my job and my life

Sometimes it's hard to distinguish between the role of my job from the rest of my life.  I mean, the line is easily blurred because I still live in College Housing. (Two notes about that: 1.  It's a great way to say money and live nicely. 2.  I've made my apartment to feel completely different from the atmosphere of a college dorm.)  But, when I go home from my office, I'm still at work.  I have to address issues that I see when walking somewhere on campus.  Do you know how hard it is to always be "on call" and alert and ready to be seen as the "bad guy?"  It's certainly not easy.  But, I do like a challenge.

So, let me talk (er, write) a little more about this strange dichotomy that exists between being available to the students and seeking a balance in my life.  Some staff here would say that you need to make sure that you have time for yourself.  Others would focus on being available to the students with whom you work--get involved.  And, most would say that we all need to find a balance between those two things, get involved and get a life of your own...outside...away from the campus gates.  I just don't know how to do it.

I look at my life right now.  See, this weekend was suppose to be pretty relaxed.  Chill.  Lots of down time to recover from the crazy month of August.  But, now, I'm looking at what I've got to do and I'm like, "where did all of these commitments come from?"  I worked with my boss to get her to agree to talk about my having a dog in my apartment.  And, that alone was a great victory.  But, looking at the situation from a responsible mindset, I realized that it would not be fair to the dog that I would own.  I'm not home enough, on a regular basis, for the dog to receive the love and attention that it would deserve.  I believe that many people in my profession, especially those in Residence Life and Student Activities, feel this burden.  How can I even think about settling down when I'm not capable of dutifully attending to a pet?  I imagine a husband (and one day kids) would require more time than a dog.