And beyond generous.
I was disappointed, let me get it out-of-the-way, the sounding like an asshole, today when I got my Christmas present from my employers.
Gah.
I sound like such an ass.
I’m not disappointed any more, fyi, I got over it pretty fast, but for about an hour I was miffed and a little let down.
I had hoped for a bonus.
Ah.
Who the hell am I kidding?
I had expected a bonus.
I had expected a weeks pay.
That’s typically what I have gotten from my employers whom I have nannied for, with the exception of one set of families that gave me a half weeks salary.
I was rather counting on getting the money to make my first car payment on my car.
Not that I don’t have it to pay, my dear and sweet and generous friend who went with me to help me get the car told me don’t put too much down, rather, keep it in prudent reserve, a years worth of payments, just in case something happens.
That way I’m not screwed if something comes up and it felt really good to do that.
I still was hoping to get a nice bonus and throw a big payment on my first month of the car payment.
Not happening.
Of course, I’ll still make the payment, and it will be larger than what I need to, I have it, and I want to pay off a little extra every month.
I felt a bit chagrined to have gotten my hopes up so high.
I do know better, expectation leads to resentment and all that.
But I had gone ahead and had some expectation.
I think I surprised myself.
I think I thought I was maybe, just maybe going to get more than a week’s salary.
The huge gift of an Iphone 8 for my birthday.
Then, there’s that, the HUGE gift of the Iphone 8.
Which retails at $799.
And the family also did give me two other gifts tonight as I was wrapping up the week with them before the holiday–a set of AirPods, which retail at $159 and six paid sessions at my chiropractor, at $85 a pop that’s $510.
In toto this week the family has given me $1,468 worth of stuff.
I need to shut the fuck about not getting what I want.
Yes.
It’s true, I would not have spent the money on a new Iphone or the Airpods, not at all, last thing really I would have bought, nor would I have spent the money on the chiropractor, although, yes, eventually I would.
But I wonder, have been wondering for a few moments now, what if these are exactly the things that I need in my life.
My current phone is old and probably won’t last much longer.
I have been pondering buying a new one soon anyhow.
The Airpods will help with me taking client calls, I did a phone session tonight and I thought about half way through of the pods and, huh, they are going to come in handy.
Plus.
Going to the chiropractor is expensive and I know myself well enough that maybe I wouldn’t keep paying $85 a week to go to it.
Shit.
I pay $120 a week for therapy.
So maybe the gift certificate was exactly how I should be spending the money.
Really.
I got more than I was expecting.
It was just in a different form.
I also got to have some amazingly sweet time with the oldest boy today.
We had a solo day out.
We took the train downtown, went and visited the Christmas tree in Union Square, watched the ice skaters slipping all over the place on the temporary holiday ice rink that always goes up, went and looked at the Christmas windows in Macy’s and watched the kittens and puppies play, then off to the Metreon to watch Ferdinand the Bull, the new cartoon movie, quite sweet.
Afterward we went back to Macy’s as there was a food truck party happening and he and I got rotisserie chicken and brussels sprouts and sat on the astro turf and had a picnic lunch.
Then.
Yes, I can’t believe I let him talk me into it, we went into the Disney store, then to the Westfield Mall.
It was intense and probably not an experience I would enjoy on my own, but getting to see it through his eyes was super sweet and special.
I helped him pick out a Christmas present for his sister and I picked out a present for his sister to give to him.
So adorable.
He ate all sorts of the good junk food its super fun to have when you’re seven going on eight, popcorn and a slushy at the movie theater and Twizzlers, the chicken for lunch, eaten with his fingers, and, yes, unbelievable that he even had room for it, a pretzel hotdog from Annie’s Pretzels in the mall.
“What is that good smell!?” He asked as we came back from getting his toy.
Annie’s Pretzels.
He basically passed out in my lap on the MUNI train ride home.
Such a sugar pie.
When we got back to the house and settled in and all the parents and siblings were present I gave them the presents I had gotten them: the Dogman comic book for the oldest boy and another comic from the same author (he LOVED them); a rainbow unicorn pencil bag and unicorn dress pin for the little lady, and for the baby, one of my all time favorite children’s books, “I Am A Bunny.”
Too adorable.
It was good times.
And it was so nice to get all the appreciations from the family.
Even with not getting what I wanted.
I got so, so, so much.
The mom and dad and I also renewed my contract and did an evaluation.
The dad basically told me how they do it where he works and that they judge on three categories and each category is measured by: needs improvement, met expectations, exceeds expectations.
The dad said the I had exceed far away all of their expectations and as such they wanted to give me a bigger raise than the cost of living wage I was expecting.
See?
Hahahaha.
Expectations, bite me right in the ass, but this time in a really good way.
The cost of living raise is 3%.
The family gave me a 5% raise.
AND.
The father explained that I will receive as well, a 5% raise every year that I am with them.
It will be a 5% increase on each years salary, so each year the raise will be bigger.
I am down with that.
So fuck my expectations.
And Merry Christmas to me.
I’ve been given so very much this week.
I am so grateful for my life.
And all the love I get to have.
Luckiest girl in the world.
Seriously.
Auntiebubba 