My "Retirement"

As you probably know, after Vale was born my boss gave me the great opportunity to work from home. I was thrilled to be a Mom AND continue working in a job I loved. As Vale has grown, it became more and more difficult to juggle both. My nights were getting later and later and my mornings earlier and earlier as I tried to keep up with the demands of both worlds. Deep down I started feeling like I would need to choose one or the other as the stress was taking a toll on me. I really wanted to do both so I continued to ignore what I was feeling telling myself I would be crazy to walk away from such a great opportunity. However, I knew I needed to either return to the office or give up my job completely and dedicate myself to my family. For many women this is an easy choice, for others, unfortunately they don’t have a choice. For me it could only be described as painful. I knew I didn't want to leave Vale so I am grateful that I had a choice. The difficult part was walking away from a great job, a great boss and co-workers, but mostly it was leaving something that I loved doing and was so much a part of my life and who I am. When I shared with a friend that I was "retiring" and she told me that I would have to join their play groups and to be honest my first reaction was less than exciting. I seriously thought, "What have I done? Is this my life now? Did I just trade Credit Committee Meetings for.... 'play groups'?" It will take some time to adjust but as I play with my son, read to him, watch him learn and grow, I feel a strong, undeniable feeling that I made the right choice. I'm also extremely grateful for a very wise sister (who is one of the most amazing women and mothers I know) who called me last weekend and told me she picked up a book for me I needed to read. It is written by Jane Clayson Johnson called, I am a Mother. Jane is (was) a network news anchor who traded her nationally recognized, award winning career to be a Mother. I have not read the book (hurry Sarah!) but am very eager to and hope it will continue to give me the perspective I need. So, with that being said....my first week of retirement was great!! Vale and I have had a very fun....and relaxing..... week together and are making big plans for all the fun things we want to do and places we want to go.