The Musings of a Fenestration Industry Worker and New Mother: An Update
The intersection of navigating parenthood and the workplace
“Well, I slept in a crib last night,” I responded to the inquiry of how everyone was doing at the start of our meeting. My husband and I have never done the co-sleeping thing with our baby, but there are times when I am just too tired to rock my daughter in the nursery chair, and instead opt to crawl my way over the railing into her crib for a nighttime cuddle session.
It has been nearly two years since I first wrote about my experience working and being pregnant. Since then, I had a healthy baby girl and my life has irrevocably and unequivocally altered in such a way that it feels beyond comprehension.
What I've learned
In my time being a new mother, I have discovered three things:
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I don’t think I have ever been as aware of time, and the speed of which it moves, as I am now.
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I don’t think I have ever been as aware of the need for connection as I am now.
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I don’t think I have ever been aware of how little I actually have control over as I am now.
To keep my sanity, these three revelations intersect in a space where I try to actively be in a mindset that is intentional but also flexible. So, what does that mean, and how in the world does it relate to anything in the fenestration industry?
Work-life intersection
Every single day we are working with co-workers, buying from suppliers and trying to provide for customers who are all juggling these same three things. Are our interactions properly reflecting that?
This is a call to make sure we are intentional with our words and time and that we are careful with our connections to one another. In an easy, sunshine world where nothing bad ever happens, this would be incredibly easy. Life, however, often throws curveballs. Do we have enough flexibility to give a little space and grace to those we are interacting with that might be on the receiving end of a nasty pitch; who is also realizing how little control they have? What may seem like just an email to you, is being received by someone who just heard devastating news about a loved one, or crashed their vehicle over the weekend, or slept an entire night in a crib in the fetal position with a tiny foot jammed in their rib.
Stay positive
On the inverse side, have you ever seen someone blossom after an especially positive interaction? We can extend that lifeboat of positivity, if only we will.
Earlier I said “I try” to be intentional and flexible. It doesn’t always happen, but that’s where I do my best to also be flexible with myself. At the end of the day, we are all human and we are governed by the same passing of time and desire for connection. Let’s treat each other like it.
