Is mathematics a job or a way of life?
I apologize in advance because this post is maybe more pouty than most. Although, in my defense, I do think blogging caught on because of angsty teenagers... At some point in college I read Hardy's "A Mathematician's Apology". These days, I hate this book and maybe will make a blog post at some point just to complain further about it. But at the time, it made me think I wanted my life to be math and that the only way to do math was for it to completely consume my life and try to pursue some false notion of greatness. Fast forward about 15 years: I don't always love mathematics like Hardy or any of the "great" mathematicians of the past. I enjoy research, value the teaching/mentoring (except for grading), and sometimes like the service I do. I get a lot of joy out of moments of success (however I've defined that), having wonderful colleagues and collaborators, and I'm very lucky to be in the position I'm in. That said, I don't care