August 21, 2018
Recharge
I want to express my gratitude to Stacey Warner and Barret Simon for stepping in and writing the lead-in article for the Tuesday Letter the past two weeks. I appreciated their perspectives on our profession, the benefits of being an Extension professional, and our system. If you have not read their articles, reward yourselves by going back to the Tuesday Letter Archives and reading their articles for August 7 and August 14 (https://ksre.ksu.edu/tuesday/archive/). Please be on the lookout for more articles from our agents, specialists, program assistants, office professionals, volunteers, Extension Council members, external stakeholders, and both users and non-users of our programs.
The practical reasons for having Stacey and Simon share their perspectives were twofold. First, it is important to understand the various perspectives our colleagues and stakeholders have. Second, on the logistical side, they helped fill in for me as a regular Tuesday Letter contributor while I took an extended vacation.
We often get so caught up in our professional lives that we fail to take time to fully engage in the non-professional aspects of our lives. I am guilty of that. When asked what I do, I usually say “I am the Director for Extension for K-State Research and Extension.” I neglect to say that I hope I am a loving husband, devoted son, good brother, trusted friend, crazy uncle, competent weightlifting coach, semi-okay competitive weightlifter, nature lover, and an aspiring (albeit poor) artist. Vacations and other time set aside help us to reconnect with those non-work aspects of our lives and also help provide a “recharge” period for our work.
Why do I bring this to your attention? We are public servants. As such, we often sacrifice ourselves for the common good. Nevertheless, make time for you and your family. Make sure that you recharge by making time to engage in your favorite non-work activities. Making time may mean taking ten days, a long weekend, an evening, or, when we are extremely busy, just a few moments during the day. Make sure that you put time aside to do the things that recharge you and make you – you. You will be a better professional, a better husband, a better friend, and a better you. We need that!