Today will be better (and weird)

I’m heading back to work today, after spending a couple of days at home with a fever and a sick kid. It’ll be one of those weird “one-day week” kind of days, in which you’re totally out of your routine and you have to make an effort to get something done. Thankfully, I’m really looking forward to making that effort.

This goes without saving, but having a small child at home calls every routine and schedule in your life into question. You come to look for stability where you can, and a nine-to-five schedule is a great source of it. If you like your job, which I do, then having a kid can make you love it – not because you crave the escape, but because you crave the routine and reliability.

Don’t fret if that sounds depressing, because having a small child at home means that those routines are never really secure. You never know when your kid’s going to pick up some disease at daycare, let alone give it to you. You never know when she’s going to keep you up all night.

You play it by ear, and on your best days, you have fun with it. It keeps you on your toes in a way a lot of nine-to-five jobs don’t.

All the same, I’m looking forward to being back at work, if only for a day. I haven’t been to the office since Tuesday, and I’m eager to simply get something done beyond the realm of parenting. Because if this kid doesn’t get better by the end of the day, it’s going to be a brutal weekend.

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