Culture shock

I worked from home, full time, for three years.  I worked from home more than half time for the three years before that.  It's been six years since I regularly commuted anywhere, sat at an assigned desk, and made like a corporate cog.  Sure, I still sat at a desk all day, but it was my own desk in my own office looking out on my own yard.  My commute was up a flight of stairs and I could start my day still in my pjs with my goofy, giant mug of home brewed coffee.

I went to the office five days in a row last week.  My brain hurt.  I wish I was joking, but it was such a culture shock.  I now get up 1.5 hours earlier than I'm used to so I can be at the office by 8am in professional attire with a packed lunch.  I down a protein shake in the car as breakfast.  I wear (brace yourselves) . . . nylons.  And heels.

My bento box in action at my new desk.  You can see my skirt and if you look close, a bit of my high heel shoes.  Monbento brand bento stuff is highly recommended for packing lunches.

Suffice to say, I've had a lot of changes in the past seven days.  I'm glad I got Theo settled with his leasor and trainer ride so he didn't get forgotten in the chaos.  I missed both of my lessons.  I saw him Tuesday night and then today.  The rest of the days I got out of work late or I just couldn't do anything after 9 hours of learning a new job.  But even though I only rode him twice, he was still worked five days in the week.  It's sustainable.  He was happy to see me and had ants in his pants on the cross ties, but it was the happy level of energy and not the explosive kind.  We worked in the outdoor ring, then went out with a pony for a little walk around the Ritz.  I snuck in the first cross country jump of the season!  Then I took papi out to help trim the grass near the rock wall where the lawnmower doesn't fit.  He's a helper.

He's actually ridiculously good at this, Trainer A sends us out to handle the grass growing up from between rocks because he's more effective than the weed whacker

This week is going to be closer to my long term schedule.  I'm no longer bound to the 9 to 5 hours since I've got a start on my work and I don't need to have someone sitting with me and showing me where stuff is.  I can start going in early so I can leave early.  I can work from home one day this week.  My new plan is to do an 8am lesson once a week as my hardcore dressage lesson and then work from home so I don't have to try to clean up for the office afterward.  I'll keep my 6pm lesson on Wednesday nights.  I'll ride him after work more often as I adapt to my new reality.  It's only three rides a week to keep him on his six rides a week minimum.  If I want more than three rides in a week?  Papi gets two rides in a day.  It's good for him.  He will be such a fit hunk.

Last week was hard mentally and emotionally.  It didn't occur to me just how huge of a change this would be for me.  I worked at my previous company for almost ten years.  When you've worked somewhere that long, it becomes twisted into every part of your life.  I'm still untwisting bits of the company out of my life.

I think this week will be better.  And long term, this job should be a good fit to my equestrian life style.  My boss is very supportive, the job isn't locked into a specific time at the office, and it's awfully close to the barn.  That doesn't mean I expect it to be an easy transition.  I spent a good ten minutes of my ride today having Theo trot on the buckle while I sat the trot with no stirrups and got my back moving again.  I'm terrible about carrying tension in my back.  But the shock is over.  Now I adapt.