Glorious Whitewashing

When I was contemplating retiring, I did a lot of reading and thinking about how people spend their time after they stop working for a living. I knew retirement would not put an end to unpaid work, even though it would make more time for play. There are always chore lists to accomplish, retired or not. In fact, one danger in retirement is that one has more time for chores. The need to balance work and play is still present, but with less time spent on paid work after retirement, the balance has to be adjusted.

As a kid I thought I knew that play was anything that you chose to do on your own, rather than something your parents or teachers made you do. This was the sentiment Mark Twain expressed in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, when Tom tricked all the boys into paying him to let them whitewash the fence [after the Negro Jim had cleverly avoided being taken in by the ruse]. Twain wrote, “Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do. Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.” Digging foxholes in the woods was work, but it enabled the army games we played, so I considered it play. Learning at school was work, but the satisfaction of gaining knowledge made it worthwhile, and occasionally a teacher managed to actually make the process seem like play. However, trimming the extensive lawn edges with hand shears in the days before weed whackers was always detested work, and my step-father was no Tom Sawyer.

One book on planning for retirement said the only difference between work and play is that you get paid for work. Another said they are opposites, with play being done for sheer pleasure. Neither is entirely correct. Work and play are not mutually exclusive. The Seahawks are going to be “playing” in the Super Bowl on Sunday, but being a professional football player is extremely hard work. And while a brain surgeon may enjoy operating, we would not say the doctor is “playing” surgery. True, athletes and entertainers play for our enjoyment, while doctors operate out of necessity, but I am looking at this from the point of view of the performer and operator, not the audience and patient.

The line between work and play is subjective. Some people enjoy doing the work for which they are paid, while others hate it. Some people enjoy pursuing hobbies that others consider drudgery. The line can change with time. Addictions start as pleasures but become burdens. Once pleasurable experiences can become ho-hum.

Like most kids, I wanted more time to play. Like most working adults, especially those with children, necessity struck the work/play balance for me. Five years into retirement, I am still adjusting. I try to plan some work and some play for every day. Necessity still brings chores, which to me are tasks which I would rather avoid, and as in childhood, I still want more time for play.

A week ago, I started working on this Sense piece about the difference between work and play. Mindful of some yard chores, I ended up outside taking care of them. Then a work project arose inside and I have been tending to that for the last few days. I would have preferred instead to have finished and posted this piece sooner, for though I call it work, writing for Sense is more like play for me. I write Sense for pleasure, not money or obligation.

Be patient with young children, play is an important element in their learning to be adults. Recognizing that work is an adult necessity, try to find work you enjoy, but don’t seek all your enjoyment at work. Respect retirement as a reward.