Work and Relax by Working Some More?

A pretty strange concept, right? This go 'round the EtsyBloggers Blog carnival had two topics to choose from. To write about your work that is not Etsy related or write about what you do to relax.

So I thought I'd tackle both of them considering that I actually "work" to unwind from a long week at my necessary full time job.

My necessary full time job pays the bills and leaves me exhausted at the end of the day. I work for a company that I refer to as "The Evil Empire". Some of you may know this company by this reference and I would wager that most of you even shop there on a weekly, if not almost daily, basis.

Go on... "rollback" through your memory bank and see if you can guess...

I work at one of their distribution centers. Nope, not very glamorous at all. I am cross trained in numerous areas which means that some days I find myself loading those very trailers you're probably passing on the highway.

Even though I come home whooped from a very physical job, I do love the people I work with and we manage to have some fun. I'm also proud of the efforts The Evil Empire is taking towards becoming more environmentally friendly.

Oh, and I do have insurance and I get paid damn good. So no bashing on the company. It's kind of a love/hate relationship. I love that they give me money but I hate that I have to show up to get it!

At the end of the day I find myself sweaty, dirty, and exhausted. One of the many reasons I'm missing in the afternoons... I've zonked out sitting upright somewhere in my house. I live for my three day weekends when I can relax.

Yet even when I'm relaxing these days, I'm also working. Working to stock my Etsy store and crank out some lovely smelling soaps. I find the whole soap making process soothing. I'm inspired to create beautiful bars by the many fragrances available. The moment that I first sniff a scent my mind kicks into overdrive about what that particular bar of soap should look like. What colors does the scent invoke? Should it be something simple or a bit more artistic?

There is nothing quite so sublime as unmolding a loaf of soap and beginning to cut it into bars... to see what lovely patterns were produced and marvel over each and every slice. Because every slice is a creation in and of itself. No two are ever alike.

So I work, creating variety of soaps, to relax after a stressful week at the Evil Empire. That same soap also helps to wash the "wicked" away after a particularly arduous workday. I feel and smell better; finding myself prepared for another day at my not so fun job while looking forward to another weekend where I can work and relax.

Jamaican Rosewood

Autumn Walk