My last day of work was March 12th. It's been a wonderful 5 weeks that has gone by very, very quickly. Sometimes it feels like months and months since I've worked. I think that is evidence that I've transitioned pretty easily.
We decided to make this change for our family primarily to slow down and enjoy our lives a little more. It was a decision made with a lot of thoughtfulness and one that I checked back with David on several times before announcing it to my manager back in November. I loved work and our company has been really good to us over the last 17 years (David) and 15 years (me). I definitely wasn't leaving a bad situation.
I think it has been a great decision for us. It's nice to be able to feel semi-caught up at the end of the day. I feel like I am spending my time on the right things and not squandering this opportunity. At the same time, I don't achieve all I have in mind each and every day. Many days I leave most things un-crossed-off. But at the end of the day, I feel like I spent time where it counts.
No one has asked me anything ridiculous like "what are you doing with your time". My time is my own, but it also belongs to those I love. I spend 3 days/week at the boys' school, I am working out regularly, coffee with friends, getting errands done so we don't spend our weekend doing them, and taking care of the house. It easily fills up the 6 hours that the boys are at school each day.
I LOVE having dinner as a family each night and having time to shop for and try out new recipes. We're on a quest to teach the boys how not to be picky eaters. It's been a huge success so far - they're happily eating fruits and vegetables they weren't willing to eat before.
There have been a few weekend days when we have had NOTHING that we had to do - errands, housework, etc. Just activities with friends. That has been a huge change - weekends were always catch up time.
I know that I am very fortunate to be able to take time off to focus on the family and myself and not worry about work all the time. It's not permanent and while I have this chance, I plan not to take it for granted.
Simplicity really is sweet.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
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2 comments:
I'm so glad you're enjoying your "new job". I think being okay with not crossing everything off your list is a great accomplishment and I'm still working on that! lol
I feel like I should be getting a lot more done in my days than I do but then I remember that it is okay to sit and play with my kids because that is why I chose to be a stay at home mom. At the end of the day it doesn't matter if everything is crossed off the "to do" list as long as your family is happy.
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