Honoring Needs ISN’T A Prison

Check it out!  Teeny maple leaves!  LOL…

Back to the point of this post.  😉  I used to think that I would only be really free if I had no needs or opinions.  Needs and opinions would limit me.  This especially came to mind in terms of getting or keeping a job.  I have been very shy to have any needs or preferences at all… as if I am supposed to be some slave to whoever employs me.  *headdesk*  I’m rethinking all these things now that I’m applying for jobs and reframing my needs as being something that FREES is touching my life in so many little ways that have nothing to do with the job hunt… it’s just lovely!

I’ve felt like I shouldn’t have any preference as to working full-time or part-time.  The thing is that my fiance has a job that pays very well.  We don’t NEED me to work full-time.  Working part-time would be very advantageous, because the extra free-time could be used to make sure dishes actually get washed and bills get paid on time… things that didn’t happen so well when both of us were working full-time (and a lot of over-time as well…).  However, I dunno… I had something stuck in my head about it being my “duty” to make as much money as possible – screw whatever I want or whatever he wants or whatever might make for a better work/life balance.  I’ve been ignoring what I really felt was right for me..  While I gave lip-service to the part-time idea, I didn’t really take it seriously… and I have a feeling that may have been because it was exactly what I did prefer.  Cuz, ya know… if I prefer it, it must be the “easy” way.  It must be the “lazy” way.  There’s some healthy self-respect for ya, eh?  *headdesk* 

Today I realized that part-time is something that I’d really like to try out.  It would give us that little extra infusion of cash so that we can afford some small treats in life and I would still have enough time outside of work to make sure we have clean-undies and stuff.  It’s not that the boyfriend will not do house-work.  He will.  However, he really loves his job and his job takes really good care of us, so I feel like my being able to focus on these things to some extent could work very well. 

The neat bit is that acknowledging and honoring my preferences and needs here feels FREEING.  It doesn’t feel limitting… it doesn’t feel confining – like I always feared it would.  What do you know?!?! 

I’ve been noticing this theme in my life so much lately… this thing about honoring needs being freeing rather than limitting.  Eating before I’m starved is freeing – not some annoying inconvenience… for example. 

I have a feeling this feeling that having needs is somehow imprisoning is something that many of our readers can relate to… Have you been there?  Where are you at with getting over it?  If you have overcome this issue, how did you do so?

–AngryGrayRainbows