Putting Family First
Tonight I enjoyed the first Sunday since October with the boys and Blake. You see, when Blake took his latest job to be a restaurant chef, the trade-off was that three nights during the week and all weekend he’d be working. To say it has been tough would be an understatement. But, the life as the wife of a chef is just that – it’s tough. Many times you take a back seat to a career that is long hours, fast-paced and high-stress. Nine years ago when we met, Blake worked in a kitchen, and so I knew what I signed up for when we started dating, when we got engaged and when we married. Before we had kids, it was lonely, but manageable. Now that we have two boys, it can be downright exhausting to do so much of it on my own. And while I haven’t always shown as much support as I should, when he took this job the first of November last year, I finally became the supportive wife that I always wanted / tried (and failed) to be.
And then a couple of weeks ago, Blake came to me and said he was re-prioritizing his life. He told me that he no longer wanted to pursue a career that kept him away from his family. He told me he wanted to quit his job. And while I can imagine that this sort of news could be stressful, I was truly overjoyed. Because while I would have never tried to make Blake quit doing what he loved, there have been many times that I secretly wished he had a career that kept him home more. I worried about the future when the boys play sports and Blake wouldn’t be there for games; or weeknight homework, or school plays, or the countless other wonderful experiences of being parents that he would miss. And so here I was, getting my prayers answered. While I always knew deep down that the boys and I were Blake’s first priority, the fact that he was choosing us, without being made to, was the ultimate affirmation.
So what does this mean… we’re not sure yet. In the short-term, Blake is still working for the same restaurant, but in a role that has him working days and home on Sundays. We’re excited to be exploring opportunities outside of the restaurant business and I know there are great things ahead for him. And I know that he is looking forward to a life with more balance – me too.
So today, on our first Sunday spent as a family in four months, we went to the park together, we had a picnic together, we ate dinner together, did the bathtime and the bedtime routines together. It was perfect. I am so thankful to have a husband who has the courage to go against the grain, do what is uncomfortable and unconventional and just stop. Stop a successful career for something far more important. For us. I love you, babe.
