Missing from the List?

I was with some friends yesterday and I had a bit of an "Aha" moment. I realized something. When I did my post a couple days ago about the 15 things that make me happy, there is one thing that isn't on there. My job. That might not be a surprise to anyone else, but it's an enormous surprise to me. Here's why.

I actually love my job. I love the company I work for, and the people I work with. I love what I do on a day to day basis. I enjoy it. But when I did the list, my job didn't come to mind. And now that I'm sitting here and re-evaluating, I still wouldn't add it to the list. The big deal here is that two years ago, my job would have been on top of the list. Two years ago, I was in a marriage so bad that my only retreat was work. I would go in at 6am and come home anywhere from 6-9pm. Anything to stay away from home. Life was miserable, and the office was my haven. In those days, I would have said that my job was the most important thing in my life, and one of the few things that brought me joy (that and of course my children).

Today, my job is still important to me, and I still enjoy it very much. I am NOT one of those people who gets up and says "oh God, now I have to go to the office". I don't mind it at all. The interesting thing is that I have found other sources of joy and happiness such that the office is now a means to an end, not the end in itself. And yes, while I do enjoy it, there are many other things that I enjoy a heck of a lot more. I wonder how this list will look in another two years? What a thought....

I always knew that leaving this marriage would be good for me. I always knew that I would be better off. And while I have the material things to show for it, the house, the car, the lifestyle, it doesn't hit you as hard as evaluating the softer elements....Like the fact that just two short years later, my perspective has changed so very much. Now THAT's progress.