I have had a couple of things hanging over my head through this weekend that have caused me rather a large amount of stress. I would like to offer my humblest of gratitude to the fact that all of these things came through for me in the end.
Grateful item number one: I have been relying on Grammie Sharon to drive all the way here from New Hampshire on her days off to help me on Tuesdays and Wednesdays get Chloe to school safely. For the next two weeks she decided to... you know... have a life of her own and travel and work and wont be able to be here. I called several babysitters and wasn't able to reach any one last week to do anything more than leave a message. I was beginning to get really worried about how I was going to work this. I have to leave for work at 7 AM and Chloe can't be at school till 8:10. Plus on the 23rd Alexa's daycare is closed completely, and I was trying to find a sitter for her all day. I had to take three days off last week with Chloe being so sick so I really was feeling overwhelmed about how I was going to get us all where we needed to be safely. Well, last night one of my sitters came through for me and called to apologize for forgetting to get back to me, but said she could do all four days I need including being with Alexa all day. The girls love her as a sitter and are excited to see her. I was so relieved and amazed at how somehow these things always seem to fall into place.
Grateful item number two: This weekend I received a very bizarre letter in the mail from Allstate Insurance. I have both my car and home insurance through them. The letter was a form one and wasn't clear but mentioned paying my unpaid balance and interest being earned on the premium. I was immediately alarmed. I had records of paying my car insurance in full several months ago and I escrow my house insurance as part of my monthly mortgage payment. My records from the mortgage company showed the premium being paid in full back in September. I am sure I had dreams of home eviction last night (I didn't say my worries were logical). I got a hold of my agent today at lunch to find out that the letter was just because they wanted to tell me about a .20 credit on my account. The form letter just goes out indicating any irregular activity on the account. I thanked him for the information and obviously spent the rest of my lunch planning how to spend my big bonus.
Grateful item number three (still hanging in there?): This is a big one. I am up for license renewal this year for my teaching licence. In this state you have to establish goals that you will work on over the course of seven years and then present your portfolio to the standards board proving that you have done what you said you would. Clearly this had all the markings of something I would dwell, fret, and obsess about. I mean we are talking about my job here. The way I feed, cloth, and provide housing for my children (of course now they get to split that .20 credit into their savings accounts, but I didn't know that then). I have been stressed about this for months. I have been stressed even when others told me not to stress. (Not stress! It is what I do! and I do it so well!) Well, this afternoon was my portfolio presentation. Scheduled for 3:30. I left as soon after work as I could to make sure I was there on time. I made sure to have my big giant binder of evidence with me...
The drive over I was rapidly changing radio stations (because you know when I am nervous I can't settle or find anything that will hold my attention for long). I hit on one song. It is an older song and I haven't heard it for a while. It is a song that always reminded my of my dad. There is a line in it where the guy is talking to his daughter. He is teaching her to drive and he tells her to "sit up girl you are doing just fine." That is something my dad would have said to me, and he was right I was going to do just fine. And I did. My presentation was just fine, and at the end the woman gave me this...
people are good. Chocolate is great.
The process of looking at what I have been doing for the past seven years was interesting. It has made me do a lot of thinking lately. I couldn't believe it had been 7 years. It has made me think a lot about what I really want to do with the next seven. I don't know what it will be, but it has made me start to do some preliminary Internet searches over the last few months. It has got me thinking, and right now that feels like a pretty powerful thing. So thank you world for continuing to foster my belief that if we put good energy out in the world good things will come back.
And chocolate will fall from the sky...
ReplyDeleteLet this be a lesson to you. And congrats on getting through the portfolio review intact.
Congrats, friend--it's not every day we get $.20 out of the blue! ;) The review doesn't sound like it was fun, but I would have never doubted you'd come out smelling like roses.
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