The Water Cooler

I worked in an office for 5-1/2 years. And we had a pretty cool water cooler.  It wasn't one of those typical water jugs sitting on a stand with a spout below. It was a system that filtered and cleaned the water and even heated it too... it had buttons on the front and the water came from a line ..not a jug.

 While at work I drank lots of water. I'd go to the break room and fill up one or two glasses at a time to take to my desk. Along the way I might pop my head in someone's office, chit chatting about the latest movie, or asking about some event they had going on. Then I'd head back to my desk and precede to work.

 As a Stay At Home Mom [SAHM] I find one of the biggest adjustments for me was losing my water cooler experience. I am an extrovert. I thrive on conversation. I get energy just from being around other people. I may have even been that person in the office that you hope doesn't stop at your desk for that 5 minute chat cause you gotta really get some work done. 

 At first, the chaos of being plunged into full-time-at-home-motherhood was so overwhelming, I was just trying to keep my head above water. Then the chaos settled down to a much easier or more palatable rhythm. Once it did, however, calm down- something inside me shifted and I couldn't figure out what it was.

 I began to feel invisible. I began to feel forgotten. Somewhere among the goldfish snacks and the Finding Nemo playbacks I felt lost in the shuffle of the everyday. It took me several days to realize what was going on. But when I did, it was like a light bulb illuminating a room. I had lost my water cooler experience and my extroverted self was withering without the energy it thrived on. 

 While it was wonderful to spend more quality with my children, I dreadfully missed the regular and daily  intervals of adult conversation. Even emails with vendors and quotes to customers provided some of the energy I now relished. 

 So... I decided to start finding new "water cooler" experiences. I had the choice to stay at home and wallow and become ho-hum and depressing like Winnie the Pooh's Eeyore, or I could make positive changes that could make a difference for myself.

 So I joined a MOPS group (Moms of Preschoolers). I started attending our Wed night church services. I started making Play Dates. And I continue to foster relationships with my Facebook friends. Yes, my Facebook friends. Because for as much slack as social media gets, it provides a water cooler experience for women like me. When I get a few minutes I can pull up my page and find out what others are up to. I can glance at some pictures or read a shared article. I try not to do it when I need to be tending to my children. And I also don't get to do as much as I'd like. But it is nice, to have a place to go [on my phone] and find a water cooler experience. It may not be the same as the face to face interaction, but it  does the trick as well. 




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