So, once I settled down a tad from the initial shot of euphoria caused by the prospect of rejoining the workforce, my thoughts were free to wander to a couple of other matters. First of all, of course, is the teensy tiny detail--a trifling concern, really--that absolutely everyone in the household's life is about to undergo an upheaval...of gargantuan proportions.
Okay, that might have been a bit dramatic. (From MOI? How unexpected!) Actually, the truth is that during the school year, it won't really affect the running of...stuff...much at all. I'll be gone while the boys are off studying, and back before they return home. But the Summer is a different story...one that just happens to star...( dah dah dah DAH) Husband! Yes, this whole scenario is made possible by his work-from-home situation. While the kids are pretty much capable of fending for themselves these days, at least they have a parental representative close at hand to attend and assist, should it become necessary. And believe me, this component is essential to my peace of mind. (I may be pretty laid back in general, but I'm just not the kind of mom who's relaxed enough to vanish for hours and allow the savages--I mean "sons"--to monitor themselves. I may be wrong...or overly suspicious...but I have to assume there'd be just a bit too much...running amok...for my taste. Better supervised than sorry, I always say...or at least, I will NOW...)
After Day 1, I can happily report that everyone seemed to survive just fine without me for a while. Heck, the lazy adolescents hadn't even emerged from their rooms yet to notice I was missing by the time I breezed out the door this morning. Better yet: somehow, magically, the Laundry Fairy visited and emptied the hamper while I was away. I know it's ridiculous, but as the person who normally handles 99% of the dirty clothes, I cannot even tell you how jubilant this made me. Which brings me to an interesting idea: there's no earthly reason why the minions--jeez, "children"--can't manage one washload a day while they're enjoying their vacation, right? I'm sensing an opportunity to establish a brand new Division of Labor scheme for Team WestEnders. (Mwah hah hah!)
On a related note, although my position is part-time, exactly like I wanted, I'll be going in every day, Monday to Friday. I know--so what? That's what employed people DO, duh! And yes, that's absolutely true...it's just that I, personally, haven't been on this schedule since, oh, 15 years ago when I began a maternity leave of absence to stay home with Derek. It really won't be a big deal; I expect it'll just take a period of adjustment for me to figure out the get up/drink adequate amounts of coffee/eat something routine (that one, in particular, will be challenging for me, as I tend not to breakfast until mid morning, when left to my own devices). Then of course there's the next crucial phase: face/hair/outfit--which can be its own...bugaboo...depending on such important factors as weather, mood, expected tasks to be performed that day...and other...less tangible...influences.
Thus we have arrived at the one aspect of my new working persona that caused me no small amount of...let's call it "clothing angst". You see, in my entire career up to this point, I've never been in an environment that called for "business casual" attire. Elementary school? Puh-leeze, you could get marker...or glitter glue or...any number of things that are infinitely worse...on you at any given moment, so "dressing up" would have been foolhardy, rather than admirable. And at the community college, as long as you were neat and presentable--and preferably didn't appear to be one of the students--you were good to go. So, yeah...my warm weather wardrobe, especially, fell a little bit (okay, a LOT) on the "too informal for an office" side of the spectrum. And while the pants I wear during the chilly months are perfectly acceptable, I found out very quickly (the hard way--sticky legs, eww!) that they're too heavy to feel good when we're undergoing a heat wave....such as right this minute. (Trust me, it's HOT out there...y'all...)
What to do about this conundrum? Pfft...go shopping, naturally! I successfully hunted down a couple of pairs of lighter trousers; then, in a completely uncharacteristic move, I also bought (wait for it) several dresses and a skirt! Um...you may be wondering "This is special...how?" Only because it's literally been YEARS since I've donned either of those items. That's me, being all crazy, right? Well, when I returned home, fresh from my first workday, Husband made a point of summoning the boys away from their video game, so they could see what I looked like (before I changed into "normal clothes", you know). They were...flummoxed...speechless....perhaps a smidge uneasy. I assured them that yes, I was still their mother, and furthermore, I'd be switching to shorts and a tee-shirt in 5 minutes. (This seemed to assuage their fears, so they could get back to playing--I know you must be as relieved as I am about this...)
So, there you have it. I left everyone, they did okay without me, and I got to dress and behave like a professional adult for the first time in a while. Yay! Hey, whattya say we do this thing again...tomorrow? (But perhaps I'll put together a nice pants/short-sleeved shirt combo, you know, just so I don't freak the kids out 2 days in a row...)
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