Wednesday, 31 October 2012

Cold watermelon and maternity leave

So it is Tuesday* morning and I am blogging, coffee in hand, in one of my favourite outdoor cafes. I slept in, I’ve browsed the  newspapers, scanned Twitter and I'm not even wagging. I am just making the most of what are certain to be the least labour-intensive days of my maternity leave; without a baby or a toddler in my care. Mr G and Miss I are enjoying a farm break together and I thought I'd take a break from swimming through a pile of wondersuits and muslin wraps to stop by here.

I finished work on Friday with mixed emotions. Excited at the prospect of what the next few weeks will bring but also sad to bid farewell, albeit temporarily, to work. It's one of the reasons I am currently overwhelmed with gratitude for the privilege which is maternity leave. Some of which is even paid!! It was not on the table when I had Miss I so it is a new thing for me and what peace of mind it brings.

At the risk of inducing nausea I quite truly love my job. Of course there are days when it’s a grind, when my motivation wanes or when words simply fail to materialise and I’d rather be on a beach with a gin and tonic. But, on the whole, I love going to work. I like what I’m paid to do, I l really enjoy the company of the people I’m paid to work with and, of course, as I’ve canvassed before, I love the platform it provides for a work wardrobe.

On the brink of such a large break it is easy for me to don rose tinted glasses and only recall the good bits about work….because for the next twelve months any bad bits will be a distant memory. But even without a break forthcoming I try to be grateful for the simple fact that I enjoy my job. Because my first proper job was not like that (not even close) and neither were my ‘professional’ pursuits whilst we were living overseas.

So today’s post is a short one. I’m grateful not only to have a job that I love but to have a job that also gives me the opportunity to pursue an even greater love; my growing family. On a lighter note I am also overwhelmed with appreciation for my late-stage pregnancy crack; cold pineapple and watermelon. Taken together, or separately, they never fail to bring me joy.  

Now it's your turn. What are you especially thankful for at the moment?  Big or small, share what is making you smile.

*I got distracted and napped for so long yesterday afternoon that I didn’t post this earlier. 

1 comment:

Joyce said...

Oh my gosh my pregnancy addiction was cold watermelon and pineapple too!! I went through at least 2 of each a week. That means...it's a boy!

Back to the subject. I am especially thankful for Fridays. Fridays are fun for everyone for different reasons. In years gone by they represented casual clothes at work, early knock-off and after work drinks.

For the past year, my Fridays have provided a new reason for celebration. It's my one day to be a mid-week mum.

Mid-week-mum days are very different to weekend-mum-days, I find. While the weekends are often taken over by swimming lessons, household chores and various family commitments, week days are a chance to join in on play dates, park dates, afternoon teas and just generally cruise through the day doing lovely things with little one, and watch daytime TV during nap time. Bliss.