Little Black Purse

Last night I did something that I haven't done in almost four years.  I left the house with only a purse.  It's contents were my wallet, keys, chapstick and my phone.  That's it!  No laptop, breast pump, diaper bag, tote bag full of work spilling over from the workday into the evening.  Just a little black purse.

After a busy day of keeping two girls from falling off of tall things, fed, and laughing I slipped away for the evening to mediate at small claims court.  The girls were happy to have their daddy to themselves for the evening and I was happy to get out of the family fray for a bit.

I like the rough and tumble pace of mediating these cases and am excited to be back in the hot seat as a mediator.  As my job made the leap from direct work with clients to administration I really found my stride.  I was the right fit for the work, the leadership, the vision - but once a couple of kids got piled on top of it I stopped being the right fit for all that responsibility and subsequent worry and stress.  It stopped being fun and challenging and just became hard.

After mediating last night I feel like I've come full circle with why I was drawn to this work in the first place.  I'm back in the middle and in the mix, right where I want to be.  I drove home without a single worry, just the satisfaction of giving people a chance to talk through whatever sticky situation landed them in court.

I came home to a serious game of hide and seek:

Sleeping kitties:

And a report that little sister can now climb onto the desk, the table, the kitchen counter.  I had to see it this morning to believe it:

Here's what happens when her path is thwarted.  Child's pose sadness: