Today was the first day of school for Brian, and with that comes a bit of sadness for me. I grew quite accustomed to spending so much time with my husband this summer, and it is difficult to watch him go back to work.
That may sound silly to some, but being a teacher is akin to being a slave for ten months. I'm being facetious here, of course, but it is demanding. Brian doesn't simply work a 9-5 job and at the end of the day he's free to put up his feet or do as he pleases. I've worked many jobs myself, the standard 9-5 as well as teaching, and they are vastly different.
Where I came home to mountains of papers to grade, Brian has to constantly be playing back his band rehearsals so he can take notes and see where his students need to improve. He also must keep listening to the songs he is having his band perform and study the scores so he knows them like the back of his hand. On top of all of this, he works one or two nights a week at the downtown music center where he gives lessons.
Then there are the dreaded weekends, which happen more than I wish, where he is involved with some band competition or judging or what have you. I dislike those most of all.
If I sound like I'm complaining, I apologize, for that's really not my intention. It is simply that I miss my husband when he is not here, and I also hate to watch the stress that he must face throughout the school year. I think that is the hardest part for me.
However, in spite of all of this, I am grateful for his job and the fact that it provides for us. Brian is a good provider, and just as he works hard on his end, I work to make our home a haven that he can find solace in no matter how cruel the day has been. It is my pleasure to have a hot meal waiting for him when he comes home, just as it is my joy to serve it to him so he can simply sit and enjoy.
It's a challenge getting back into the routine as we both are trying to deal with the alarm clock at 5:20. I get up with Brian, too, because I like seeing him off to work, and I know it helps him to get going when I am up with him. I always have his outfits picked out and ironed, I make and pack his lunch, and I prepare his breakfast. These are just small things in my mind, when he is working so hard to provide for us. Yes, Brian worked this hard before we got married, but it is my hope that the things I do make life easier for him, and a little happier, too.
