Since I haven’t had any time at all to sit down and write, I thought I’d give you a quick update on what is taking up the hours of my life.
It goes by the very exciting, and equally exhausting and overwhelming name of . . . work.
Yes. I’m officially a working mama now.
I got my real estate license late last spring and started getting my feet wet with a few clients during the summer and fall. In January, things began to kick into high gear, and my feet are no longer a bit wet. These days, life’s a deluge. I’m soaked from head to toe, my hair hanging damp and stringy in front of my eyes as I hunch over to block the piercing rain shooting darts on my back.
Working is hard, y’all.
Having a job where people need you to perform duties that are still new to you, and therefore take much more time than they probably should, means all those other duties you’ve been performing quite efficiently for the last twelve years get pushed waaaaaay down to the bottom of your to-do list. And let’s face it. Many of those items on my to-do list for the last decade or so were to-do’s. My list now includes a multitude of activities that can’t really be called to-do’s. They are must-do’s, and there’s a difference.
Working is a juggling act, as life often is, but suddenly I’ve added all these balls to my act. Things are flying around all over the place and here’s the thing . . . I was never any good at juggling. I’m dropping balls left and right and most of them involve the duties that are old hat, the things that were once second nature, almost automatic – the people I know will love and forgive me despite the fact that I’ve dropped their ball and it’s rolled so far away I can’t even see it anymore.
What I very clearly didn’t realize is that all those things I’ve been doing for so long – the ones that have suddenly been relocated from their position of top-priority to one of the many things that have to be done today - those age old duties are not just going to automatically take care of themselves. Those long juggled balls are not going to stay up in the air on their own, my friends. I have to keep them there.
I’ve been trying to explain to my friends and family that I could really use their patience and understanding right now, as I’m going through a major period of adjustment trying to settle into my new existence as a working mom, but no one seems to get it. I’m sure you’re doing fine, they say. You can handle it, they tell me. I, on the other hand, am pretty sure I’m not doing all that fine. In fact, I’m rather certain I’m not handling it at all. I could give you many reasons why I believe this to be true, but for the sake of time, I’m just going to share one with you today.
Last week, I FORGOT TO PICK UP MY DAUGHTER.
Yep. You absolutely read that right. Libby’s cooking class ended at 4:30. At 4:45, a wonderful friend of mine sent me a text offering to bring her home from said cooking class the following week. Thank goodness for that interruption, because I was knee deep entering a listing and there was nothing breaking my working mama concentration.
It was fine. There were contractors putting in new lights at my house and they had to move their truck so I could get out, but thankfully, we only live about a mile and a half from school and I arrived by 4:56.
I cried the whole way there.
The worst part about it was that this wasn’t the first Libby ball I’d dropped that week. Honestly? It wasn’t the second either.
So . . .
How do you feel about my juggling now?
I know I will get the hang of things, and so will my children. Women all over the world manage to be excellent wives and mothers while simultaneously having a career. There will be many positives to this new adventure – I believe that. It will be good for my kids to witness their mother learn the value of time management. It will be good for my husband to have some financial support. It will be good for me to contribute to our family in new ways. It will all be good, because God is good. I have asked Him into this endeavor and I have faith that He will show up in it. In fact, He already has.
I saw his hand when things recently worked out with a deal I wasn’t sure had a chance of working out. I saw his hand when I received my first paycheck in over twelve years and instantly felt a deep new appreciation for my husband. I saw his hand in the generosity of a colleague who supported me every step of the way. I saw his hand in the friend who texted me at just the right time, offering a reminder that my top priorities must remain just that – above everything else. And I see his hand each day in the faces of my clients, who have trusted me enough to help them buy or sell a home, and who make me smile while doing it.
To all the working mamas out there - bravo, well done, nice job, and hang in there. You are a true inspiration to me, and no doubt to many others trying to turn their own circus acts into successes. To all the mamas who are working at home – I have a newfound awareness of just how much important work you do on a daily basis. Keeping children safe, fed, clothed, educated, healthy and happy are life’s greatest and most difficult calls, and they require endless amounts of kindness, energy, and grace. I pray we can all support one another as we juggle the balls in our lives, and that we can forgive one another when we drop a few.
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might . . .
Ecclesiastes 9:10
