Random musing
It's been two years since I worked in at office and some days I miss it. There is just something about pulling together with a team, launching a new product, tracking sales, creating marketing materials, writing journal articles, traveling the world that made my work fulfilling. But there were other parts of it that I don't miss like the crazy hours, travel away from my family, executive decisions that seemed to change like the wind.
These days I find that I'm a different person than I was when I worked in an office. My life perspective has changed and I am living a more balanced life. I was missing a lot of the "play" part of life when I was working in my Marketing position. And while I do sometimes miss working in an office, it is usually fleeting. I know that my next job will have a different focus ad, while I'm not sure what that focus is just yet, I am confident that I will know it when I find it.
I can't imagine not having the last two years with the girls. We spend our days laughing a lot, playing together and with friends, enjoying trips to museums, parks and local events. We are happy together, know how to have fun, and anyone who is around us can tell that we are enjoying this one life we are given! My two children are very different in abilities but that doesn't stop us from living our normal life. Actually, I often think that we have more fun than a family with children of similar abilities. It is so fulfilling knowing that I am making a difference in the life of my children while realizing they have refocused my life for the better.
Today I am doing some packing for our move. I came across a paper from graduate school that made me think about my office/home life today that led to this post. My marketing professor had us each write down how we perceive our fellow students. We went through 19 months of school as a class together and knew each other well. The professor then compiled all the responses for each individual and presented us with our own sheet of how other perceive us. There are no names attached to the comments and they are all positive. I find it comforting that so many of the comments are similar, which means that I am pretty consistent in my interactions with others. It's a great gift this professor gave us. I'm glad I found it since I do think about it every now and then. I'll have to make sure I put it somewhere it won't be lost in the move.
2 Comments from readers:
I think about working sometimes and miss the interactions I had with peers as well as my students. I loved teaching, yet now that I parent this little guy, I just can't imagine having the stamina to do both. Maybe it will get easier someday and I'll be able to go back to work.
When I was in high school, I had a psychology teacher who had us each draw a classmates name out of a box, then we had to anonymously write what we felt about this person and it had to be positive. Then she collected them and read them aloud and had us try to guess who she was reading about. It was fun, since there were no negative comments allowed. I remember drawing the name of a girl who I really admired to begin with, so writing so many good things about her was easy to do. I was so surprised when it was read aloud and people guessed it was me! That has always stayed with me. It's a shame that as people we don't hear more compliments about ourselves more often. Funny how a simple compliment can stay with you for years.
Kristina,
You are such an amazing person. Your girls are lucky to have you. If you decide to go back to work, I know you will be perfect at whatever you choose to do.
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