I’m knocking on wood here, but I think it’s safe to say that (finances aside) the changes the wife and I have made over the last several have paid off. Devin’s 3:30 school pick up has proven to have positive long term effects on his behavior. We haven’t had a single behavioral incident since the change, he’s happy as a clam, and the teachers have even been calling him “sweet.” In fact things are going so well that he recently asked his mother to start picking him up later so that he can have more time with his friends. I’m proud of him, and my wife and I for figuring this out and trusting our instincts. I think as parents we all have to pat ourselves on the back for the big victories because that’s what gives you the confidence to press forward. I’m not going to get too cocky though because kindergarten is a year away and parenting only gets more complicated from there.

Even my wife is much more content working the part time schedule and returning to a company that she likes. She’s a very talented Medical/Clinical Social Worker and she enjoys the work and her colleagues. Of course our money hasn’t been this tight in years, but for the ability to breathe a little it has been worth it. We have a long way to go before we will really be able to take a deep breath, however for now I’ll take what we have.

If you haven’t noticed I’m making a conscious effort to really take an appraisal of the good things in my life. I have a lot to be grateful for and I wanted to take a second to acknowledge that fact. Sometimes I find myself rushing through life searching for perfection, trying to fit 1000 things into a space suitable for only 100, all while forgetting the good. I don’t want to forget the good or ignore the bad; I want to find that ever-evasive thing known as balance. I’ve always been close to this goal, but I’ve ever achieved it. I’ve already made the decision to make wholesale changes in my life now I need to amp up the discipline needed to sustain the momentum. I think some of you happy bloggers are starting to rub off on me.