A Whole New World

...A dazzling place I never knew - but when I'm way up here, it's crystal clear, that now I'm in a whole new world with.....life.

It's been a crazy, different last couple of weeks. I've been at the new job for a month now, and it has been an adjustment going from daily routines, meetings, and structured tasks to each day being different, meetings having children, animals, and nap time run right through the middle of them, and structuring my own tasks to be what I know I can do well, and kicking butt at it. An adjustment for sure, but a good one.

There is something to be said for waking up each morning and not having to rush around to get Little Miss ready to drop her off somewhere so I can run and punch in on time....or close enough to it. Instead we get up together, snuggle, and I make her breakfast, complete with a gummy vitamin. Most of the time she wants to sit in my lap, or crawl on my shoulders, or get in my face, or some sort of physical toddler harassment, while I try to get work done on the laptop. Some mornings she pretends to be a kitten, some mornings a puppy, and lately she pretends to be a baby cheetah. They all make the same noises, coincidentally, and they all like a good snuggle from their farmer/owner, played by yours truly. Until recently, I didn't even know baby cheetahs lived on a farm. Apparently they do, though, and they chase away foxes and wolves. I know, because this baby cheetah told me so. I digress.

Instead of sitting in on lunch meetings at a cozy restaurant in town, chiming in on business conversation, I now slice hot dogs and apples and provide plenty of dipping ketchup. My lunch conversation material consists of reminding my business partner to chew her food, keep her hands out of her hair, and count how many bites she has left before nap time. Oh.....and glorious nap time. Yes, Little Miss gets to take a nice afternoon nap, but so do I. I get to nap. In the middle of the day. In my bed. Right after lunch. Why is this not mandatory for everybody, every day?

I never know what each day will bring. I've learned I have to "let each day happen" rather than being disappointed when things don't go how I envisioned. The other day I had a three hour prenatal appointment, followed by a trip to the grocery store. I was completely wiped out when I got home, and it wasn't at all how I had planned spending my day. But it happened. And everything turned out rosy in the end. I was exhausted, but I was blessed. 

There are some days it's impossible to get anything done. There are some days where running at full speed is the only way to not get lost in the chaos of everything that needs attention. There are some days where I can pace between work and play and absorb the best of both worlds. No matter what my day holds for me though, when I can sip my decaf in the morning from my favorite mug, and listen to the coos of my farm cheetah as she nuzzles up against me after running off those darn wolves, it gives me pause enough to know that even though we have less money, we have far more worth in blessings. Far more worth in trusting God. Far more worth in the riches of time as a functioning family. 

I'm able to cook for my family every day. I've gone one day in the last month without making the bed. Previously, we were lucky to find our bed at the end of the day.  I stay caught up on laundry (mostly). I run the dishwasher every stinking day, rather than taking out the trash from the week's piling up of take-out containers. My home is blessed. 

At work, I get to connect on a daily basis with dear friends, who happen to be my bosses. I flounder around trying to figure out the best way for me to do my job, and they give me nothing but lenience and praise. I haven't really done much in this last month, but I feel like I've been a part of their company for years. I go to their home-office, and I share table space with six kids, (seven when mine is along), three dogs, and three cats.  It's nothing if not chaotic, but I love it. I feel at home there just as much as in my own home. I get to do things that are nerdy and completely fun for me. Like career fairs. And home shows. And ordering brochures, bookkeeping, setting out to find new ways to do old things, and having lunches with my sidekick every single day.

It's been different. Definitely different. But it's a good different. I'm looking forward to what the next few crazy weeks have in store for us. Hopefully lots of chocolate milkshakes. Mama's gotta have her milkshakes.