Day 242

When we got the electric vehicle, it was established that my wife would use it for work. Not only did she have a longer drive, but there was a charging station right across from her work should she ever need to use it. It just made sense to have her utilize the gas-free vehicle. Since my classroom is literally two minutes away, we knew it would take much longer to burn through a tank of gas and our visits to the gas station would be much less frequent. Because gas stops tend to be at Kwik Trip and tend to include treats, my kids were disappointed about that fact. They have come to learn that Kwik Trip is not a gas station or a convenience store. It is a way of life. 

So now I knew I would be using the minivan. 

But only when I needed to. In previous years, I would often have to leave school right after dismissal to rush across town and pick up our youngest from daycare. That changes this year. He starts 4K this year and will be bussed to my school in the afternoon. In fact, even though we will have three kids in three different classrooms this year, all three kids will rendezvous together at my school at the end of every school day. Because I don't need to run to daycare, they can all take the bus home, meaning on most days, I can stay at school and finish up work there. Knowing I have a ton of responsibilities at the farm, it was disheartening to also bring a ton of schoolwork home. For some reason, it made me feel guilty and blurred the lines of a healthy home-school relationship.

Never being able to separate work at school for work at home can also wreak havoc on a person’s physical endurance and condition. The stress and wear and tear associated with a constant state of work is exhausting.

But now, not only can I exercise by walking or even biking to school much more often, I can leave work at work and enjoy my time at home.

Because there’s plenty of other work to enjoy there.