I have had the most amazing opportunity to stay home with my kids for the last 9 months. I've worked their entire little lives, and after my last job was finished, I needed time to recharge. I needed time for me, and I needed time for them. I needed some time to give my two little pumpkins my first, my best, my everything. I needed some time to experience life differently, so that when I returned to work, I had my head on a little straighter. The past 16 years of my career have sort of just happened. One job led to another, things were fluid, and my husband and I didn't really make any big life changing decisions when it came to my career. I continued to hustle, to work hard, to go where I felt needed. After having kids there were sacrifices and they were all short term, but all the short term sacrifices one after another started to add up, and I just needed some time with my kids, some time just to be mom.
Now, after 9 months at home, it is time to start a new job. I'm so thankful that I had that time, and I know that by listening to my heart, and by praying and listening to God, I was led to have the life I did for the past 9 months. And I was given this new opportunity, this new job. Somewhere that values family. Somewhere that values and supports the life you lead outside of the office. I could not be more excited to start this new adventure, and on my first day, I didn't have to be to the office until 10am. So walking Gage to school this morning, we got a chance to chat, just the two of us, and it was perfect. I was chatting with him about going into my new office today, and that his Poppy (my dad) would be picking him up from school to spend a few hours with him. It was the question that came next that caught me off guard. He asked me what if I got there and didn't know where to go. I realized in a split second that this must have been his fear in starting kindergarten just 3 months earlier. He is a creature of habit (just like his mother) and wanted to know how I would deal with it. I told him I would just ask. People are willing to help you if you just ask. I realized in this moment that he had learned how to verbalize his thoughts, his fears, and think through the what if scenarios. I think we could all benefit from the conversation I had with him on our walk to school. Talking about what makes you afraid makes it feel a little less scary. And asking others for help, and speaking up when we need something. Why don't we do more of that? Sometimes for the fear of being laughed at, for being judged. But when it comes down to it, people love to help, sometimes they just don't know how to.
This morning reminded me how important it is, and will continue to be, to have these conversations with my kids, and I pray they will always be comfortable enough to approach me and my husband when they have something like that weighing on their minds. So as I settle into my new job in the coming weeks, I want to make sure that I continue to have some mornings to walk Gage to school, and to have those precious chats.