Not Just Labor: Reflections on Balance, Life, and Work
It’s Labor Day, a holiday meant to celebrate work, yet ironically, it’s one of the few days when most of us actually step away from it. Everyone has the day off, and the question becomes, what do you do when it’s not time to work? For me, the answer has been slowing down, noticing the small things, and giving myself permission to simply be.
The last three weeks have been slower, quieter, and honestly refreshing. Each morning I take Roxy, my dog, on a one-mile loop around my parents’ neighborhood in the Berkshires. Wide meadows, the occasional cyclist, and a kind of quiet you only notice when you step away from constant phone buzzes. Back home, I open my suede notebook and fill a page with whatever comes to mind. Later, I move into structured writing for my blog, a routine I genuinely love.
Being open about my life is not always easy. Writing about mental health, for example, means putting myself out there. Some people have always understood and supported me. Others have judged. But I would rather be honest than polished to the point of being unrecognizable.
Dating has been another part of this reset. I have been going on dates in person, usually over drinks or coffee. More than anything, I feel I am growing in my ability to understand a woman’s perspective, whether through deep conversation or the subtle ways connection comes through touch.
Afternoons were often spent at Rubi’s, the local coffee shop where I worked in high school. I would sit outside with an iced coffee and talk with people from all walks of life, second-home owners, old classmates, and locals I had never met before. These conversations reminded me that adulthood isn’t just about chasing new things. It’s about appreciating what is already in front of you.
I also made time for family. I reconnected with cousins I hadn’t seen in years and continued to lean on mentors in PR who are generous with advice. Interviewing new caretakers became part of my days, something I now have down to a science.
Of course, balance wasn’t always easy. For a while, I leaned into a work hard, play hard lifestyle, long hours during the week, then unwinding with social media overuse. It was fun until it wasn’t. Moderation works better for me.
And moderation doesn’t mean boring. Sometimes it’s grabbing a twenty-dollar Cuban sandwich, which always makes me laugh. As a Jewish kid, I can’t help but imagine one day running a home like my mom did, with no pork inside, except when the kids go out to restaurants. I won’t be eating pork myself, but the kids can. Life has its contradictions, and sometimes they’re funny.
Music has been part of the rhythm too. My library bounces from Billy Joel to Flatbush Zombies, a contrast that makes sense only if you’ve lived with it. And there’s the small joy of Roxy hopping onto my wheelchair foot pedal to give me love at the end of the day.
All of this has been happening alongside my career journey. My internship taught me a lot. Some teammates lifted me up and are still in my corner, ready to write references. Others were more competitive, which is just part of the professional world. What matters is that I came out stronger, clearer, and more confident. I know I will land the right healthcare communications role as an assistant account executive or account executive. The jobs are out there, and I am ready.
As Matisyahu said in a 2006 Guardian interview, “When there's light shining on a tree, that tree takes on a different meaning. If there's no light at all it just looks dead. If you look at light as godly meaning, the world comes alive in a certain way.” For me, the light is in both the career I am building and the life I am living right now. The jobs will come. I am confident of that. What matters just as much is noticing the light that is already here.
