Character Test

Recently my wife decided that she was done working for corporations and left her job of many years to start her own business. We had counted on her income up to this point to pay about half of our debts. So now it was on me to pick up the slack and pay the bills. All of them! It has been about 9 years since I had to do it, so it was a big adjustment for me. I had become used to taking time off when I wanted to focus on other interests. I felt like my freedom was under attack. While my mind was in turmoil about how I was going to do this, I tried to be like the sign says and 'Keep Calm and Carry On.' I can't pretend that I was any good at using my poker face. It wasn't more than a couple of weeks before my first outburst. My wife, being the excellent one that she is, just listened and made a small comment. Her response was one of patience and determination. Didn't take me long to realize how I had become focused on me and not us.

Did I mention that she had begun working for herself? This is a paradigm shift that is not easy to make no matter who you are. Especially if all your life you have worked for large corporations like she has. Gone are the structured perks of daily life in a big business setting where generous pay scales and group insurance discounts come with the territory. Such things are rarely enjoyed in the self-employment market. Out here it is sink or swim. What you get, you keep a part of and the rest goes back into your business and taxes. Needles to say, my wife is under a great deal of stress. I remember how hard it was when I started my own business over 10 years ago. It is a place where you depend upon your strengths and your weaknesses are oh so apparent. It is a humbling journey, but one that will bring good changes if you stay with it. As a small business owner, I understand what she is going through. As a husband, I love her and want to be strong enough for her to depend upon. So I see her working all this out and it makes me proud. This 'character test' not just for her, but for me as a husband, and I will do anything it takes to pass.