It's only Tuesday and I feel as if I've worked an entire week. It's like this in the days and weeks before a trustee meeting. My boss is the king of procrastination. He's so funny, and by so funny, I mean he's not funny in any way, when he finishes a report and emails it to me and then asks me if "I'm done." Seriously, all I have to do after he gives me reports is proofread them, convert them to pdfs, put headers and page numbers on them, and compile them into one document. I guess he thinks that takes a nanosecond. Regardless, I'm a secretary and that's what I do. I format. I type. I file. I answer the phone.
I went to Human Resources today to look at my health benefit package. One time a year we are allowed to revise our package and if you miss it, too bad for you. I wanted to check into two things. The first thing I wanted to check was the coverage for my son. I am very fortunate to be able to provide my son's health and dental insurance until he it 26 years old. After that, he is on his own. This year will be the final year of health insurance coverage by me, his dear old mom. I pray he finds a job with benefits soon. (this is the first hint needed to answer the question how long I'll continue to work) The second thing I wanted to check was the process for getting my husband on my company's insurance. He's retired now. With this retirement came a cancellation of his company's insurance coverage. I got my answers and now I know exactly what I need to do.
We know we don't want Obamacare.
Today I got a sliver of the feeling my husband had all these past years of employment. All these years my husband has been carrying the weight of providing for his family on his shoulders. My job always provided the "extras." It provided some extra income. It provided some extra benefits, like free tuition, had my son wanted to take advantage of this. He did not. Now, I am the provider of benefits. I feel the responsibility of it. This just gives me even more respect for my husband. How was it that I was completely unaware of this feeling while I was a sahm. I'm sure it had a lot to do with being the primary care giver to our child. I wonder if my husband ever feels the responsibility I was feeling while I was doing the "mom-thing." You see, now he is home when my son is home from work and I am not. Isn't life funny sometimes?
I wonder how long I'll continue to work? People ask me this a lot. People ask my husband this question a lot. I guess the answer is, for sure a year. I like working toward a goal. Maybe my goal will be June 25, 2013. How does that sound?
121. A job that provides health insurance
122. Doctors willing to use the health insurance my company provides
123. Dental insurance
124. A healthy husband and son
125. The ability to let insensitive comments roll off my back
126. A small space heater under my desk for these cooler spring days after they've turned the heat off in my building
127. Knowing there are leftovers in the refrigerator at home when I know I'll be too tired to cook
128. Good discussion on ethics and how to work toward changing the world for God
129. Church-wide bible study
130. Opportunities to serve others in the name of Christ
I went to Human Resources today to look at my health benefit package. One time a year we are allowed to revise our package and if you miss it, too bad for you. I wanted to check into two things. The first thing I wanted to check was the coverage for my son. I am very fortunate to be able to provide my son's health and dental insurance until he it 26 years old. After that, he is on his own. This year will be the final year of health insurance coverage by me, his dear old mom. I pray he finds a job with benefits soon. (this is the first hint needed to answer the question how long I'll continue to work) The second thing I wanted to check was the process for getting my husband on my company's insurance. He's retired now. With this retirement came a cancellation of his company's insurance coverage. I got my answers and now I know exactly what I need to do.
We know we don't want Obamacare.
Today I got a sliver of the feeling my husband had all these past years of employment. All these years my husband has been carrying the weight of providing for his family on his shoulders. My job always provided the "extras." It provided some extra income. It provided some extra benefits, like free tuition, had my son wanted to take advantage of this. He did not. Now, I am the provider of benefits. I feel the responsibility of it. This just gives me even more respect for my husband. How was it that I was completely unaware of this feeling while I was a sahm. I'm sure it had a lot to do with being the primary care giver to our child. I wonder if my husband ever feels the responsibility I was feeling while I was doing the "mom-thing." You see, now he is home when my son is home from work and I am not. Isn't life funny sometimes?
I wonder how long I'll continue to work? People ask me this a lot. People ask my husband this question a lot. I guess the answer is, for sure a year. I like working toward a goal. Maybe my goal will be June 25, 2013. How does that sound?
121. A job that provides health insurance
122. Doctors willing to use the health insurance my company provides
123. Dental insurance
124. A healthy husband and son
125. The ability to let insensitive comments roll off my back
126. A small space heater under my desk for these cooler spring days after they've turned the heat off in my building
127. Knowing there are leftovers in the refrigerator at home when I know I'll be too tired to cook
128. Good discussion on ethics and how to work toward changing the world for God
129. Church-wide bible study
130. Opportunities to serve others in the name of Christ
in some ways it is cool you get a glimpse of that...it is a very real pressure to feel when you are the provider...and living without benefits sucks...did that when i worked at the church...
ReplyDeletesimple, yet such a complex issue
ReplyDeleteI actually took an early retirement from BellSouth and will (hopefully) always have retiree benefits from that. It's been a blessing because the monthly payment is minimal and the people I work with now all pay exorbitant healthcare fees. It's a shame that has to drive whether we stay or go...
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of working until it no longer is interesting. For me, after years in the career, I found that all the BS of forms and evaluations and time sheets and reports were not what I wanted to do as a scientist. The fun had been sapped out of the job for me. It was time to look ahead to a different life without a full time job. Talking with a financial consultant is definitely a plus.
ReplyDeleteOh friend I know that feeling. Being a single mom and being solely responsible for my daughter I tread the waters of fear and panic often. God provides all of our needs and I look to Him as our source for it all. However, I do long for the days when her dad took care of all the business stuff, health insurance, cars, etc. I just got to do the "extra" for trips, for extra income. My worries were small. Long for those days!
ReplyDelete