My Supports

The Simple Things

When I think about my day and the things that help me make it through another day, I am thankful for simple things like my alarm clock to help me get my day going. Often times I wake up before the alarm sounds and realize I have an extra 30 minutes to sleep. If it weren't for my alarm, I would sleep longer. Other simple things include lists and chocolate. I have lists for my lists and find great satisfaction for crossing items off. About mid-day, my sweet tooth kicks in and I reach for chocolate. It gives me the zip I need to make it through the afternoon. Going to Hershey Park is a dangerous vacation for me!

The Foundation of Support

I also have the bigger things in life that support me such as my friends and family. I knew today was going to be a tough day and when I entered work, I had a song in my head that my kids had changed the words around to be a silly nonsense song about needing waffles instead of love. It made me smile and go into my first meeting less stressed. I also have several other director friends that we affectionately and collectively call ourselves "The Bottom Feeders". They are my go to people for work stress as there are no friends at the top and I don't believe it's professional to vent to staff about work issues. My husband and my mom are my biggest supports as they will listen endlessly, give me time to settle and also let me cry

 

when it all gets to be too much. They love me unconditionally.

 

What If?

My organization is going through an affiliation right now and things are constantly changing and jobs may be lost in the process as they look to streamline processes. Keeping that in mind, I chose to think about what my life would be like if it were my job that was cut. While child care doesn't pay a substantial income by any means, it still helps to pay the bills I do have and the little extras for our family. I would need financial supports to keep our house, vehicle, and food on the table. I believe that I would be stressed out and have high anxiety by wanting to provide for my family and not have the means to do so. I believe my in-laws would attempt to help where they could, but I also believe that my pride would get in the way of taking that support. I would need support in locating another full-time position in the child care field, but may change career paths if the offer was right. I know that we would cut out the extras and strip expenses where possible, but the emotional aspect of not being employed would be tremendous.