21° … a shifting perspective of a noob husband and a soon-to-be father

94° yesterday… 73° today.  Those 21° sure do make a huge difference in the weather; one day a sweltering, sweaty mess and the other a pleasantly warm and cool stroll in the park.  Given the choice (as if I control the weather) between the two I’d take the 73° day every day.  The windows of my apartment are open, I can hear the birds, the sun is shining through a partly cloudy yet blue sky, and my feet are propped up as I sit on my plush couch imbibing my French press.  Contrasting the weather scenes of the last two days gives me opportunity to contrast my last two work weeks; the first was the 94° day and this past week was the 73° day. 

I worked 70 hours for my first week of employment manufacturing carbon-fiber parts for a variety of uses.  The overtime pay was fantastic, yet I was exhausted all week and I found myself loving my bed more than loving my wife; coming home just to shower and fall asleep.  I am not averse to hard work and long hours; I used to work for 28 days straight and 13 hours a day in the oilfield in North Dakota, I went to school full time while waiting tables 5 days a week, I took 21 credit hours concurrently with playing college football and performing petty military requirements, I am getting my master’s degree in Theology while being newly married while working full time, etc.  Being disciplined and a hard working individual are things that I value.  Why did I hate the 70 hour work week so much when there have been many times in my life when I have worked longer and harder?  Am I becoming slothful and lazy? 

Marriage changes much, and if it doesn’t then you probably shouldn’t have got hitched.  My wife Jenna is awesome to be around and I want to maneuver my time in such a way that takes advantage of the quality time that we both desire from each other.  October 10^th is the due date for our first child and the closer that the date arrives the greater my desire to be a father grows, and I want to be a good one.  I desire to put myself in the best possible situation to love my family that I can; and I know for absolute certainty that working for 70 hours a week is not that situation. 

I’m not here to apologize for the “1^st world problem” of having the option to work less and barely providing for my family vs. working more and providing amply for my family.  I just want to be the best steward of the resources that God has given me; and with both family and money requiring time to flourish (in most cases) I have decided to choose family at the expense of money.       

I only worked 40 hours this week, and I probably could have pushed that to 50 with the same benefits, which afforded me much more opportunity to spend quality time with my wife.  This week has been the 73° day and I’ll take it every day please.        

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