I have such an extreme attitude about work, where I can just

Host:
The morning light spilled softly across the apartment, casting long shadows on the walls. Outside, the world was moving, cars rushing by, people heading to work, but inside, there was only the soft hum of the city in the background and the occasional clink of a spoon against a mug. Jack sat at the kitchen table, his hands wrapped around a warm cup of coffee, his eyes distant, as though caught between two worlds.

Jeeny, across from him, was flipping through a book, her fingers lingering on the pages as she read, but her attention was equally on Jack — his silence seemed to invite reflection. After a few minutes, she closed the book, setting it aside, and looked directly at him.

Jeeny: [softly, breaking the silence] “Geddy Lee once said — ‘I have such an extreme attitude about work, where I can just completely be derelict of my responsibilities and then when I am not derelict, I am completely indulged in it. I swing pretty wildly from the two extremes.’”
Jack: [smirking, half-laughing] “That sounds a lot like me, actually. Either I’m all in or I’m completely checked out.”
Jeeny: [grinning] “I think most people are like that. We go through phases where we give everything to work, and then there are days when we can’t even bring ourselves to get out of bed.”
Jack: [nodding slowly] “I feel that. When I’m in, I’m all in. But when I’m not, it’s like nothing matters.”
Jeeny: [thoughtfully] “It’s interesting how much of our lives are governed by that kind of extreme attitude. But I think the challenge is learning how to navigate between the two without letting them take over.”

Host:
The quiet of the morning seemed to stretch out, the stillness of the room reflecting their own contemplation. Jack leaned back, staring at the ceiling as though the words had reached into some place in his mind he hadn’t explored in a while. Jeeny sat quietly, her hands wrapped around her own mug, waiting for him to speak, but knowing the silence was just as important as the words.

Jack: [after a pause, quietly] “I think the problem with extremes is that they make you feel like you’re either winning or losing. It’s like, if I’m not going 100 miles an hour, then I’m just failing at everything.”
Jeeny: [gently] “But that’s the trick, right? It’s about balance. Extreme work leads to burnout, and extreme avoidance leads to regret. It’s the in-between that holds the value.”
Jack: [nodding] “The in-between. That’s where I seem to struggle. Finding the rhythm of not overdoing it, but not completely disconnecting either.”
Jeeny: [smiling softly] “That’s the hard part. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being present. In your work, in your rest, in your life.”

Host:
The hum of the city outside grew more distant, blending with the gentle clink of their cups and the occasional rustling of paper. Jeeny set her mug down, watching Jack as he worked through the thought.

Jeeny: [softly] “I think it’s easy to get trapped in the idea of extremes. Work becomes this thing we either fully commit to or abandon. But I wonder if the real question is: What’s motivating us to swing so far in either direction?”
Jack: [pausing, thinking deeply] “Maybe it’s about avoiding the discomfort of the middle ground. When you’re in the middle, there’s no clear win or loss. But when you go to extremes, you feel like you’re either winning big or crashing hard.”
Jeeny: [smiling gently] “And that’s why it’s so tempting. But the middle, the balance, is where the real stability is. It’s hard, but it’s real.”
Jack: [nodding slowly] “Yeah. It’s just so much easier to dive into something with everything, or completely check out when it feels overwhelming.”
Jeeny: [gently] “But that’s the cycle. It’s the all-or-nothing mentality. And we all do it — because extremes give us something clear to measure, to point to, even if it’s not sustainable.”

Host:
The light from the window shifted slightly, casting new shadows across the floor as the day unfolded, yet in that moment, time seemed to stand still. Jack sat in that pause, his thoughts running through the extremes he’d lived, the moments of feeling too much or too little. But this time, the middle seemed to whisper louder than before.

Jack: [quietly] “It’s like I’ve been chasing some illusion of perfection. That if I just go hard enough, I’ll somehow find this ideal balance. But maybe it’s about accepting that balance isn’t a destination, it’s a practice.”
Jeeny: [gently] “Exactly. It’s a practice. The key isn’t to find perfection; it’s to accept the ebb and flow of life, the balance between being fully immersed and letting go when you need to.”
Jack: [softly smiling] “The practice of being instead of doing.”
Jeeny: [nodding] “Yes. It’s about learning to be present in the moments that require focus, and knowing when to step back without guilt.”

Host:
The city continued its rhythm outside, but inside the room, everything felt a little quieter now, a little clearer. Jack leaned forward, a shift in his expression, as though the pieces of the conversation were falling into place.

Jack: [thoughtfully] “Maybe the hardest part is just letting go of the idea that I have to be one extreme or the other. Maybe the real challenge is learning how to rest in the space in-between, without feeling like I’m failing.”
Jeeny: [smiling softly] “That’s it. Life isn’t about being all work or all rest. It’s about integrating both — knowing when to push, and when to pause. That’s where you find the flow.”
Jack: [nodding, more at peace] “Yeah. Maybe I’ve been chasing extremes because they feel like answers. But maybe the answer is in the gray areas.”

Host:
The sound of the clock ticking filled the room, grounding them both in the shared realization. The air was still, yet the conversation between them felt like a gentle movement forward. Jack sat back, finally allowing himself to breathe, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Jack: [quietly, with a soft grin] “I guess I don’t have to be all-in to get where I want. I can find the balance — I just have to trust that the middle ground is enough.”
Jeeny: [gently] “It’s more than enough. The middle is where the real life happens.”

Host:
The rain began again, a soft, steady rhythm against the window, a reminder that the world would continue its course — and so would they. Jack sat in the comfort of that truth, knowing that the balance he sought wasn’t something to chase, but something to practice every day.

And in that stillness,
the truth of Geddy Lee’s words echoed softly between them —

that the extremes will always pull us,
but it’s in the in-between that we find our true rhythm.

For balance isn’t a final destination,
but a practice —
the practice of learning when to push,
and when to let go.

And as the rain softened,
Jack understood —
sometimes the hardest thing is not to go all in,
but to just be, without the pressure of extremes.