Fridays at Home...

I have a little arrangement with my boss. I get to work from home on Fridays. I love this arrangement, and over the years I've managed to learn to ignore people's comments that "oh nice- you get to 'work' from home one day a week".

Get off of it. If I was really not working, or even working at half capacity, don't you think somebody would have figured that out by now?

I work hard on Fridays. I get more done on Fridays. So from an office perspective, there's no issue. Arguably, they get more productivity from me on a Friday than they do any other day of the week, cuz I don't get distracted, and I get to plow through my emails, presentations etc.

Besides all that, there is something deliciously fabulous about my Fridays at home. Maybe its the fact that I get to avoid a 1.5 hour commute to work (each way). Maybe I love the fact that I don't have to rush to catch the train, huffing and puffing like some peasant every morning and evening. Maybe its the fact that I get to sit here in my track pants, on my couch, with my laptop and the sun shining through the window. Or that I don't have to wear heels, makeup, a business suit, or even contact lenses. (Yes, its true, I look nasty on Fridays). I can see the shocked look on my daughter's teachers faces when the usually dressed up mom walks in looking like this, but I don't care. Its actually amusing. I know I clean up nice. But not on Fridays. This is my ponytail, eyeglasses, no makeup, running shoes, take a break from the outside world day. But like I said, I'm still very productive, so those of you who don't think so, please- lay off, and keep your comments to yourselves.

The REAL thing that I love about Fridays, the real thing that I look forward to most of all is picking my son up from school. My daughter I can pick up from daycare any day of the week, cuz daycare hours are anywhere from 7am-6pm. But my son, who is in public school, his hours are from 8:30-2:50 which means Fridays are the only day where I get to see him off and pick him up. I wouldn't trade anything for the look on his face when I get to his school, and his eyes light up. "Mommy! You're here! I LOVE YOU!". I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world.

And that boys and girls- is why I love Fridays.

After I pick him up, I bring him home and we eat a snack together. While we're eating, he tells me about his day, about what he learned, about his teachers. We spend about 30 minutes together and then I have to get back to work, and he gets some downtime with his toys. But those 30 minutes are my favourite 30 minutes in the whole week.

Sometimes it makes me a little sad to think that on the other 4 days, a babysitter gets to hear my son's stories. Sometimes it makes me sad that I can't be there every day. But to be honest, I'm really not the stay-at-home-mom type. I love my career, and really, it saved me (and the children) from a really bad marriage. The financial independence gave me the element of choice, so no regrets there. This isn't about regrets, but about the fact that there are little things along the way that we cherish because that's all we have to get us through. Those 30 minutes with my son will forever go down in my history books.

Somehow I know that a few years from now, I will get some peace and satisfaction from knowing I did this, that after everything I've been through- the hospitalization, the separation, the lawyers, the financial mess, the other health issues, that I did take some of it to heart, I did learn to slow down, I did learn to reduce some of the stress (like Friday GO train schedules), and that I did learn to cherish a few nice moments. Like the after school Friday snack times with my son.

I'm grateful that I have a job that gives me this flexibility. I'm grateful that I have such an awesome son (how many 6 year old boys are so affectionate and talkative?). I am grateful that I have a boss that trusts me and knows me well enough to give me this opportunity. I am grateful for Fridays.