Feeling Human Again

Maya just celebrated her three month birthday. She is smiling, laughing, sitting in her Bumpo seat... you know, super advanced. And with her turning three months comes my return to work, and Crossfit.

My first week of work was very low key. I prepped my boss and co-workers that I'm "easing into work" and essentially let her know that if she wants me to come back to work in August, lay off sister. (Put more politically).

This week I spent time catching up with my co-workers and sifting through three months of email. The general message was "our jobs suck, we're polishing up our resumes, the pressure has gotten way worse, and we're all super stressed". Okay great. But I have a new attitude, as having a child re-directs your mental priority and I have the perspective that work is work and not life. I've sort of turned into the guy from "Office Space" after he was hypnotized. And maybe I'm just glad to have a few hours a day to "relax' at work and not deal with a whining three year old.

My first week back at Crossfit felt great too. I feel like I have muscle, a bit of stamina, and I feel generally less fragile. And as I have not worked out at Crossfit for 10 months, I am liberated of that competitive feeling of having a better time, doing more weight, or exceeding my own personal results from prior results. I just had a baby, baby. Its just great that I'm here, right?

Second week back to work, I've started talking to customers. Due to my "Office Space Hypnotism" state of mind, combined with my boss's "I'm too busy to micro-manage you... yet" state of mind, I've had some pretty good interactions. And after three months out, my numbers are the best on my team. As I talk to work contacts, its really interesting to see the three ways that people respond to me telling them I'm back from maternity leave. Here is the essence of the three consistent responses:

1. "I hope you had a fun leave of absence. Anyways, can you help me with this issue?". Yea it was super fun, I pushed out a baby, haven't slept and constantly leak milk. Thanks for dismissing the addition of a human to this planet thanks to me, I'd love to help you book a car at a low rate for your vacation.
2. "Oh you were on leave? What did you have? Name?" Okay, clear evidence that my boss forgot to send out an email about the birth of my baby (which she did admit to me).
3. "Congrats! I have four daughters myself (insert synopsis of their family tree, reminder that "it goes so fast", potential "just wait until they're teenagers" comment, and random advice). I find this one endearing, although redundant.

Second week back at Crossfit and I'm just happy to have control over my physicality and be the sole occupant of my body at this point. Its a place we work out and really, its good for me mentally.

The general message is that I feel human again. I am back doing something mentally stimulating, physically stimulating, and a routine is starting to form. More importantly, my attitude has adjusted. I can't put too much importance on petty things, and I am starting to have control of my time! Now if the baby could just start sleeping through the night on a consistent basis, we can really have some fun.