I was one of those people, when I worked for a corporation and had an office, who had little cartoons and quotes taped to her monitor, pinned to her bulletin board, and otherwise littering her desk. I would clean house and take inventory every so often (well, OK, maybe once a year if I was lucky), and pare down my notable notes to those that really “spoke” to me. I actually have a file somewhere of those that I just haven’t been able to part with over the years.
Now, as a stay-at-home mom, I don’t have a big bulky monitor, or a bulletin board, or even a desk. (Of course I don’t get a bi-weekly paycheck either, but that’s neither here nor there.) And even as I feel so very blessed to be living my “dream job”, it recently struck me – something’s missing. I began to look around…
Two babies?...check. Husband and cats?...check. Diapers and wipes?...check. Emergency stash of chocolate?...check.
And then I finally realized…I need a bulletin board.
Now I’m not actually going to hang a bulletin board in my kitchen / office / central headquarters for A&B Enterprises. It’s no small secret I have quite a hang-up about hanging things on the wall. (It’s just so permanent…almost like a tattoo, but I assume a little less painful.) I thought about finding some magnets and putting a couple of things up on the ‘fridge, but that just doesn’t strike a chord with me for some reason. I’m actually thinking more along the lines of a screen saver.
Yeah, a screen saver…I’m calling that taking my “scraps of paper” habit into the 21st century!
So what will be on my screen saver (the beauty of which being that I can fade different messages in and out)? Well, for starters, “Perspective.” It’s all about perspective, you know? If I’m having a bad day, there are still so many things I have to be thankful for. If the babies are crying, at least they’re healthy and have strong lungs. If I feel the sudden urge for a pedicure and a Swedish massage, well…at least I have my emergency stash of chocolate.
In all seriousness, yes, I’m living my dream job; I feel “complete” now that I am a mommy. But it’s not an easy job. There are times when I’m tired, and the babies are cranky, and it’s too hot / cold / rainy to get out of the house, and [insert anxiety-provoking moment here]…and I just need a little reminder about “perspective”. Because life is good.
Ticker
3 comments:
I had a roommate in college who used to write inspirational messages in lipstick on our bathroom mirror. My favorite one ever was "MAINTAIN PERSPECTIVE." I always think of that when things are going a little haywire in my world. A screen saver does allow for easier clean-up though - I wish she'd thought of that. ;-)
I love the screensaver idea! I once made a mobile that served a similar purpose. (This was when my sister was a baby, so it served a similar purpose.)
I have so much admiration for stay-at-home moms. I could probably do it, but not as well as I do the working mom thing.
I was at the office the other day when I realized something was missing. Turns out the something missing was you! You now have the coolest job ever from my "perspective."
My cell phone is set up to send an inspirational message to me from time to time. It's a great way to get through the day!
Post a Comment