the tasks handled by stay-at-home mothers…collage from online…
Returning to the family, finding out what’s really important to you, translated…
I’d started thinking about retirement two years ago, my family, my friends all tried talking me out of giving up my million-dollar salary job, that the economy is down, and it would be, harder, to find a good job.
But, with the longer work hours, the duties of my position increasing, I’d felt bad over my children by the day. Every morning, before the kids woke, I’m already out to work, couldn’t make them their breakfast; as I dragged my tired body home at night, it’s already, very late, I’d looked at the dishes left in the sink, then, at my husband, helping the three kids with their homework. I’d felt so awful, but helpless toward my situation at hand. Finally, I’d waited until my company proposed a good package for retirement, due to the downturn of economy.
I’d filed in my retirement papers, said goodbye to my workforce for the last twenty years this March, looking forward to my brand new life. Although I couldn’t make as much as I had, but every morning, I’d made my children breakfasts, see them off to school, then, walked to the nearby café to start working; making coffees for the guests daily, held conversations with the customers on everything, and, my past work experience felt more like a dream.
At breakfast this morning, my youngest daughter licked of the ketchup from the corner of her lips satisfactorily, said in a childish manner, “Mom, my friends are all envious of me!” “Why are they?”, I’d asked. “They all envied me, having a mommy making me breakfast every single morning, I can bring the extra foods to share with them.”
Seeing that look of satisfaction on my daughter, I’d patted her head and smiled. I’d thought, that getting my superior and my office’s affirmations is my achievement, then after I let all of it go, I’d realized, that all I’d been chasing was, a mirage, and, having is so very easy, just let go of everything that’s external, and you will get all the love from your loved ones.
So, this, is a mother’s realization, after she stopped working, she’d returned to her family now, and, found the simpler things in life to be more than worthwhile, it gave her a higher sense of achievement, being able to cook the meals for her family, than all the titles, all the high salaries she had from before.