When I married a lawyer, I never ever imagined that there would be a situation where we would work together. But now that Ben is a partner in a small law firm, there are plenty of tasks that nobody has time to do, but still need to get done. You know, things like tracking down a cleaning company, redesigning the letterhead, and boxing up closed files. So, after I wrapped up my semester in May, I started heading downtown one afternoon a week to work for my new boss…Ben.
After being out of an office environment for the past five years, the first few mornings were a little awkward…kind of like wobbling around in a pair of high heels after wearing flip flops for years. I had to chuckle at some of the habits that I had to break…
Like…even though I am constantly interrupted while going to the bathroom at home, it is probably not the best idea to ask someone a work related question while they are taking care of some business.
And…just because I normally have to talk loudly to be heard over the din of three kids doesn’t mean I have to shout when talking to one rational adult in a quiet office.
But, I quickly got into the groove, curtailing my “mommy quirks” (for the most part) and feel like I have been able to contribute in small ways here and there.
On top of that, there have been a few side benefits that I wasn’t planning on, like my absolute joy at being able to sit in an office for a couple of hours, working on a project, IN COMPLETE SILENCE. Awesome.
Ben and I have also been able to go on a few lunch dates, and we don’t even talk (much) about work. At first, I was grabbing a snack before I came in, but now I just take the hour off if I can, and we hit up one of the many downtown lunch joints. Super awesome.
There is one more benefit that I just realized this week after we talked about whether or not I was going to keep working in the fall. I was being a little wishy-washy about it, thinking about school schedules and my shaky level of sanity. But then, I thought about how cool it was to be connected to something that is really important to Ben…to understand what he is going through, to “see” the stressors that he faces on a daily basis, and be able to listen to him with a different perspective.
I will never be an attorney (which is a good thing), but the chance to have a (very small) part in the journey of Hilger Hammond is definitely worth it.
I just have to remember not to pull out my pack of baby wipes for everyone after lunch…
— Post From My iPad
What a cool opportunity, Rachel!
Rachel, we love having you around the office. And the hard work you give us is not a small matter. Every task you help us with is a HUGE sigh of relief that there is one less task we need to think about. We know Rachel will handle it with a smile.
And you should know, if you holler a question through the bathroom door, I will answer. 🙂
Thanks Deborah…you all make it such a great place to work that it is enjoyable to come and lug boxes around! 🙂
This is a great post because isn’t it crazy how we do all these things on our own in our home with the kiddos all day long and then we get in public and suddenly have to adjust???? I giggled. Especially about the bathroom.
I’d work for a lunch date with my hubby! THAT ROCKS!
I know, Denise, especially because I usually don’t realize it until I’m in an unusual situation and something “mom-ish” pops out…like I will be shoveling my food down hand over fist even though I don’t have to…
that’s really great Rachel! Good for you! I too often toss around the idea of going back to work. And when I say going back to work, I’d like something that is um, 1-2 days a week. And clearly, something like that is hard to come by, unless you know the boss. I have a brief phone interview for one such position, and I was shocked by how quickly I was able to sound like an adult, a contributing member of corporate america. It felt good to know that I could still talk the talk. Anyways, congrats! To you. And to Ben, he probably doesn’t even know what a good move it was to hire you.
Thanks Sara…I told him what you said, and he definitely agreed…:)