I
really enjoyed these next two stories. Writing about myself can be difficult at
times, but the prompts that Ali provided made it much easier.
The
second story, the one about work, was fun too but it could be that I’m just
still so new in my job that it’s enjoyable and exciting for me right now. You should
really like what you do, right? Why else would I get up and leave my family
every morning.
Story
6: You
- Age: 31
- Favorite part of my day: Right now it’s
the first hour after I get to work. After I get over the hate of waking up
early and getting into the office by 7, I truly enjoy sitting at my desk,
organizing my day and sipping my coffee. I listen to Rob, Arnie and Dawn
on my iPhone and drink whatever decaf Keurig brew I threw in the maker
this morning. Right now I’m enjoying one Equal and a little ½ and ½ in my
coffee – I know I should drink it black but it feels like a reward for
getting up so early.
- Loving: Feeling less
stressed lately. Sure, there will always be demands upon my time and
things “I really need to get to” but I really feel that I’m in a good
place right now. I like my job – still learning. We signed papers
yesterday to sell our first house and close that door. Steve and I are
doing well, making a team effort to tackle this crazy life of ours. It’s a
good place. I hope I can find remember this feeling when things get crazy
again (and I know they will.)
- Longing for: A trip to
Disneyland with the kids. Need to plan it, just need to find the right
time. I think we’re going to go in October for a wedding – right after
Andrew turns two, but I haven’t done one thing to get us there. I also
long for some extra time to get all the “papers” organized. Between bills I need to file, Ally’s
schoolwork to go through and old magazines, we are inundated by paper. I
long for some uninterrupted time to purge!
- Inspired by: My friends.
Whether it be the ones that run, the ones that make it to every practice
and every game, the ones that photograph and document, the ones that make
moves that are scary but good for their families or the ones that make a
job a career. They all inspire me.
- Dreaming of: Some extra
sleep and snuggle time with my husband and kiddos.
- Needing: To stick with
my 5K plan and try to eat a little better. I’m off to a good start, just
need to keep up the momentum. I don’t want to read this a year from now
and think – “well, you made it a week and a half.” I will do this!
- Navigating: Motherhood
and career. How to be all things to all people, not perfectly, but
acceptably. Excel at the things I’m good at and let go the things that I
struggle with. Leave work at the office and focus on family. Keep our
lives trucking forward but make time for the fun.
- Struggling with: Keeping up the
housework. It seems never to end. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to get
my work at home Fridays back and can alleviate some of that stress. Being
gone all day at work and then coming home to dinner and dishes is all I
can seem to handle well. Laundry, organization and picking up always get
thrown by the wayside.
- Knowing: That I have a truly wonderful family. I have amazing kiddos, a handsome husband, a loving Mom that keeps me on track and a group of friends I wouldn’t trade for anything. I am genuinely fortunate.
Story
7: Work
Work.
I’ve written about this topic a number of
times. It’s an important one for me because doing the work that I enjoy forces
a balancing act between what I need to do, what I should be doing and what I
want to do.
I work. I work 40 hours a week. Monday
through Friday. And the majority of the time, at least most of the time over
the last six years give or take a few blips, I really love my work.
Today I work at a credit union as a
business analyst. I’m responsible for making sure that projects the credit
union puts forth are completed accurately, timely and cleanly. I like this job
(I’ve only been doing it for a little over a month now) because I get to use
the closet geek in me. I get to talk IT stuff with the IT guys, but I also get
to talk member-centric (that’s credit union for customer-centric) with the
businesses. I love it.
Could I work less hours and be at home more
with my kiddos? Sure. Do I like making good money, getting an outlet for adult
conversation and building a career? Yup – you betcha! (Here’s where the balancing act comes into
play.)
With this new job, I feel quite a bit less
stress than I have in the past. I’m not exactly sure why, because I’m still
learning and doing things I haven’t done in the past. But maybe it’s that
excitement that is alleviating the stressful nature of the job. I enjoy coming
in, doing new things and then leaving those things in the office when I go home
to my family. I’m sure this job will pick up and there will be days that I want
to run away. But for now, it’s new and exciting. It’s entertaining and it makes
me think. Just what I needed in my life.
Being less stressed means a better Becky
for my family. It means that I enjoy the time we have together in the evenings
and on the weekends because my mind isn’t constantly swirling with what’s going
on in the office. I’m hoping (hoping hoping) that I’ll be able to get some of
my work from home privileges back. I’m fairly confident I will, I just want to
prove myself a bit more before I broach the topic with my new boss. If I can
work that back in, then – woohoo – I am one happy camper.
So, work for me means sitting in front of a
computer, answering emails and mind-numbing spreadsheets. It means managing
projects and bridging the gap between what the frontline wants and what IT says
they can actually have. But it’s work that I like. Sure, there’s work at home
too. Laundry, dishes, cleaning, yucko. I can’t think of that like work though.
That’s just what you’ve got to do to make the family run.
Now…I have to get back to work.
~Becky
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