"ON LEAVE"
Today was my final day before my leave of absence from Panera Bread. My manager graciously let me take a leave instead of quitting as I had originally planned. Though the school year is not quite over, I decided to leave in May so that I could help out in school, get my house in order and well...breathe. The last 9 months have been a blur. It was such an adjustment to work while the kids were in school. It is amazing how many things stay-at-home moms take for granted. I had to think about half days, holidays, sick days, field trips, the list goes on. I learned a lot about myself during the year. I found that I could somehow maintain a home while balancing work and life in general. It was exhausting, but I at least kept food in the cupboards and the clothes washed. :) I also had to learn to balance my desire to be a good employee with being a better parent. I learned that I had to make the choice to be a "mom" first even when it meant my manager was short an employee. I discovered that though there are grumpy old men and impatient mall employees, I could somehow smile through the uncomfortable moments of customer service. And I learned that although the thought of working in a restaurant seemed stressful, things are always better than we anticipate.
I made friends both behind the register and in the dining room. I will miss the smiles from the older mall walkers when I gave them their coffee card stamp, the customers who were so regular I had their food ready before they even ordered it and the retired gentleman who would always yell "Kimmy!" when he caught my eye in the morning.
I'm not sure where this story will end. I have a job waiting for me to return in September and I know that it would be easy to step back into it. I've also thought of exploring other options in the school so I could work closer to my children. It's great to know that I have a few options out there.
But for now, where is that "Summer-to-do" list?
posted by Kimmy Porter @ 3:39 PM
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