Work Life Balance

Change

Come September, there will be a rather large transition in our lives. My girls will be transferring to a new school in the fall. My girls, now in first and third grades, have been in the same school since preschool. The school was a constant at a time of great unrest that started with my late husband's terminal diagnosis. The administration and teachers have been amazing. This year, my girls have the unique opportunity to be in the same classroom. My girls' growth has been impressive.

Just as I am beginning to feel comfortable in my new normal, this transition has me unnerved. On the horizon, I see lots of change. It all sounds so overwhelming. It is in this angst that I sought alternatives. This appeared to be the perfect opportunity to try something different for a year. Perhaps even unconventional. I considered taking the year off and traveling the world with my girls.

World Classroom

Why not travel the world with my children? It is a bit contrary to the order and structure in which I live my life. Still, it is in line with things that I value like time, lifetime learning, developing relationships, and travel. I kept dismissing the idea as preposterous, even absurd. Still, the thought kept resurfacing.

I Like my Job

I am convinced that quitting my job and selling all of our possessions to roam the globe for one year, although tempting, is a bit much. I have challenged myself to come up with a viable alternative to take some significant time off with my girls. Outside of quitting my job, to date, I do not have one.

I have worked pretty hard to get to where I am in my career. If there is any such thing as feeling as though I have arrived in my career- I have it. That is important and hard to overlook. Emergency Medicine is intense. My job is multifaceted and there are always stressors present. It is somewhat challenging to remain caIm and objective around so much stimulus.

While prevention and safety should not be overlooked, if you have a problem, I am happy to help. Being in people’s lives in moments such as these is a very humbling experience and I appreciate it more than ever- given my personal life experience. So, no, I am not quitting my job. For now.

Perspective check

Remove my children from traditional schooling and home school while traveling internationally? Bold move. Talk about disruption and change. I thrive on schedules and order. This adventure would take me very far out of my comfort zone. The passion of elementary teachers is impressive. We all have gifts. I am not clear that homeschooling is one of mine. Travel the world with a six and eight year old, absolutely. Instead of taking a full year off, we will visit a bit of the world every year.

This year there will be many adjustments to the usual routine but very easy when compared with being global nomads. Without question, I will need to learn new systems and people. As with all things, I will break everything down into easily managed components. Otherwise, it is easy to get overwhelmed by the big picture.

#MindHeartSoulFreedom

My girls are bright, resourceful, and assertive. They know they can talk to me about anything. Children are more resilience than we give them credit. There will be growing pains but that still means growth and forward progress. All progress has an element of discomfort.

It is great to dream and consider options. I was able to step back, evaluate my options and priorities, place objective measures on my risk tolerance, and move forward enlightened that I am making the best decision for me and my family at this time. I am grateful to my friends that allowed me to be outrageous and wrestle with the complexities of this decision without dismissing me.

The tension between work and life exist. Sometimes it is hard to find the right balance. It is different for each of us. Small adjustments can have a huge impact. Even the exercise of reevaluating is healthy and useful. Life is fluid and it is important to adapt. I adjusted my perspective and found numerous reasons to be grateful amidst uncertainty and I will believe that " Something Beautiful is on the Horizon."

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