Going … Going … Back … Back … to Cali … I mean work

When my maternity leaved ended I couldn’t imagine being separated from Nugget for more than a few hours. I reluctantly returned to my 8-5 grind for two weeks … and found it wasn’t nearly as painful as I imagined it would be. For our family the reality is I cannot work full time … daycare is crazy expensive and my husband and I have similar schedules. However with some clever maneuvering and much appreciated childcare help from my mom aka grandma … we discovered I could swing part time work.

The new challenge became convincing my employer … a government agency who notoriously doesn’t offer part time work … that this arrangement could benefit us both. My boss … is amazing … she really champions for her workers. She somehow … against all odds… convinced the County to grant my request. The one catch was I had to take an additional 13 weeks off before beginning part time. Yaye for more precious time with Nugget.

Now those 13 weeks are up and I preparing to re-enter the working world again … tomorrow. I was very privileged to be able to take off 6 months with Nugget. I’m equally as privileged to return to the working world in a way that suits our family. But I find I’m nervous. Nervous to leave my baby … what if I miss her? Nervous I won’t do a good job … what if I disappoint my boss?

Change has always been hard for me … but having a baby has forced me to realize the only constant in life is change. So I’m embracing my nervousness because it means I’m doing something … I’m living … I’m trying new things. Life is too short to sit on the sidelines … jump into the deep end … even if you’re scared. You can always request a floaty … or give up swimming for good and try something else … like bungee jumping.