Professional Life Over Personal Life? (Monday Moments #88)

          Cristina, an architect, spent 6 days a week working on a new project. Just like every other project, it was taxing and left her exhausted. In architecture, the early days where the main blueprint and design is to be prepared is the vital part and also the most challenging. She spent her life building homes for strangers while she herself lived in a rented apartment. She loved her job but just sometimes she would get lonely.

          Meredith, an HR Executive, spent 6 days a week working for an MNC. Being into recruitment, her job was to find right person for the right job. She would ask which job location they preferred, how much salary they expected, what was their experience. She would also ask about their family background, at times. She gave jobs to people where ever they wanted while she was tied down at one place. She would hire them at such a high salary which she might never earn for years. She gave people things which she didn't have herself. She loved her job but just sometimes she would get lonely.

          Isobel, a surgeon, worked 70 hours a week. Sometimes she would have 48-hour shifts while some times night shifts and at times she was called in because some drastic casualty lead to multiple patients. Being a 4th year resident interested in neurology, she had to be on top of her game. She had to log on the hours in the operation room and also had to study for the boards. She cared for her patients like they were her family and friends. It was funny how she looked after them so much but at the end of the day, they'd thank her and leave. She loved her job but just sometimes she would get lonely.

          On a Sunday night, Cristina, Meredith and Isobel were having pizza and beer in their tiny apartment. These three workaholic roommates only spent Sunday evenings together. In common, they had no social life and so they had found peace at their jobs. Cristina knew that at the end of the day, she'd build a beautiful bungalow for a family, which she'll never have. Meredith knew that at the end of the day, she'd give the perfect job with perks and incentives to candidates, which she'll never get. Isobel knew that at the end of the day, all the patients she cared for would go back to their lives, which she did not have. In the race of being the best in their profession, they forgot about their personal lives. After all, the family in the new bungalow or that new employee or that patient won't be there for them even when they burned sweat and blood for them. That's because personal life triumphs over professional life.

(‘Monday Moments’ is a blog series wherein I write about an incident or a moment in a short paragraph. It’s not a story, but just a short description to express and explore the most common joys and also the uncommon miseries.)