Arising from the Underworld

After a bit of respite to handle new changes in my life, I now have more opportunity to write. I had planned to put Sophia in day care a few days a week beginning in March to afford myself some time to focus on my hypnotherapy practice. Initially I had intended on opening a larger practice in the Lansdale area, bringing in other practitioners and focusing primarily on women's needs, but I had an opportunity to do something similar with an experienced partner in Lower Bucks County. The target date was March 15th, but things couldn't come together with my partner. There wasn't a huge interested on the part of local practitioners, the initial investment was rather substantial, and day care is just plain expensive. I couldn't make the investment without feeling certain I'd get a return, and I'm not sure that I would have seen a profit at all. That project did not pan out, but everything happens for a reason.

The stymied project led me to re-evaluate my current personal financial situation, which is in need of a boost. Synchronicities led me to reviewing the job market for professional librarian positions. One night, practically on a whim, I applied to several places. I was offered two interviews and received two job offers. Just like that. It was amazing how easy it was. Now I've finished my first month as the Library Director of a small college in Montgomery County. It's great! I love it!

Admittedly I initially felt *very* guilty about leaving Sophia at day care. She still cries every day I drop her off at the school, and I miss her every day. She's adapting though, as children will do. She's just very sensitive.

Starting next week I am changing her day care. She's going to attend Montessori School. I'm very excited about it. Our current day care is close to home, but both Ardeo and I work at least 40 minutes away. It's stressful to get there in time to pick her up before they close at 6pm, and I feel so bad that she is one of the last children or THE last child in her age group to be picked up. That'll all change at the new place. It's less than five minutes from my library. She'll now be one of the last kids dropped off and first ones picked up :-) Should she get sick and have to be picked up, I can get her right away and even take her to work with me. She's old enough now, and I have an office with a door that closes and a cozy couch. Plus I feel she'll get more one on one attention at Montessori School. She's a bit of a high maintenance child, which doesn't bother me one bit as her mother, but I don't think she's getting the attention she deserves at her current day care. I think they're feeding her meat too. I'm raising her a vegetarian until she can make an informed decision on her own. Her current day care provides all the snacks and lunches, but they often contain meat or just aren't very healthy. At this Montessori School I'll provide everything for her to eat, so I know she'll be drinking organic milk, eating healthy snacks, and having a lunch that's healthy and that I know she'll actually eat. Too often she comes home ravished with hunger as I prepare dinner. She tends to be a slow eater, and at her current day care, they'll just take away the food once lunch time is over, so if she doesn't eat it within the set amount of time, then she doesn't eat. I can't wait for Monday!

As for my hypnotherapy practice, I haven't stopped it. I do it part time on the side. As a matter of fact, we're finishing off the sun room in our house to be a multi-purpose four season room. It's big enough to function as a hypnotherapy office, dance studio, classroom space and ritual room and all with a beautiful view! I will still take clients at the Morrisville office, which I share with a few other hypnotherapists, but I pay on a client by client basis, so it's not a loss for me. My main office will now be in Hatfield. I am specializing in fertility, natural childbirth, children, and women's general wellness. I'd love to eventually host Bradley birthing classes, and I am certainly willing to accommodate other alternative health practitioners who need reasonably priced space for work.

When can I do all this, plus be a mom, plus teach and rehearse belly dance, plus maintain my duties as the HPS of Evening Star? It's all at my house, except for the Library, of course. I do most of my hypnotherapy on the weekends now anyway, and the sessions themselves don't take up a huge chunk of time. I make sure to have dinner with my family during the week and be there for bath time. I schedule everything else around those times. I also still nurse Sophia at night before bed, and that is our very special time together. We also have plenty of nights off, when we can all play outside, go for a walk or a bike ride or just play with Sophia's toys. Besides, soon she'll be dancing with me, and she attends most of everything with Evening Star anyway. She's like my little shadow.