I don't really think we were supposed to work this much
I'm sick again today. I get sick a lot - always have as far as I can remember. I didn't exactly win the genetic lottery for immune systems and I am also not exactly a paragon of health.
I am lucky to have a job that gives me what is, for America, a pretty good deal in terms of paid time off. I accrue a sick day every month, I get 15 days of vacation time, and I get summer Fridays. A lot of people can only dream of being in this position. But then I look at, say, Austria, which mandates at minimum 25 vacation days for all employees, and I don't feel so lucky. Part of the thing that sucks so much about America is that we all have to feel like we're competing with each other all the time. Sure, I'm lucky by comparison, but man, shouldn't we all just get more time off???
I feel bad when I take sick days. Partly because I'm worried about what'll happen if I get really sick, partly because of whatever deeply-ingrained American guilt I have about always needing to be productive. This seems to me to be a pretty bad state of affairs! There's a lot that's embarrassing about living in and being from this country right now but man it really does not feel good to know that Europeans are over there taking month-long vacations while we drive ourselves insane with the fear that we'll lose our jobs if we take one too many three-day weekends. I really don't think we were meant to live this way. So in the spirit of unapologetically taking the time off I need I'm gonna go take a nap.