Today was a good day...

Today was a good day. There was nothing extraordinary about today but I came home with a smile on my face, a song on my lips, and exhaustion in my bones. You know the kind of exhaustion that comes from a job well done. What made this day so good? I'll tell you. I no longer work with children.

Don't get me wrong. I love children just as much as the next person. They are funny, cute, and can melt your heart like no one else. They have faults too but they are far outweighed by the great things about kids. But when you spend 40+ hours a week changing poopy diapers and wiping snotty noses of children who are not related to you in any way, it can get old really fast. I'm mean really old and really fast.

I wouldn't take back the experiences I had as a child care worker. I met some really great people. Fell in love with some of the most wonderful little humans. Every family I worked for has a special place in my heart. Those experiences are one of the tools God used to shape me into the person I am today. They taught me patience. They taught me how to remain calm under pressure. They taught me how to think on my feet. They taught me how to deal with people from all walks of life. They helped me to lose my squeamishness about body fluids. They taught me the infinite pricelessness of a smile, a hug, a kiss, a laugh.

But it was time to move on. We want to have our own family some day and I don't want to be caring for other's children while taking care of mine. And my heart was no longer in it. It made me feel old, spinster-like, and purposeless. I just didn't have the desire to do it and I didn't enjoy it any more.

So today was a good day. I had to wait 10 minutes in sub-freezing temperatures for a shuttle bus. I spent 30 minutes on a crowded train squished into a tiny seat next to a complete stranger. Twice. I walked 2 blocks on slippery pavement in the snow. Twice. I spent all day at my computer working on a huge posting that is due Friday. It requires lots of data entry and balancing and I loved every minute of it. I spent 20 minutes sitting on the shuttle because I got to the metro 10 minutes too late for the 5pm shuttle and 20 minutes too early for the 5:30pm shuttle.

So today was a good day. Thanks for reading.