Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Wrapping Paper from ThinkGeek

There was a time when I did equations in my sleep and took deep breaths of text book dust and eraser shavings. Back in the college days my sweet photographer worked all night in Marvin Hall building architectural models while I scratched out pages of equations solving for beam sizes and soils profiles.

After Julia was born I thought (briefly) that those days were behind me and I would never need to know the specific gravity of water or the meaning of Plasticity Index again. But then bills piled high, my gallbladder pooped out on me, and we had to make hard decisions about the girls schooling and where to live and how the next chapter of life would look.

So I am back in the throws of the thrilling world of engineering, and I am blessed with a great group of co-workers, a strong company to work for, and leaders who continue to encourage me to build on my career. Thus, I sit with my little calculator and piles of text books studying for the eight-hour Professional Engineering exam I will be taking in April. I am revisiting terms that only look vaguely familiar and I am panicking (read: having nightmares and anxiety attacks that can only be calmed with a large frap and 30-minutes on elliptical watching Liz Lemon while I sweat off said frap). All of this for two small letters behind my name, and a seal that I may have to use even when sending birthday cards and signing checks if only because it was so much work to earn.

The difference between college and now, though, is the two little munchkins who now accompany me on every journey and demand (rightly-so) most of my waking / non-working time. I want them to see that life is a balance of many things... God, finances, family time, careers, passions, opportunities, hobbies, rest, and love (always love, it is essential). And I want them to know that as women we are especially challenged in the balancing act called life, but it is a beautiful struggle if you let yourself step back and soak in all the goodness that surrounds us.

And I also want them to see that having an amazing husband is key to the success of their mom, and that an amazing man will be waiting someday for them to come alongside their life journey in whatever joys and struggles they may face. And that he's worth searching, waiting, and praying for.

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