescott Valley, AZ
[stag_intro]Alyssa and I spent all day on the road driving from Albuquerque to Prescott today.[/stag_intro]It was kind of a whirlwind. It feels good to be in a new place for a few days. The mountain range encircles us with a view outside every window of the RV makes for quite the view.
Yesterday I had my first job as an assistant instructor of martial arts at Project Dojo. I met some really incredible people and I can’t wait to share more about my experiences in the days to come. Today was a little rough because I really was trying to force myself to not be worried about “getting work done”. Alyssa and I both wanted to get out of New Mexico (I mean it’s the desert, c’mon), so that meant today I would be driving instead of being able to edit and write about my first job.
This is my biggest struggle I face on a daily basis. I want to do great work and make a difference. But I also want to spend time with my new wife. Today was a day for me to enjoy time on the road, but I couldn’t help but be thinking about all of the footage I should be sifting through. It’s a fight to eliminate these thoughts and just be present in the moment. Sometimes my “work mind” wins and sometimes my “husband mind” wins, but either way I’m going to face the fight head on.
A fight between work and love is a fight most men face at some point in their lives. Sometimes love wins, and in other cases- work. For me, I don’t believe in such a thing as work/life balance. It’s more of an integrated life at this point. Alyssa is not only my wife, she’s my work partner also. We’re still figuring it out (just a couple weeks in) but we both are on the same page when it comes to our passions and relationship.
She gets on me a lot for not taking the time off that I need. Sometimes I get on her for taking off too much time and telling her she needs to sit down and write. It’s a healthy give and take, but it’s obvious that I struggle more with putting work aside.
Before we left Austin I spent some time at my second office, AKA Mozart’s Coffee on the lake, brainstorming what would make this trip “successful” to me. Of all the things I could write, growing closer with Alyssa was at the top of the list. I know this is an opportunity for me to grow with her, and if I looked past that I might never forgive myself. In addition to, this journey is an opportunity for me to work on my story telling craft. Hourly America gives me a platform to chase after something I love and express that through writing and film.
So today I fought the cliche fight between work and love. Alyssa and I didn’t have a conversation about it. It was more of mental battle, but very real none the less.
Then at sunset, we sat on top of the RV and watched the sun go down. Now we’re sipping decaf coffee and writing together at the dinner table. She won the battle today. Here’s to hoping she wins for the rest of our lives.
[stag_image style=”no-filter” src=”http://138.68.38.191/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Alyssa-on-Roof.jpg” alignment=”none” url=””]
What a beautiful picture.