IT'S my job - it's MY job - it's my JOB

If you have been reading through my last few blog posts you may have noticed that I've had something of a realization recently. Taking care of everything at home IS my new job. Part of the premise of this blog was what will I do when I am not working? What will my life be like? I think I have some answers. I will be working. I just won't be getting a paycheck deposited into my bank account.

When we were in Florida recently we were talking with friends about our move and the inevitable question came up, directed to me, "and what will you be doing?" Normally, I answer this with a two minute speech about how I don't have a work visa and I can't work but I'll definitely volunteer, maybe something to do with animals or kids, and oh and I'll join a gym and workout a lot and mostly I'll relax, because you know I have been working my ass off for the past few years." The person who asked the question, and who was probably just being polite, by now has completely glazed over and lost interest. This time was different though. This time, the person asked the question and my husband (by the way I'm giving him a blog name...Mr. Deep) so Mr.Deep jumped in and replied on my behalf and said "she's Sr. Executive Vice President of Household Operations."

It was meant to be funny but for me it was a realization. It is my job to make our household, our move and truthfully my husband's life run smoothly. He has a big new important job, he is not only moving across the world away from everything and everyone that he knows, but he has a big important job and he needs help. How much help he needs can be the subject of a future post. But anyway, he needs a partner he can count on. And just like that I started thinking about my new job and I started treating my new responsibilities the way that I used to treat my old job. I started reassuring him that I was taking care of things. I started asking how I might be able to help him. I began managing up and down and sideways. Here's a great example. It snowed the other day and the movers were coming. There was some snow that fell onto our front steps even after we had shoveled. While getting ready for work and while brushing his teeth (so he couldn't really speak that clearly) Mr. Deep summoned me over to the window, grunted, pointed out the window and through a series of sounds, suggested that I shovel up that bit of snow before the movers arrived. In the past, in my head I might have thought "I don't see your arm in a sling" or something like that because I would have been rushing off to work too, stressed about what the day was going to bring. But I cleaned up the snow and did about 75 other tasks related to household operations. It was actually a banner day for the Household Operations Department at Deep Industries!