Finding the balance

So once again I have taken the plunge back into the working world. Well more like I have dipped my toe back in the waters, but it's a start.



Last week I returned to work on a part time basis. I am currently working 16 hours a week, primarily from home. I didn't hem and haw much over the decision, it just sort of happened. Over the course of 2 weeks I received recruiting calls from 4 different agencies, and I figured that it must be a sign, a sign that I should be working. I started responding to the calls, and had a serious interview , however as luck would have it I was able to return to my former employer (a company that I am proud to work for), and now here I am.



While it is a blessing to be able to work from home, I was reminded how liberating and lovely it is to be in a REAL office, with REAL grown ups. On Tuesday I took the bus into San Francisco and it was fantastic. It can be very invigorating, walking the streets of a big city. I passed by my favorite coffee shops and lunch spots. I admired all of the fashionable, hip professionals in their skinny jeans, tall boots and expensive handbags. I sat in a neat, clean office, one that did not include a litter box and a pile of dirty laundry. I was there for only a few short hours, and at 5:00, when I had to head home, I thought briefly of "missing the bus" and sticking around for happy hour, however the nanny was on the clock and I hadn't brought a breast pump. (Details, details.)









On the ride home I grew nastolgic for my days before children. I worked for an executive search firm in downtown Denver. My office was on the twenty-something floor and had a view of the sixteenth street mall. My husband and I would ride the bus in together each morning, stopping for a Starbucks before heading into our respective offices. I could work as late as I wanted without ever checking in with anyone. Happy Hour? Any and every night of the week. My best friend (and neighbor) Shannon also worked downtown. We met up frequently and our evenings often ended up with a steak dinner and a cab ride home. What did we care? We were both living the dual-income-no-kids lifestyle.


Not anymore. No, now there is so much more to think of. It's a good thing, this I know, however now and then I wish I had just a little more freedom. More freedom to have an amazing career, more freedom to nurture my friendships, more freedom to simply cut loose.

For now however, I must simply embrace this new change. I am back working, using my brain and making a little money. I may not be a hot shot but I am trying to create some balance. It feels good to be back.