In less than twenty-four hours, I officially re-join the work force. It has been eleven years since I have worked outside of my home...eleven years! I am both excited and nervous about this new chapter; mostly excited.
I am not sure I intended for my "break from work" to be quite this long. When I was laid off from my job at the cable company (the company was bought and the office was closing), the timing was perfect. I was halfway through my pregnancy with Julia. I wasn't going to look for a job at that point, then go out on maternity leave for a couple of months. Financially, we were able to make ends meet with Ryun's income. Going back to work and shelling out for day care seemed counterproductive. I remember thinking at various points I would probably go back when Julia went to kindergarten. Kindergarten came and went...year two of kindergarten came and went and here we are, more than half way through her fourth grade year.
Looking back, I feel fortunate to have been home for as long as I was. Truth be told, the first six years of Julia's life involved more doctor's appointments, physical, speech, and occupational therapy appointments, meetings at school, and developmental evaluations than I could possibly remember. In addition to all of the commitments I had with Julia, just before Julia was born, Emily had her first seizure. So for the two years following, we had many trips back and forth to Boston, meetings at school etc. as we worked through defining Emily's diagnosis. I know how blessed and lucky I was to be able to afford to stay home and take both of them to every single meeting, appointment, therapy session, etc. without having to worry about calling out of work, rearranging my schedule or anything else that would need to be considered as a working parent. I am truly in awe of working parents every day and how they, like me, manage every day life, with the added consideration of work in the mix. Thankfully, my days of continuous appointments, therapy sessions, meetings etc. are a thing of the past. Emily has been seizure free for 8 years. Julia has made such an incredible amount of progress that is hard to even picture that she ever needed all of those services to begin with.
The time feels right, and as a believer in the phrase, "If it is meant to happen it will," I know the time is right. Getting this job is exactly what was supposed to happen, at exactly when it was supposed to happen. I am nervous (how am I going to "manage" my still very busy life with work being added to the calendar?) but mostly I am excited. Everything else that work will affect will work itself out, just the way it is supposed to (even if I don't know what that exactly is yet). I am looking forward to meeting new people, learning new skills, and quite simply, just getting back out there "in to the world" again.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
#dearme
The "dear me" campaign is in full swing on you tube and other social media sites. I thought it would be a fun thing to participate in and realized, though not exactly the same thing, I kind of already had. Not too long ago I wrote a post on another blog titled, "Things I Wish I Knew Way Back When." I have copied it below and added to it.
I suppose the old adage, "It's never too late" really is true, but do you ever wonder why lessons come so "late" in life? Something happens and you think, "Hmm...wish I had known this, heard that, thought about this etc. back when I blah blah blah." This sort of thing happens to me all of the time. Is it a "late thirties" thing (ok almost 40)? Here are some of the things I wish I knew back when...
-Sometimes you think you know exactly where your life is headed. Sometimes you are right. I would venture to say most of the time you are not. And that's ok. Sometimes the path is clear. Sometimes there are obstacles. Sometimes there are forks. Sometimes you have to forge through the forest. There might be people on your path for some of the time. They may go astray. That is ok too. If they are meant to walk with you they will. There might be some parts of in the journey in which you feel completely alone. Maybe you are. Just keep moving. Many times, your final destination changes. Different paths emerge. Obstacles force you to take a new road. Just let it happen. Ultimately you will get to where you need to be, where you are supposed to be.
-"People will hate you, shake you, rate you and break you, but how strong you stand will make you." No one knows you like you know you. In the end that is all that matters. Know yourself and love what you know. If you don't love what you know, work harder than ever to change it so you do. It will be hard but it will be worth it. Trust me on this one.
-In every situation GO WITH YOUR GUT. Yes, I am "yelling" that one. It's probably the most important thing I will say in this whole entry. Trust yourself. Don't let anyone make you second guess yourself. Just do it.
-Sometimes it just feels "right" to eat a bag of chips. Like a whole bag. With french onion dip. Yeah, maybe you need to lose 50 pounds and maybe the greasy mess will do nothing for your complexion but trust me when I say one bag of chips is not going to kill you.
- Don't let anyone dull your sparkle! This quote explains: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." ~Marianne Williamson~
-Forget about all of the reasons it won't work and focus on the one reason it will. Just be positive. Think positive. Change your self talk from I can't, to I can.
-Caffeine is life. Up there on the same level of importance as oxygen. Functioning without it may actually be possible but not recommended.
-Someday, actually on multiple occasions as you approach your 40's and probably even before that, you will realize that every once in a while, your Mom did have a good idea. You will eventually get to a point, when parenting your own kids, that you open your mouth to speak, and your mother comes out. Those times will be defining moments. You will look back gratefully and maybe even want to apologize for not listening to her advice in the first place.
-When you have kids you will wish you could teach them all of these life lessons (and then some) now. You will, to some degree try. They won't listen (or at least you won't think they are). Then someday, perhaps when they too are in their late 30's, they will come to some of these realizations (as well as some of there own), and life, will come full circle once again.
-Sometimes you think you know exactly where your life is headed. Sometimes you are right. I would venture to say most of the time you are not. And that's ok. Sometimes the path is clear. Sometimes there are obstacles. Sometimes there are forks. Sometimes you have to forge through the forest. There might be people on your path for some of the time. They may go astray. That is ok too. If they are meant to walk with you they will. There might be some parts of in the journey in which you feel completely alone. Maybe you are. Just keep moving. Many times, your final destination changes. Different paths emerge. Obstacles force you to take a new road. Just let it happen. Ultimately you will get to where you need to be, where you are supposed to be.
-"People will hate you, shake you, rate you and break you, but how strong you stand will make you." No one knows you like you know you. In the end that is all that matters. Know yourself and love what you know. If you don't love what you know, work harder than ever to change it so you do. It will be hard but it will be worth it. Trust me on this one.
-In every situation GO WITH YOUR GUT. Yes, I am "yelling" that one. It's probably the most important thing I will say in this whole entry. Trust yourself. Don't let anyone make you second guess yourself. Just do it.
-Sometimes it just feels "right" to eat a bag of chips. Like a whole bag. With french onion dip. Yeah, maybe you need to lose 50 pounds and maybe the greasy mess will do nothing for your complexion but trust me when I say one bag of chips is not going to kill you.
- Don't let anyone dull your sparkle! This quote explains: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." ~Marianne Williamson~
-Forget about all of the reasons it won't work and focus on the one reason it will. Just be positive. Think positive. Change your self talk from I can't, to I can.
-Caffeine is life. Up there on the same level of importance as oxygen. Functioning without it may actually be possible but not recommended.
-Someday, actually on multiple occasions as you approach your 40's and probably even before that, you will realize that every once in a while, your Mom did have a good idea. You will eventually get to a point, when parenting your own kids, that you open your mouth to speak, and your mother comes out. Those times will be defining moments. You will look back gratefully and maybe even want to apologize for not listening to her advice in the first place.
-When you have kids you will wish you could teach them all of these life lessons (and then some) now. You will, to some degree try. They won't listen (or at least you won't think they are). Then someday, perhaps when they too are in their late 30's, they will come to some of these realizations (as well as some of there own), and life, will come full circle once again.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
First Post
Here it is! I have set a goal to blog more as I have always found writing to be therapeutic, a great way to record a memory and something I thoroughly enjoy doing. Some particular interests I have which you may see more of here include Celiac Disease, ADHD, Autism and other special needs, photography, reading, arts and crafts, and education...all sprinkled generously with stories from my everyday life. Welcome to Life According to Shaz!
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