Have you ever heard the saying, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans?" As a natural-born, type-A planner, I try to ignore this thought as much as my life allows. Surely God approves of my beautiful lists written in color-coordinated ink and menus that bring me sanity throughout each busy week. Surely. And surely when my husband and I have worked out a timeline of how long I'd be a stay-at-home-mom, that was approved as well...right?
But then I had to go and open my big mouth. And a new door opened and no matter how hard I apparently tried to shut it, other plans had been orchestrated for me.
Let me back up.
Last spring, in the weekly newsletter for my daughter's school, I read a "farewell" from the school to a teacher who was moving and would no longer be teaching there the coming year. I was certified to teach her position, so it caught my eye.
Then curiosity killed the cat. Or in my case, got me a job. The next time I saw the principal, I very casually asked if the position was full or part-time. Full, he said. Ok, great, I said. Not interested. Peace out.
Then a month later, when I was picking my girls up from summer camp at the same school, the principal was waiting outside at pick-up. He approached me and said there had been some changes in the needs of the school and the position was going to be part-time. Was that of interest to me? Well, crap. I guess I'd have to think about it. I'll think about it and call you...
I didn't cal him.
Two weeks passed. He called me. They were interviewing other candidates and thought I might like to come in on the same day. um. This was NOT in my agenda, nor my scope and sequence for the summer. Think about it, he said. Let me know by Friday.
At this point, I had to really think about it. Truth is, it had been on my mind since I heard it was part time but I just was too indecisive to make a decision. And I kept convincing myself that with our "out of the blue" move, and upcoming trips it would all just be too hectic for my linear brain. But now. They seem to want me. What part of that wouldn't feel enticing? Two years out of that line of work and still seeming so desirable to an employer? It just seemed like too good of an opportunity to dust off my skills. I called him back.
After much discussion with my husband, we decided I would go to the interview, put my best foot forward, all the while being very transparent about our needs and the value on work life balance. I basically interviewed my very best, followed up with a few gentle demands, and then said, "I totally understand if I'm asking too much and you decide another candidate is a better fit." They went with me.
It wasn't until a few weeks later, when I was being introduced to the other staff members, that I realized how much they were on to me and my subtle resistance but just seemed to feel that it was right, and it would all work out. They showed me a great amount of Grace in the process. One of the administrators told the staff, "She told us she had a vacation that she couldn't change in August, but we want her here much longer than that so we made it work." Amazing. Not something you stumble into everyday (which is perfect considering my entry was indeed not the most gracious).
That's the long and the short of it. So now we are adjusting the the chaos of the mornings and families all across the world do every day. But I get to commute with my girls which is kind of fun an kind of hectic but we're making it work. Then we come home and race through lunch and my little guy has a string of meltdowns because his nap should have started 30 minutes ago. But in all the chaos, there is a great deal of balance. Something that apparently, no amount of planning or list-writing could I have figured out on my own.
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