Someone else's life

I've been blogging with three fabulous women for over two years and have been enjoying all the fun topics we come up with week after week. If you want to see what we've discussed in the past, check out our posts here.

This week, Moma Rock chose the topic: Trade places with someone for a day. Tell us what it was like to be in their shoes, to view the world through their eyes. Did you learn something from the experience?

Before reading ahead, first see what everyone else had to say on this topic:
Froggie
Mom of Many
Moma Rock

For this project, I chose my mom. I thought it would be fun to see what life is like through the eyes of someone in my family and I asked my parents and sister. My mom (bravely) volunteered and I sent her some questions. While her answers are succinct, they are revealing.

What is the first thing you usually think about when you wake up?
I think about the day ahead.

What are you thinking on your drive to and/or from work?
When I come home from work I think about making dinner and relaxing from a hard day.

What is your typical day like from when you get up to when you go to bed?
Hectic

How do you deal with changes to your daily routine?
Not well at all.

Would you rather be at work or have days with nothing on your schedule?
Days of nothing to do at all.

What do you look forward to most during the day?
Going home from work at the end of the day.

What is your favorite way to relax after work?
Sit on the couch, watch TV and pet the dog.

What chore/errand is your least favorite?
Take out the garbage.

What is the last thing you usually think about before going to sleep?
What I have to do tomorrow.

What would you like to accomplish by this time next year?
Be retired and have more time to do nothing.

When I was a kid, I remember my mom working part-time so she could be home for us when we got home from school. There were periods of time when she worked full-time and made other arrangements for us. However, the amount of time she was around definitely stands out. She'd have an after school snack waiting and was so nice to our friends when they came over. I also know that she wasn't always an X-Ray technician, even though she has been one for the majority of her life. During my youth, she was a receptionist for a while. I was impressed that she went back into the X-Ray field after her thumb injury, but times had changed and the equipment was safer. I also know that she's worked for many different medical facilities, the longest amount of time being at her current facility. I've heard both the good and bad things about her job between the friends she's made and all the politics that go on, even within a medical office. The free food from drug reps sound like a nice perk. She also gets days off during the week, even with the long days she has to work otherwise. I wish she had revealed more about what an actual day in her life is like, but I can relate to the hectic part. I also don't like getting thrown off from my routine. I think she's become completely burnt out by her job though and I hope she'll enjoy her "nothing" filled days once she gets to retire. I know she'll end up shopping or cleaning the house for the most part. I'm sure she'll save some time for reading, as well. I was not that surprised that taking out garbage is her least favorite chore, since she seems to enjoy cleaning and doing laundry.

While there are days I wouldn't mind having some time off that isn't focused on taking kids to the doctor or doing errands, I also don't know what I'd do without structure to my day. There was a point in time when I wasn't working while I lived in NJ. My older son was in day care so I could focus on finding a job and be free to go on interviews, as needed. I don't know what I did with the rest of my time. Lots of trips to Target and the grocery store, perhaps? I do that even with a job, but have to plan it on weekends. It's nice when I'm able to go to the stores on my own because the kids get antsy and I lose track of what I was supposed to get. I especially love shopping by myself (or with another adult) at the thrift store. I don't mind bribing the kids with toys, but as soon as I look at clothes, they start kvetching. I can only imagine what I was like when my mom made us go to T.J. Maxx all the time. They didn't even have toys back then! There are also times I'd like to take a vacation just for myself so I can sit by a pool and read all day.

Overall, I guess I never really understood how much my mom craves freedom, even though she doesn't have to worry about anyone else's schedule except for her own (and possibly my dad's). I hope that her career was fulfilling to her in some way, and not just seen as a job. I'd like that for myself too. I love where I work, but sometimes I feel unmotivated and unfulfilled. I know I have time to change all that and make an impact through my job so that it can become my career. Getting into my mom's head gives me a lot to think about and answers some things that were nagging at me. I also think we're more alike than I normally would have admitted.