The Proverbs 31 Wife - Week Twenty One

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Question #21: Have you ever taken a job out of need over desire? How did you grow from it?

I have actually done this more than once in my life...I think most women (men too) are going to do whatever it takes especially when it comes to taking care of her family.  I'll just focus on one of the times I did it being married.

The summer after our fist school year being married (I used to teach, and I always think of years in terms of schools years....hard habit to break) I took a summer job even though my husband wasn't thrilled.  I had always worked year round to make ends meet.  And I had to have yet another surgery that school year, so we could really use some extra money to pay down some bills.  It wasn't an ideal situation, especially for newlyweds as it was second shift in a call center.  I would leave before my husband got home then I wouldn't get home until after 11 or 12 at night when we were used to going to bed together at around 9 since we both got up very early.  I had been having some health issues, but I thought since it was mostly sitting down all evening it wouldn't be bad, we just wouldn't have much time together that summer.

Well, I had been going to a new doctor and they finally figured out I had Fibromyalgia and some arthritis.  He put me on a couple meds to start that evening.  He told me to take them around dinner. So I did...on my dinner break at work.  About an hour later I could barley keep my eyes open, and I was in the middle of a new training!  Somehow I made it to the end of my shift, but then I had to drive home on a busy highway part of the way and then curvy country roads the rest.  By the grace of God I made it, but I know I fell asleep a couple times!  My husband needed his sleep so I didn't feel I should wake him to come and get me and then there would have been the problem of how to get back to work the next day as we were on different shifts.  Needless to say when he found out he made me quit....and I wasn't sad about that at all really.  I do wish I could have made a bigger financial contribution, but it was too hard with the new diagnosis to deal with and the new meds.

So I learned that money isn't everything.  I have only worked one job since (and now none) and we managed to pay down the bills pretty quickly with a tighter budget AND we got more time together.  I have been tempted a few times to go get a part time job just to get over that hump or other, but I remember that drive home and remind myself that it's not worth it in the long run.  Sometimes it's really hard, but when you put your health next to a little extra money, it makes the decision much easier.

Until Next Time.....

Franny