Craig Weinaug has plenty on his plate.

As Douglas County’s administrator, he is in charge of about 300 employees and a $38 million budget.

It’s a demanding job, and it keeps him running.

So on his own time, Weinaug likes to take a mental break from his work and plunge into a completely different activity: the world of tropical fish.

At home he has a 120-gallon saltwater aquarium stocked with seven or eight kinds of fish. For the last several years, he also has maintained a 55-gallon aquarium filled with live plants and fish for the enjoyment of students at Quail Run School.

Tropical fish have been a hobby of Weinaug’s since he was about 12 years old, and it’s still a valuable pursuit for him.

“It’s good to have something that’s different from the stresses of your work,” he said. “None of my fish have declared themselves as Democrats or Republicans, they never talk back to me and they never say they’re going to cut state revenues by a million and a half dollars.”

There are others in Lawrence who, like Weinaug, lead busy lives and have demanding jobs with lots of responsibility. And, like him, they’ve found it rewarding to have a relaxing pursuit to turn to as an escape from the daily grind.

Fancy steppin’

Lawrence’s mayor, Mike Rundle, loves to clog. He has been an avid clogger  a form of folk dancing  for about 25 years.

In fact, each year on April 15, you can find Rundle clogging to the music of the Alferd Packer Memorial String Band at the downtown post office. It’s a tradition Rundle has kept up for a long time now, something to help enliven the mood as procrastinators mail their income tax forms at the last moment.

In addition to his duties as mayor, Rundle works as head cashier at Community Mercantile Co-op, 901 Iowa.

When he’s able to, he throws on some soft-soled shoes and hits the dance floor with friends.

“I generally end up clogging pretty irregularly, usually when somebody’s having a jam session or something at a barn dance,” Rundle said. “It’s great exercise  it’s like playing the drums with your feet. It gives you an added dimension of enjoyment to the music.”

He used to be part of the Barnstorm Cloggers, a group that performed in the area. But these days he clogs strictly for recreation  although some preventive therapy is needed.

“Usually I feel like I need to take some Advil before I go to bed, so I don’t have sore joints in the morning,” he said. “It does relieve a lot of tension, though.”

Getting in tune

Randy Weseman, superintendent of Lawrence public schools, also turns to music for relaxation.

When he’s not busy overseeing the activities of administrators, teachers and students, he’s rocking out. Playing the guitar is one of his passions. In fact, he owns seven of the instruments, though two are on loan to friends.

He has been interested in the guitar since 1963, when he was in the seventh grade.

“Some guys around my town played the old, standard country songs, and I would listen to them. When they’d take breaks, I’d tinker with their guitars,” Weseman said. “Then, in 1964, the Beatles happened, and I just fell in love with music and guitars.”

He used to play with a band called the Raging Regattas that performed throughout Kansas and Nebraska. Now he only performs once a year, at the Foundation Follies put on by the Lawrence Schools Foundation.

But he plays guitar every day, just for fun.

“If I’m having trouble sleeping, I’ll get up and play, or sometimes after dinner,” Weseman said. “I like playing finger-style, without a pick. It’s real melodic and tends to be a great way to accompany yourself when you’re singing.”

Swimming with sharks

Dr. Sabrina Prewett’s job often puts her into life-and-death situations.

As assistant director of Lawrence Memorial Hospital’s emergency department, Prewett typically works three 12-hour shifts each week.

To find relaxation, she goes underwater. Prewett is a certified advanced scuba diver.

“I started while I was in medical school,” she said. “It was something I’d always wanted to do.”

In addition to running, lifting weights or playing racquetball four to five times a week, Prewett goes on diving trips a couple of times each year.

She’s gone on dives in Hawaii, Cozumel, the Caribbean and the Bahamas. She has even swum alongside whales and sharks.

Having a hobby, pursuit or passion can help to maintain a person’s overall health, according to Prewett.

“We all need balance in our lives, and if we don’t have it, we sometimes lose perspective on our purpose,” she said. “Hobbies allow us to do our jobs better, appreciate them more and have things to look forward to.”