Working on sharing my gratitude.
Today I'm grateful for ...
Being able to take family leave.
The concept of taking time off for anything other than vacation used to boggle my mind. Yes, even the time parents take off when they have children (we'll dig into that in another post. Spoiler alert: idk if I'ma have kids).
So when I got the call my mom was sick in the hospital I just knew I would take a week off, fly to NY, get it all sorted & be back in LA by the following week. Sike. Not at all God's plan. The end of that first week came & my boss asked me if I needed to take more time off. Not WFNY, simply more time off. A colleague of mine asked me the same thing.
I told them both I'd take the weekend to think about it. Saturday and Sunday were spent weighing the options. I love my job. I love LA. I can do both. I can't afford to not do both. I've never not done both. The rabbit hole of thoughts my mind went through "what if I lose my job?" "What if I have to move back to NY?" "What if I can't afford mom's care?"
A bit of background, my mom has been in and out of hospitals throughout my adult life. The difference was, back then I lived in NY. That made it a little easier because proximity. Fast forward, I move across the country & the logistics have changed a lot.
Monday comes and I have a chat with my boss. I tell her I'm opting to take the month fully off. She supports me 100%. Tells me not to worry about work. Not to worry about campaigns. Just focus on mom. I break down crying.
A bit from exhaustion. A lot from gratitude.
That colleague I mentioned told me "You're past the point of proving yourself. Your brand speaks for itself". That stuck with me because that's all I've known. Graduate HS. Prove yourself. Go to college. Prove yourself. Pledge. Prove yourself. Get these jobs. Prove yourself. Prove yourself to yourself because you must. Round and round it goes.
And today more than ever, it hit me. To work at a company that supports you. That recognizes your value. Your efforts. That asks "do you need more time?" vs. "when can we expect you to be back online?". Teammates that ask "how can we help?" vs. "so who's going to take over your work?" >>>
I don't take it for granted. GRATEFUL. JM.
