On Balance

I’ve often said that I won’t write about work on my blog. This statement stands as I have no interest in getting fired. Don’t mistake me, I love my job and for the most part I like the company I work for, so I’d never intentionally express an opinion on my blog that would get me fired but I’ve read one too many articles about the follies of blogging about work so I’ll keep mum.

That being said I’m going to talk about work.

In the past few years I’ve struck a great balance. I’ve pulled back at work, officially, I don’t work full time anymore. I work a few hours less than a full time schedule with flexible hours. In a business built on projects, the one I’m on happens to afford this luxury.

The kids are all in school so their hours are fixed. They do go to after school care and we indulge a lot of after school activities at the school. This year I drop them off at school, staying until the bell rings. This gives me the opportunity to chat with teachers, give extra time with reading, and to witness some of the social elements at school.

I’ve volunteered my time a little too liberally this year and am in the midst of trying to pull back. I headed up the school auction, am coordinating the counselors for camp, and am organizing acolytes and lectors at church. Too much, but I’ve learned and when some of these commitments wind up I’ll not be re-upping for next year.

So it’s all good for the most part and then work changed.

Over the years I’ve had much greed for my career and it never really panned out. I was ambitious and impatient. I think that combination made me ugly at times. It was never the money that I truly craved although that was part of it. It was bragging rights I was after. Then after all the kids joined the family and I was still trying to pull of a magazine cover career it all came together in a train wreck. A long about he same time a good friend teetered and then fell right over the edge. I’m not saying it’s the same or that I know why she splintered. I just watched and felt that I learned something about what was important.

So I pulled back at work, I focused a little more on the kids and things have been smooth. This is for a few years now.

In the past few months, some of those things that I always wanted in work have come calling. I’m resisting the urge use the phrase “siren song.” It isn’t magazine cover stuff, not by a long shot, but it is more responsibility than I’ve had. I work with the kind of people that inspire dedication. Truly I find that I’m getting more out of myself than I ever have and I know that it’s the support of good people that have made that so. And now I find that they want more. Not in a demanding sense, never that with this crowd. Much more of a coaxing, complimentary asking sense. Flattery. And I want to. I really really want to.
What would happen if I did?