Work/Life Balance – In the Lion’s Den

My grandmother sprained her pelvis in a fall about two and a half weeks ago.

The day I found out I began to prepare. I called our other two family members and left messages asking them to call back so we could set up a schedule for her care. So far, so good.

Unfortunately, one family member never called me…or anyone else…back. I scheduled with the other one, and she kept up her end of the schedule…for the first week and a half. Now we’re almost in week three and my daily schedule is as follows:

7:00am – Wake up with kids and hubby/feed children/make coffee/wake up
8am – 8:30pm – Work/take care of kids/clean/stay sane
8:30pm – 9pm – Drive to grandmother’s house
9pm – 12:30am – Take care of grandmother/clean house/make dinner/shop/run errands
12:30am-1am – Drive home
1:30am – Go to sleep

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Last night I found out that one of my relatives called my grandmother for the first time since hearing about her accident. That breaks my heart. With my kids and the dogs and the husband I still manage to be able to help out a woman that helped raise me during the most important years of my life. This does not make me great, it does not make me a martyr and it certainly doesn’t make me a wonderful person. I’m just doing what needs to be done. Sometimes I’m very confused when other’s don’t do the same.

This ties directly into working from home. I know so many people that tell me they want to work from home, but when I ask them if they want help getting started I’m immediately given a list of excuses. I admit, I thought working from home was a pipe dream as well, but if I was faced with someone credible who did, I wouldn’t give excuses…I’d pump them for information!!!

We’re all scared, but it’s scarier to do nothing and be in that same job you hate for the next ten years.