I am one of the lucky few who can say that she has the best of both worlds.
Yes, I have a regular tech job, and things do get hairy at times, but I'm a part-timer who works from home when needed, which allows me the flexibility to be at important events for the girls. I honestly would not have survived otherwise.
So, yes, I have a most idyllic arrangement, a good balance between "me" stuff and "family" stuff. But let me share with you what makes work really special for me.
It's past midnight. Everyone is in bed, even the dog and the cat. It's so quiet I can hear the hum of the refrigerator.
Be still, and know that I am God.
I am a busybody. I cannot fathom just sitting still with nothing to do. To me, that's wasting time. I'm always involved in multiple activities. Multitasking is my motto.
When the girls were in their preschool years (I should say, pre-soccer years), we used to spend a lot of time in our back and front yards. I did my share of gardening back then - not as much as I would have liked, but I tried. I would have the girls with me when I'm outside. I bought them their own set of gloves, and they'd help me out. Well, sort of. I use the word "help" very loosely here. They'd stay with me for 15 minutes or so, then they'd just saunter off and do their own thing. One of their most favorite things to do was play with snails. They'd collect them and have imaginary families in no time.
As they got older, soccer took over our weekends, and we hardly ever got to just stay home, let alone spend time in the yard.
Well, after a long reprieve, I found myself doing yard work this morning. I volunteered (or was I volunteered? Minor little detail...) to help with decorating the stage for graduation. Renting plants just was not cost-efficient, so I ended up buying a bunch of low-growing perennial plants to use for the stage, with the thought that - hey, this is a good opportunity to get the yard going again!
I woke up Sunday morning to Holly (our golden retriever) poking her wet (and cold!) nose in my face. This is her way of saying it's time to get up. I lay there for a few minutes, going through the day's events. Boy, another packed day... so let's see - church, kick-off meeting for this Christian mom's blog, then an important goodbye party for someone at school. Check, check, check. OK, it's time to get up. Slowly, oh ever so slowly, I sat up, paused for a bit - and just sat there.
I felt awful. I mean, I wasn't sick or anything, but I just did not feel well. Fatigued and lethargic are good descriptions. I literally hit the wall. A full week of end-of-school activities and non-stop running around, not to mention (real) work, have done the job.
A shower, yeah, that should help. Get into the shower and you'll feel better, I told myself. Ten minutes later, and still feeling horrible, I walked slowly to the kitchen. Have some breakfast and you'll feel rejuvenated, I said to myself. So after my daily bowl of flax and oatmeal, I looked at the clock. Wow, it's almost time to leave for church. My mind was ready to go, but the body was not responding. This 44-year-old body just will not move. And suddenly, an epiphany...
Recent Comments