This is a little disjointed, but I’m writing this late at night, so….
I sometimes forget how lucky I am to have the husband I do and the kids that we have. I was reminded of that recently. A few of my friends are going through divorces or out of work or having other problems in their lives/marriages. It seems to happen this time of the year and they always say “it’s been a long time coming” but I’m always surprised.
I lost a bookkeeping client last week. It kinda sucked, but they are bringing in someone in-house. Maybe a good thing for them (although I know I could probably take on all of their accounting myself and really do a fantastic job, but they don’t want to do that yet). I have faith they will be back. It’s probably the biggest compliment, but most of my clients come back to me in time. Maybe that sounds conceited, but it really is true. I love it when they do because nothing makes you feel better than that happening.
But my point is that that client leaving is going to leave an income hole. We’ll be fine, don’t get me wrong and I’m sure other clients will come along, but still. It’s always a little “oh boy, here we go!” when it happens. I know part of it is me. I need to get back out there and concentrate on marketing. But… we’ll be okay. I have other clients. I have clients that would rather cut off their big toe than stop working with me. I am working on a new business website and reading the testimonials really cheered me up. I’ve been with some of my clients since I opened my doors back in 2002! That’s trust and mutual respect.
But our family is lucky. We aren’t rich by any stretch of the imagination, but we live comfortably. We’ve always had jobs or money coming in. Some months are better than others, but we’re okay. Tom and I have an amazingly good marriage. Yes, we have our arguments, but they are usually minor or silly. I love owning my own business and the freedom it allows me (well, except for January when I hate everything about it *laughing*). We have 2 great kids who get along pretty well. And i know if something happens we’ll still be okay. We’ll figure it out – together.
But, for me, I feel incredibly lucky because I know in 20 years, when the kids are on their own, Tom and I will still be sticking it out together. We work on that, on staying connected, talking, doing things for each other (little stuff that lets us know we’re in this together, like a text message – or my personal favorite – Tom will put my blanket in the dryer while I’m in the shower simply so I’ll have a warm and toasty bed to get into after my shower). He’ll take my car and fill it up with gas simply because I absolutely hate pumping gas. I’ll make him a cup of coffee when he’s working on a lesson plan for his volunteer stuff at school. But most of all, we say thank you. Maybe I’m deluding myself and we’ll be one of those statistics in 5 years, but I honestly don’t think so. I cannot imagine life without Tom. I met him when I was 16, married him when I was 18. I’m now 34. I’ve know him, literally, for over half of my life. We joke around, we laugh, we make fun of each other and ourselves, we make inappropriate comments, etc.
Tom’s been a little down lately because he’s still looking for a teaching position. It’s the middle of the year, so they are pretty sparse. Like I told him, he’ll get one for next year. Until then, we’ll just keep trucking on. If something comes up, he’ll apply for it and I feel confident the right job will find him soon. He also wants to go back and get his Master’s degree – and to that I say “go for it”. I’m so proud of him for figuring out what he wants to do and finding a way to make it happen. His degree is in business marketing, not education, so he had to go through extra classes and alternative certifications. That, my friends is dedication.
So, this post really is for Tom. We’re lucky, honey. Stop stressing out. Enjoy the time you spend volunteering and substitute teaching. I think it’s way more important for you to live in the moment. The kids, the teachers, the administration – they all love and adore you. You’re a shoe-in when the right job becomes available. Until then, enjoy yourself – we’re going to be fine. We always are 
To everyone else – BUT if you hear of someone looking for a bookkeeper, you should absolutely send them my way! *laugh* (http://www.offassist.com) 
I’m always looking for good, quality, clients.
Would definitely give you a nod, if someone needed a bookkeeper. You could not hang out with the Linux Journal crew and not be able to handle insanity. As to teaching, just based on grit, Tom should get a job.
As to doing other things — this won’t make a bit of sense — sometimes you have to go in a direction you would not expect. I could go over this in more detail by email. You’ve got it.
cmn