Musing on Life

I never planned on being where I am in life right now.  I never thought that I'd go back to working full-time, never thought I'd be as disabled as I am right now with my knees, and never thought I'd be this disorganized.  About the time my daughter went off to college, I finally had perfected my household routine and was starting    to get to some of the things I had been wanting to do and then my husband decreed I needed to go back to work.  This was a huge issue for me because I was a firm believer that a married woman's place is in the home not the workplace.  Especially if she has children at home. It took a couple of years for me to finally come to grips with the idea and go back to work.

I have now come to see there is a huge difference between being a stay-at-home woman and being a woman whose heart is in her home.  You can be a stay-at-home woman and have no interest in your home or family. You might be physically at home with your children but are on the phone to your friends or pursuing your own pursuits or watching all the afternoon talk shows.  You might be running around shopping while your kids are in school or socializing.  You might not be working, but maybe you're constantly volunteering or taking classes or anything to escape your home responsibilities or because you're bored.  Whatever is going on, you are not investing your time and energy in your children, your home, or even your husband.  You might even resent being at home and feel you're missing out on a career or feel isolated.

On the other hand, for the woman whose heart is in her home, you might feel you need to work, but your off-work time is spent nurturing your children and husband and building your home. Your off-work time is spent with your family and you work toward making your home a welcoming place to come home to.

I feel my time of being at home was kind of mix between the two.  I was very focused on being a mom, not so much on being a homemaker or a wife.  I wasted a lot of time that I could have been using in more productive ways just because I could.  I've since come to realize you need to make each moment count, whether at home or work.

~Jane