Please allow me the luxury of complaining for a bit.

[Tobin S.]

I simply do not have the time to do all the things I want to do. I work 12 hours a day five days a week, and I spend an hour and a half a day on my commute on work days. I need about 7 hours of sleep a day to feel right. That leaves 3.5 hours a day and I spend a good chunk of that doing the little things that life demands- eating, bathing, household chores. I basically have 2 hours a day to do what I want and I usually use that for spiritual practice, that being meditation and study which I think are necessary.

I do have Sundays and Mondays off which is nice. For a stretch of six months last year I was working 6 days a week 12 hours a day. It was brutal.

I would like to devote more time to meditation, but I don't have the time or the energy for it. I meditate once before work and once before I go to bed- 31 minutes each time. Some people probably don't think meditation requires a lot of energy, but it's actually much more difficult to do after putting in a 12 hour shift and you just want to go to bed.

I work the crazy hours because that's what I have to do to get by, and I by no means live extravagantly. I'm a working class guy. Hopefully, I'll be able to retire when there's still some life left in my body.

Thank you for listening to me complain. I feel better now.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. It is your RIGHT to complain, my dear Tobin!

I too hope that someday you can retire and then your time will be your own.

I have found, in my own retirement, that I'm busier than ever--but at least it's MY busy!

[Tobin S.]

5. Thanks, Peggy.

I hope you are feeling good now days.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

18. You know, I really am.

Thanks to 8 weeks of PT, I have largely regained my ability to walk better than I have in years. It's remarkable how freeing that is.

[dawg day]

2. I know-- I keep going into things without preparing because I don't have time-

Just got back from a vacation that would have been better if I'd read and planned and anticipated. I am also neglecting relationships, little things like sending birthday cards, because there's no time I'm not exhausted by the two jobs. And I know I'm lucky to have these jobs.

Tobin, I admire you for finding the time when you can and meditating.

[Tobin S.]

6. Thank you.

I hope you are able to find one job that will do the trick for you. Even if you still have to put in a lot of hours, at least you'll have one commute instead of two.

[Ohiogal]

3. Sometimes I think

that it's only in America that we have to work ourselves to death just to keep our heads above water. It's an employer's market, people are grateful for any job they can find, and bosses know it. Plus in our society they treat you badly for actually wanting some time off.

I wish you could find a job where you didn't have to spend your whole day working and commuting ... but unfortunately that's the new reality here in the U.S. Good for you for meditating ....I hope some day you will be able to have more time to do the things you want to instead of the things you have to.

[Tobin S.]

7. Thank you.

I think only some Asian countries work more than we do- China and Japan probably.

[irisblue]

4. Venting helps.

[Tobin S.]

8. Yes, and thanks for listening.

[irisblue]

9. 👂👂

[Karadeniz]

10. Complain all you want! Sounds like my life when I taught. Figured out I was working for

peanuts, so quit. Then, fostering and volunteering I was busier than ever and the work I did cost me money!

[wasupaloopa]

11. I don't know if your meditation is in the Buddhist sense but if it is maybe you could go to a

retreat on vacation.

[Tobin S.]

14. That's in the works for this fall.

I get two weeks paid vacation a year. I've used all of my time, but my paid vacation days pick back up again at my work anniversary which is in August.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[wasupaloopa]

19. I found a technique to help with mindfulness no matter

what you are doing at the moment.

I tell myself to just watch and observe what is going on around me. No thinking about it and no judgements just watch

I can do it no matter what I am doing during the day. It doesn’t require meditation in the present moment.

[Tobin S.]

20. I agree. Keeping the mind from wandering away from the moment is a good practice...

...no matter what you are doing. I wrote a post about that a little while back in the Buddhist group called "Life as Meditation," or something like that.

But, for me, the time I can devote to what is thought of as formal meditation (sitting in silence) is precious. It takes me beyond what I can do in my daily duties. Maybe as I become more evolved there won't be such a demarcation.

[Honeycombe8]

12. Are you getting paid overtime?

Time and a half?

Does your employer have a 401k or other retirement plan?

If you get OT and you have a retirement plan, put some of your OT in it. You'll be glad when you're a senior. It's hard, but you may need it even more later.

Is that your permanent schedule, or a temporary thing? I did a schedule like that for a little over two years. I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. But I didn't. And I had gotten a lot of OT for those years, which I had put in my retirement account and paid off my car. I'm now retired and no longer have to work grueling hours like that. That day will come for you, too. Hang in there.

[Tobin S.]

16. I'm a trucker.

We're paid differently than hourly employees so no overtime. I don't know how that managed to get that swindled, but it's par for the course in the industry. My rate of pay is based on how many miles I drive.

But, yes, I am putting something back for retirement. I put 10% of my pay into a 401k and my employer puts in another 5%. That's the most I can afford to do. I've done the calculations, and I should be sitting pretty good when I reach full retirement age at 67. That is, as long as nothing catastrophic happens to the economy.

The schedule can change, but it's done with seniority. I don't foresee any kind of change I can make in the near future. Something unexpected would have to happen.

[Honeycombe8]

17. Trucking...wow, that's hard. I don't know how you do it.

Having to drive in rain and snow and ice. I'd never be able to do it.

I had a relative do that for a while...but not long. He couldn't take the hours and the danger. He had small children at home and was rarely home. He has some blue collar job locally, now. The pay isn't as good, but he comes home every night, has some benefits, and it's an established company. His wife works, too. Her mother lives nearby for babysitting, and they have extended family to go pick up the kids at school and such. So they have a good routine going. He's a great dad.

Good luck. There's bound to be a recession coming in the next couple of years, so maybe your work hours will lighten up then, but you'll still have a good amount of work.

[calimary]

13. With pleasure, Tobin S.

That’s part of what we’re here for!

Venting always eases the pressure, even if only just a little bit. Commiserating is a good thing!

[iluvtennis]

15. Complain on, we all need an outlet to vent. 12 hours a day - OMG, that's to much. Hope it changes

in the near future. Take care.

[Ohioboy]

21. I hear you

For most of my last 10 years working I worked 12 hours a day. Then just to mess with your weekend, you never knew when they were going to schedule you for a Saturday or Sunday.

Back in the day people died for the 8 hour day, which was the standard for many years. 12 hour work days are a sign of the slow erosion of workers' rights in this country.