They say change is inevitable, and that’s as true for us as it is for anyone.
It’s hard to ignore change these days with a rapidly growing and changing teenage boy-man in the house. More than once a week lately I come home from work and have to ask Nolan, “Did you grow today? I don’t think you were this tall yesterday…” And don’t even get me started on random hair sprouting from who knows where on any given day.
But more than that, Nolan is growing and maturing in more ways than just the physical. He’s learning to self-calm without prompting, he’s getting more patient all the time (though he is a teenager, so… baby steps I guess?) and he’s getting better at following directions (when he wants to, of course… again: teenager).
And maybe we’re all growing and learning along the way.
For Nolan’s birthday, we typically take an overnight trip to celebrate. This year with the pandemic, we obviously changed that plan and promised him we would redecorate his room. He picked out a paint color, and I got carpet squares to put down…
Obviously it’s taken longer than we intended (his birthday was in December…), but it’s finally done. To answer the two most obvious questions:
1. No, Nolan didn’t mind the delay.
2. Yes—I have lost any chance at Mother of the Year for the rest of our lives. I can live with that.
At least Donny digs the new carpet...
Now his room finally feels like a space that suits him. Instead of the very beige walls and white trim of the rest of the house (our house was a rental before we bought it, and the décor reflects that in every way possible), he’s got a calmer and more grown-up space that better reflects his personality.
Sure there’s still plenty of work left to do in his room (please don’t look at the details too closely—they’re on our radar, but change takes time around here…), but so far I’d say he’s pretty satisfied with the results. And we are too.
Change always takes time and a bit of work along with some decision-making. I’m still sore from painting even Nolan’s small room, but let’s face it: change can be painful in the short-term. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it. In this case, Nolan’s got an amazing new space to call his own.
I’m keeping all of this in mind as we move into our next big change—the work, the decision making and the time investment... You see, Friday will be my last day working for the bank. I’ve been there just over 3 years. I came into the job with zero experience in banking. They gave me a chance after my last job was eliminated, and I’ll be forever grateful for that. I like to think I’ve learned enough to be a reliable resource since then, and I love the people I work with.
But sometimes we have to make decisions that result in change. And while there will likely be some short-term pain (this is why Excedrin and Goody’s Headache Powder exist), the goal is a better long-term for our little family. I’m confident my new position with our local technical college will give us exactly that. And honestly? I’m excited for it.
And even more so, I’m optimistic my new position will provide further opportunities along the way. Sure, that means the potential for more change in the future, but change is inevitable right?