The Grass Isn't Greener

DW travels for work - a lot.  Admittedly, there have been many times when I have felt downright jealous of him.  His days often seem so much more glamorous than mine.  Here's a comparison:

My typical day -
get the kids up and ready to go; drive them here, there, and everywhere; laundry; more laundry;  feed them mac and cheese or spaghetti o's for dinner; baths; put them to bed and hope everyone sleeps peacefully through the night; prepare for the next day; stagger to bed; get up and do it all again.  (All this is, of course, continuously interrupted by whining, fighting, and complaining.)

His typical day -
Get up and dressed in nice clothes; hop on a plane and fly to a different city; meet new people (adults, mind you); go out to a nice restaurant for dinner with these new people; spend the night in a plush hotel room ALONE; do it again the next day.

This past weekend, I went on a trip to Chicago with DW - just the two of us - for a weekend getaway.  He squeezed in a business meeting on Monday morning and I went along with him.  Through it all, I came to this realization:

Yes - Children fight and cry; laundry and dishes have to be done (over and over and over); mac and cheese gets rather redundant; and sometimes kids have nightmares.

BUT

Flights get delayed; hotels are sterile; restaurants aren't always good; and I definitely do not intend to go traipsing through an airport in heels again anytime soon!

Now don't get me wrong - I had a fabulous time over the weekend.  I truly enjoyed being relaxed and not worrying about schedules.  I loved having the opportunity to see a new place.  We had some fantastic food and met some new people along the way.  It was wonderful - FOR A WEEKEND!  However, I don't think I could do it all the time.

I guess the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence.  My job has plenty of pitfalls AND joys.  So does DW's.  So does everyone's.  What it boils down to for us as a family is doing the jobs that make us the happiest collectively.

DW definitely misses us when he is away.  He enjoys the travel, though.  He also enjoys the sale and he is really good at his job.  He would completely suffocate if we changed places.

I, on the other hand, enjoy traveling for pleasure on occasion - not constantly.  I probably couldn't sell popsicles at Disney World on the hottest day of the year.  But, I am a good mom (most of the time) and I know in my heart that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing.