MotherReader

Last week I was speculating on going back to work in the public library system. Now with two work days behind me, I can say that it's all good.

My main worry had been not knowing what I didn't know. Having done the job for nine years, I was aware that subtle but significant changes can take place along over time. Different procedures, new databases, and branch particulars could influence the things I thought I knew. Then there are the things I've forgotten almost entirely, like trouble-shooting the Internet sign-ups and print jobs.

As it turns out, that wasn't as much a problem as I feared. The books, the library, the customer service are all coming back like riding a bicycle. If the other parts keep me a bit off-balance, then maybe it's like riding a unicycle. But either way, it's not stressful. My co-workers are nice, helpful, and understanding. The patrons have been patient, even when I lead them in the completely wrong direction in the library. (Oops.) There are definitely some things I need to learn or relearn, but I'm getting back in the game quickly.

In fact, I'll do my first book talking session in a week! I had been planning to do this as a volunteer anyway, so I did have some books planned. My Fair County puts together a list of books for the Summer Reading Program that used to consist of new titles, but now pulls from years of great books. The good thing for me is that they are titles I've used before, making the work that much easier. Of course, I never write these things down, so maybe not that much easier.

Since I'm starting with a kindergarten through third grade, my focus is on picture books today. Sharon Creech has written the perfect booktalk title with A Fine, Fine School about a principal who thinks school should go all the time because he's so proud of his students and teachers. Reading about keeping school going all year long is so much fun to do in a room full of kids days before summer break. I'm also looking at Bark, George as a read aloud, because it's first title I ever booktalked. Yup, really. I already have a stuffed rabbit to wear on my head to introduce A Boy and his Bunny, which I'll pitch as a beginning reader as well as a picture book. I'm also looking to the wonderful Steve Jenkins for Prehistoric Actual Size and the new Just a Second. Of course, it wouldn't be me if I didn't bring the magic of Mo Willems to my booktalk with the Elephant and Piggie series. I'm still pinning down my early chapter book selections, so I'll save them for next week. Stay tuned.

Last Wednesday, I covered a lot of good stuff happening in my family. My husband made a great movie for the 48 Hour Film Project. My teen daughter had three of her Cappies reviews published and was a beautiful lead in the school's Shakespeare scene for Text Alive. My also-teen daughter did a brilliant solo number in a musical revue and landed a part in a community theatre production of 13: The Musical. Seems like we're on an upswing... and...

I got my job back! The back is the key word here, because I can't find any other way to say it. While I was getting antsy at home, I wasn't looking for a job. I still kinda I wanted the job I had held for nine years before budget cuts took it away from me. And three years later, a position finally opens in a library branch near my home and the girls' school. I'm back, baby.

My new branch is excited to have me aboard, especially with summer just around the corner. In fact, I'll jump right in with school booktalking sessions in my third week. Like before, it's a part-time position in youth services, so I'll be working with the community and the books I love. Starting this Saturday.

There is a part of this change that is bittersweet. It is impossible to take this job without reflecting on the fact that I lost it in the first place, with much sadness. That I lost three years of salary. That the county considers me a "new employee" because of my unintended break in service. That colleagues hearing of my return respond with a sense of justice on my behalf. That I also have a sense of that justice too, even though I don't blame my Fair County for the staff cuts. I just got caught in the wrong position at the wrong time. But yeah, it still stings.

As I prepare to be a working mother (or MotherReader) again, I can't help but reflect on these last three years with some regret. I didn't publish a book or clear my household clutter or start a craft business. My blogging didn't bring a profit and Broadway didn't beckon for my daughter. I'm not really sure what I've been doing with my time.

At the same time, I have to look at the gifts of that space. I was free to organize a conference, help with my mother's stroke, and run two Girl Scout troops. Without always being busy, rushing from job to home to activities, I became more patient and calm. When my younger daughter was having trouble with school, I was able to help her with homework without mentally running through the things I needed to do. Maybe most important of all, I understood how much I need the interaction and activity of working outside the home to be energized. I even have hopes it will bring me new vitality online as the books I read because more relevant to other aspects of my life.

While I expect some challenges to being a working mother again, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to be working in the library again. Let's see where this next journey goes.