The lunch break blues. Anyone who has ever worked an 8-5 knows exactly what I’m talking about. It’s the most precious time of the day, but also the most fleeting. You are filled with so much joy at the beginning of your hour, but by the end you are filled with dread. The range of emotions you feel within that one hour is probably more than you feel the rest of the day combined. Some use it for rest, some like to get out of the office. And some people just don’t have a lunch break.
WHY WOULD YOU NOT TAKE A LUNCH BREAK?
This is a fantastic question and there’s a simple answer. The people that don’t have a lunch break are people that are so busy with the job at hand that they don’t have a moment to spare. They have a hastily prepared sandwich that they scarf down between meetings to tide them over. These are the work horses, the people that get home at 7 pm after a 12 hour day and the first thing they do is check their work email. For some people this works for them. They get their big paychecks every two weeks and for them it’s worth it.
ME ON THE OTHER HAND…
When the clock hits 12:00, I’m out of there! I only have one precious hour, so I do my best to make every minute count. If I pack a lunch, I eat it at my desk before so that I have the maximum amount of time to do whatever it is I want for an hour. Some days I walk around the city and take pictures. This is my favorite thing to do when the weather is nice. Charlotte is such a beautiful, clean city. The picture above was taken on one of these lunch breaks, on one of the most beautiful days of the year. If the weather conditions are not favorable, I like to go to a little french bakery called Amelies. They have the most amazing pastries, and their soups are to die for. It has a vibrant atmosphere so it’s perfect for a relaxing work break.
Whatever the excursion is, it is just somewhere outside of the office. Somewhere where I can breathe and relax. Sitting in a cube for 8 or 9 hours straight is torturous, I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. By the end of the day you are so drained, you hardly have any energy to do anything you enjoy.
SO WHY THE LUNCH BREAK BLUES?
While the beginning of every lunch break comes with an immense sense of joy and freedom, there is no worse feeling than the end of your lunch break. You had a taste of freedom and then you have to march right back into your own prison cell. That’s a little dramatic, but that’s how you feel when you traipse back in at 1:05 (Never once have I been back early from a lunch break). Even if you have something you are excited about something planned in the afternoon, you are longing for your lunch break. That’s because if money weren’t so important, you would most likely wake up every morning and have all day to do what you normally do 1 hour a day. Because that’s what you really love.
I have so many mixed emotions about my lunch break. Realistically, if I had the choice I would eradicate my lunch break to get off an hour earlier. My day would be a little more strenuous, but when 4 o’clock would hit, I’d be the happiest man alive. It’s a blessing and a curse.
If you’re like me and work an 8-5, and have an hour for lunch, start making the most of it! Get outside, walk around. You’re sad when it’s over, but you also feel so much better, so much more relaxed.
Spinning Atlas 