It’s the 4th of July as I’m sitting here writing out this post. I’m sitting at my patio table in the backyard with one of my children finishing up their lunch, and my dog chasing bugs around the yard.
Our neighborhood is pretty quiet as they are all at different celebrations or the big celebration downtown. So why am I sitting here typing instead of out enjoying things with my family? Because we are a retail worker family.
My husband has worked in retail for over 9 years, and now one of my children has followed in his footsteps. So that just leaves me and my other child home, though both will leave in a few hours to go out with friends, once they are home from work.
Yes, I know I could go to a lot of these things by myself, or with my children, but honestly, we have adjusted to this kind of non-scheduled life, it just doesn’t feel right to go somewhere without my husband.
Being a former homeschool family, his working retail has never really been an issue. The children and I would always have Sunday off, and school 4 days a week. Our ‘weekends’ were whatever two days my husband happened to have off that week. He only gets his schedule one week in advance, so unless we’ve asked for a specific day off, we have no idea what a week will hold more than a week from now.
And honestly, I’ve grown so accustomed to not having to go out on a Saturday or Sunday, when I do have to go once in a while and deal with the crowds I just about want to run away.
It really is great to enjoy so many wonderful areas around us during the week and even better during the day when there are hardly any crowds.
At first, it was very hard to get used to. Even the kids would say things like ‘Why do we have to do school work on a Saturday?’, even though they had just had two days off. It can be a tough schedule to get used to, but once you do, it really is quite fun.
But there are some things that only happen on the weekends, like the local Farmer’s Market, which is every Saturday morning. We do try to make it on the rare occasion that he has Saturday off, or when they give him an afternoon shift and he doesn’t start until
I need to say, I am a person who is completely fine with being by myself. I can go to restaurants, movies, coffee house, all by myself and enjoy it immensely. So why don’t I do more without my husband? Because he’s my best friend and I just enjoy doing things with him. 🙂 We have a blast together when we go out, and things are just more fun with him.
We are no longer a homeschooling family, but I am a business owner who is blessed to work from home. So my schedule is still very flexible, and when he has two days off I work as little as possible to spend time with him. So that when he works, I tend to do my work.
So this 4th, we knew he would not get the day off, so we told our kids to make some plans with their friends. So they did with their 20 Something group and will be gone all afternoon and evening. My thought was, great, a quiet house to do my work in. Then Paul and I plan to go out when he gets home and watch some fireworks if we can find somewhere to park. lol
But I’m so accustomed to not working a normal schedule I completely forgot there was a parade today or the festival. I was excited for a quiet day, where I could get some work done in my business, and as I read the news this morning I was like ‘Oh, yea, it’s the 4th’. lol
At first, I was thinking, oh my, how wrong is it that I don’t care if I go to the local festival or celebrate as others do? But then I started thinking, ‘who cares!?!’ Honestly, why do I care how other people live their lives or what they think about how I live mine? They are doing what they want, and I’m doing what I want.
I continue to learn how to be happy with who I am, what I do, and how I live. Learning to
I think that is something all entrepreneurs need to remember. We need to run our businesses the way we feel to and not try to pigeonhole ourselves into something we are not. Whether that is the latest business trend, or always having Saturday and Sunday off.
I don’t know about you, but I know I can easily get caught up in comparing my life, my business, how I run my business and more to what other people are doing. But we need to find our own voice and not just follow blinding what others say because they say it’s the best way.
Just like we are not all alike, no two businesses are alike. It’s good to find role models, mentors and people who will support and help you with your business. But when it comes down to it, you run it the way you feel to and what works best not only for your business, but who you are as an individual.
What about you? What is different in your life, even if you aren’t a business owner? How do you live your life differently and have no apologies for that? I would love to hear from you.
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