It has been a good couple of weeks.
Doesn't it seem that when a big life event happens, a bunch of other significant things seem to pop up simultaneously? For me, it seemed like I was trying to balance a number of major events and commitments in my life the past couple of months, to include things on the family, work, travel, and health front. And I have to admit, I was feeling pretty IM-balanced for quite awhile. But in the past week or so, it seems like the universe has realigned and I am feeling more at peace with its intentions. Okay, maybe that sounds hokey or overly spiritual, But honestly, I do believe that things happen for a reason, and I'm finally at a point where I am trying to be patient and just let life play out as its meant to. It seems like once I adjusted my attitude and made a couple of changes to regain more balance, other things started to follow that lead.
So you're probably asking, what's driving the big shift in my perspective and making this pessimist see the glass as half-full? Let's start with Peter's mom moving in with us. Talk about a BIG CHANGE. It has certainly been an adjustment, and while at times it's far from ideal, both he and I are doing our best to make it work and provide her with a loving and caring environment in our home (even despite her recent poor judgment in going for a walk by herself and eventually having to be brought home by our friendly local sheriff - call me for more details). Within a couple of weeks of relocating his mom, I realized that I just couldn't continue to jump on a plane each week and be away for four days at a time. I was feeling more helpless not being home to provide Peter with a break; caring for his mom is definitely easier when it's a tag-team effort. So a couple of weeks ago, I sat my manager down and explained that I just couldn't do this travel/work routine anymore. I was terrified! I didn't have another project lined up and wow I hate admitting that I can't handle something, but I was pretty darn close to having a complete meltdown, so something had to give. And you know what? He didn't criticize me or show disappointment; instead it was quite the opposite, complete support to help me make the adjustments I needed to find better balance. What a relief!
And that was just the first step I needed to take to start to turn things around . . . again, things happen for a reason. Within a week of having that conversation, I connected with an old colleague and learned of an internal project that sounded like a great fit for my skills and interests. And it just so happened that he was looking for someone to come onboard around the time that I would be available. Seriously? I had feared that I would be looking for a new project for much longer than that! I had subsequent conversations with other leadership and everyone was completely supportive, to the point of offering other alternatives if this particular project opportunity feel through.
Fast forward to this week, and I am feeling like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. It's 99% certain that I'll take on this new internal role and members of my current team are excited for my new opportunity, recognizing that it's something I can support without having to travel every darn week. That said, I will still be dealing with the challenges of caring for an elderly relative and getting some health issues addressed, but it all seems much more manageable now that I know there's an end to the travel and stress of constantly being away from home. In addition, while I have continued to work hard on my current projects, I have also started to find moments for breaks, whether it's a short walk at lunch or getting out of the office while it's light out to get in a run. And man, I am feeling better!
Like I said, it's as if one big life event kinda spurred me into action and set off a cascade of good things.
So right now, I am counting down the number of trips left to DC in June, which also means counting down to a week off in July. I'm psyched for the new project opportunity and the fact that I will be able to eat dinner at home like a normal person. I'm trying to prioritize doing things that energize me (running, baking, and recently yoga), while also trying to give my body time to rest when it feels tired (more than 5-6 hours of sleep feels like a luxury and I want more nights like that!). It has been a process getting here, but I think that I'm moving in the right direction . . . and I like where I'm headed.
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