Can we stop glorifying overworking ? Hear me out. Throughout my 20’s, I worked very very hard and at times, holding two jobs.  I am now 30.  I had an epiphany the other day. I was sitting in a coffee shop on a zoom call and the woman I was having a conversation with was telling me so much about this job she once held and that she was passionate about. I loved the passion she had for the role she once held. We held similar titles just in different school districts. I realized as she was speaking and as she told me all of her responsibilities, I drifted off and wanted to finish my salad. I checked out. This low buy journey that I am on, really helps me appreciate the things that I have, including my job. I decided right then and there that I would appreciate the job that I now hold. I do not do as much as she did and I was okay with that. At that moment, I was okay with what my responsibilities were at the school district. Though each job you hold has stress of its own, I realized that this job that I had now, was actually okay and a job that I once prayed for. I prayed for this job. I prayed to be here.  I prayed to have a job that didn’t require much stress, that was close to home, that allowed me to make a decent salary with benefits and allowed me to be me. I also enjoyed working with teachers.  When I say “allow me to be me”,  I am able to wear things that I love to wear. Working in the school district affords me the opportunity to enjoy wearing what I already have in my closet. I said goodbye to my strict business casual wardrobe I once had while working in Corporate. I adorned my hair with loc jewelry and played around with different patterns of clothing, though I normally opt for wearing white and black because those are my happy colors. I switched my work tote to a backpack and adorned it with varies pins with slogans such as “Nova’s Mommy” “I bathe in fucking flowers” and “Black Lives Matter”. My face cleared up because I didn’t have that stress that corporate life had anymore. To top it off, I had my daughter just a year after working here. 

I realized then, that I didn’t want to overwork for anyone else. I wanted to have energy left for my daughter and for doing things that I loved to do, like working on this blog. I realized that I was trying to pursue a different career because it looked great on paper and people on LinkedIn would find it pretty impressive. Why is it so weird to be okay, with being okay? Why is it that we attribute our worth to our jobs and how many responsibilities they place on us?  I think that’s the problem here, the problem is, we live in a society where people are trying to fit into this image of themselves in fear of not being “it”. I don’t make tons of money, but I am at peace. Isn’t peace important too? Yes, I have a decent job, expanded waistline from having a baby and eating home baked goods my co-workers tend to bring in, a decent salary and you know what? I have peace too. 

The other night, my coworker called me and said that she wanted to bring something to my house. She arrived with bags and bags full of home cooked food that SHE made. BBQ Chicken, green beans, tuna salad, juice and pie. The works! I was so surprised. When she left I texted her and said, “OMG?!” because I couldn’t understand what I did to deserve such a wonderful gesture. Some of the food was even still warm! She simply responded, “Thank you for being you”. The food was absolutely delicious.

So as the woman continued on and on and on about all of her responsibilities during the zoom call,  the conversation slowly dwindled down to “have a great day!” “Thank you, you too!” and I was so happy to finally eat my salad with pure comfort knowing that I was okay with where I was in life now and knowing that I didn’t want to hop on another zoom call like that again. 

I share this story with you today to say that I hope you find ways to enjoy where you are, as you are, right now in your life. I hope you take a moment to sit and think about all that you have prayed for and see how that has manifested in your life so far. You’d be surprised to see how much things have changed and how much you’ve manifested. 

Sending so much joy and light to you.

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