A Day on the Job

I have touched on a few aspects of my life throughout this blog, but now I will talk about a huge part of my life. My jobs.  My jobs are take up most of my time and have defined the person that I am throughout different periods in my life.

My first job was as a summer camp counselor and I fell in love. It wasn’t the most glamorous job, after all it was a nature camp. At camp, we do hikes, we do flowers, we do outside, and most importantly we do fun. I looked forward to going to work every day and never wanted to leave.  My kids made the bad days good and the good days even better. My coworkers taught me what it was like to have a positive work environment and showed me that people for all kinds of backgrounds could share the same love. Eight years later, I still show up to camp every summer.  I have had the chance to watch some truly amazing kids grow from preschoolers to young teenagers.

My second job was becoming a nanny. After loving what life was like at camp, being a nanny seemed like a no brainer. The first family that I was a nanny for taught me more than I ever thought I would learn as a nanny. This family taught me what unconditional love was and to cherish every moment life gives you. This family was composed of an energetic three year  old who loved life and the people in it, a dad who’s love for his family was like no other, and a mom who, just like her son, had a special love for life and the people in it and a smile that  would make anyone happy. Unfortunately, a year and a half ago, their family unit changed.

 The mom,Meghan, had Cystic Fibrosis and couldn’t fight any longer. This was not easy news, I cried for a while, and still get tears in my eyes when I talk about it.  To have an understanding that she was so loved and the legacy that she left behind was so grand helped those close to her get through it. While her son won’t have his mom with him 24/7, he is surrounded by people who tell him everything he could ever want to know about her. I still keep up with this family, as over the time I became part of it.

I carry a piece of Meghan’s spirit around with me everywhere I go. I have learned that loving life is so much more important than looking at the bad. I have learned to surround myself with amazing people. Most importantly though, I have learned how important it is to smile.