Live to Work?

Have you ever heard the expression, "You should work to live, not live to work"? Well, I DISAGREE.

Last evening I had drinks with two of my favorite friends/work colleagues/publishing peers (one of them, Molly O'Neill, is an editor at Harper and was one of the original champions of Before I Fall; the other, Lexa Hillyer, is my business partner and one of my close friends). And that's the thing: I don't exactly know how to define them. I don't know how to define an evening spent gossiping about everything from boys to books to market trends. We drank wine; we ate cheese; we waxed poetic about prose, and character, and the subtle workings of a successfully orchestrated plot. Is that work? Play? Publishing porn?

Perhaps all of the above.

Here's the thing: I believe that you work harder, and better, when your work is your passion, and your creative output a reflection of your moral values, and your friends are your partners and even your competitors. I believe in balance, sure, but I also believe in blend. Work and life should be like a good vinaigrette--you have to get the proportions right, sure, but it's also really important to get them to merge. Otherwise you're just left with sad little circles of vinegar, floating listlessly in a limpid pool of olive oil. AND WHO WANTS TO EAT THAT?? Nobody.

My point is: It's obviously time for lunch. Wish I still had the cheese board from last night!

My other point is: I live to work, work to live, socialize to network, and network to make friends. And that's okay with me.