Yesterday I was at work, fingering through my latest project. I had a stack of 29 autobiographies which I was editing and alphabetizing, when my mind started to wander.

What? You didn't know I work with writers? Well, I do. A whole second grade classroom full of them.

I was cutting out their pictures and using a glue stick to attach head-shots to a list of facts about each child. Facts detailing very personal information like their favorite color, or what they want to be when they grow up.

I couldn't help thinking about how ten years ago I was working as an Operations Manager for a local corporation. I oversaw two departments and numerous people. I worked long hours, I was motivated, diligent, and career-driven. My job defined me. That was before I had kids.

Now I'm a teacher's aide whose hours are 8:00-11:00 AM. I work with crayons, markers, and a lot of germs.

I took this job because it allows me to be home with my kids after school. Not to mention, my kindergartner still needs a little special attention, and the principal allows him to come to me for certain things. As a school and as an employer, they are more than accommodating.

If I had not bore children, who knows where I would've ended up career-wise. I know one thing for certain, we'd have a lot more money.

But, being able to stay home with my kids for nearly a decade and now work in the same building where they attend school...well, you can't put a price on that. It's a very fortunate situation in which to find myself.

So my briefcase doesn't hold business cards or a Blackberry, and sometimes I can't tell if the goo on my desk is from glue or some kid's snot, and I'm definitely not breaking the bank, but I think I'm the richest woman in the world.

Maybe I should stop sniffing those markers.

Labels: Kids, Ramblings