Back at the grind
This past week was hectic in a lot of ways, and not just with trying to make my goal for Camp NaNoWriMo. It was nothing out of the ordinary, but as you might imagine my day job as a teacher can sometimes run off the clock. From knitting club to Virginia History Day and a meeting about the National Board Certification I'm going to pursue, it seemed like I was running from one thing to the other or putting dates in my phone about future events. My husband also has been busy, running himself ragged while the grass in the yard grows taller and the pile of dishes gets higher, and our toddler gets louder. Sound familiar? I'll bet it does.
We're all accustomed to what I lovingly refer to “as the grind.” Some of us are busier than others, but we all have times in our lives when we'll someday look back and wonder, "How in the hell did I manage to get it all done?"
I want to think that I'm content with a simple life, but at the same time, I have meetings already on my calendar through May 2020. That's over a year away. Now to be clear, these are not maybe-I'll-get-together-with-some-friends-around-this-time meetings. No, these are hardcore, already-have-the-room-number, bring-your-own-dinner meetings from 4:30-7:45 on Thursday afternoon. Over. A. Year. Away.
I don't love this about my schedule. My husband and I have to print out a monthly calendar and a separate weekly calendar just to keep track of it all. Thank God for technology and inviting each other to our meetings, so both of our phones are up to date.
We knew his business was going to have a big year. We also knew that with me taking on a new role at work and pursuing National Board certification that this would be the year we'd have to hunker down on the holidays instead of some lavish trip or party. Not to mention the whole book thing I've got planned. I think 2019-2020 will be a great year, but also quite hectic.
As if all of this daily life wasn't enough, at the end of the night when our son is down, and the quiet hum of the dishwasher lulls the cats to sleep in the dark house, two keyboards clatter away with steady persistence. My husband is catching up on his work, and I'm writing in the library. We'll work like this in silent support of each other until ten or eleven and then start the day over the next morning. This schedule is worse during the NaNoWriMo months of November and April.
A friend of mine and I were talking last week about how sometimes people can make assumptions about the lives of others when she said something I've been thinking about since. I'll paraphrase her quote.
“You can’t be Cinderella without scrubbing a few floors. ”
Read that again. Sometimes we can forget the price of success. Being at the grind for years will eventually pay off, even though when you're in the trenches it seems like you’re stuck in a hamster wheel.
Keep it up! You’re doing great!
Onward!
Kathryn
