Monday, June 8, 2009

A year


This week marks a full year since I sold my store and hopped a plane to Phoenix the very next day. It is the longest I have gone without working in twenty years. Not that being at home full time with an almost two year old while juggling the after school needs of a seven year old isn't work. But you know what I mean.

We decided when we moved here that I would take some time off until Little Guy starts pre-K. Back in Georgia we had a steady supply of very reliable and relatively inexpensive childcare. I had an amazing woman who came 20 hours a week to give me time to work in the store and squeeze in a few errands. We also had tons of friends and family near by to rely on for pickups from school, drops offs at dance lessons, and the occasional night out. I popped in on Saturdays, worked on displays on Sundays, and caught up on paperwork at night. It was a juggling act, one often resulting in a poorly launched ball or two flying up to whack me in the face, but we made it work. When we got here, putting down new roots in a desert with two young children mixed into the planting, it seemed to make sense to just take some time to get everyone settled before figuring out what my next career move should be.

A year has passed. A year! I can tell how dramatically our lives have changed as I get us all ready to fly back to Georgia to visit our family. First off, I am organized, actually a little ahead of the game, and I won't be up until midnight the night before folding undies and finishing the laundry. I won't be scrambling to cut payroll checks early or pre-pay vendors. I won't be checking the store schedule to make sure everyone has a break. I won't be printing up lists of orders that might arrive in my absence. I already have snacks packed for the flight and enough diapers stashed in my carry on. I had time in the days leading up to this trip to swim with the kids and give the dog a bath. We even made it to the library to pick up books for our summer reading list. I will probably leave my house clean enough that I will want to come back to it. And I have actually been mostly pleasant to my family while packing a suitcase. Unchartered territory, I tell you.

So I don't have a job, but what I do have is time. Time with my kids, time to make our lives come together with a little less chaos, and, occasionally, even time for myself. And I have to admit, time is nice. Really, when I look at the big picture, I think I might actually be starting to like this whole stay at home mom thing.

But that's just between us. Don't tell anyone I said so.

2 comments:

Lisa said...

my lips are sealed...have a FABULOUS trip!

latisha said...

it grows on ya doesn't it? now that im working a little bit more, i miss those extra moments being able to quiet down the chaos. enjoy every minute of it.