Your Turn RICH LOHMAN

Work-Life Balance Worked for Him

My 31-year banking career came to an abrupt end in December 2001, when I was laid off. When I received that highly anticipated call from the big boss in Atlanta, I inquired, “I don’t suppose you’re calling about a Christmas bonus?” Humor was possible because I harbored no animosity. It was a sound business decision, unfortunately for many of us.
 
Some people experience a horrible void when vacating a career with a title and status that they had identified as the measure of their self-worth. I didn’t.
 
My wife, Sandy, and I had already figured out that some things are more important. We made a major decision to improve our quality of life in 1984 when our son, Mark, was 5 and our daughter, Megan, was 2. After living in suburban D.C. for 14 years, we moved to Virginia to escape the two-hour daily commute and the expensive economy.   
 
Another huge change occurred in 1995 when Sandy experienced burnout in her 22-year nursing career and needed to take a few years’ break. While it required tradeoffs and rearranging priorities, it made Sandy much healthier and happier. It also allowed her to be more involved in the kids’ activities. Our lifestyle may have taken a hit, but our quality of life soared. When Sandy returned to work, it was in a new field which offered less pay but a more enjoyable life.
 
 
My new life after the layoff quickly filled with our family and grandchildren’s activities: building a picnic table and benches for the kids, summer adventures to the river with my granddaughter Chloe and the dogs. She and I still laugh about the turtle that fell off a limb into the river. 
 
I was able to finish writing and illustrating my book, a collection of common sayings; be an extra in a movie (which never made it); and go on two police ride-alongs. Sandy and I had more time together. Life was good!
 
Still, these exciting times were intertwined with the typical and frustrating job search. My most recent job experience was extremely specialized, magnifying the difficulty in getting noticed in a glutted job market. 
 
After a couple of short-term jobs with just mediocre satisfaction, I became a substitute teacher with Chesterfield County Public Schools in August 2005.
 
 
My first assignment was in the computer lab at Bon Air Elementary School. I was both excited and nervous. Not knowing what to wear, I chose to go conservative and wore a suit, quickly learning I was a few decades behind the times. 
 
The day went very well because the lessons were on applications I had worked on for years. My last class was fifth graders and I thanked them for making my first day as a sub end so well. The greatest compliment I could have received came from a boy who said he was surprised it was just my first day. This was a great start to my new adventure.
 
Initially, building assignments was a slow process. Megan, a first grade teacher at Greenfield Elementary School, had me sub in her class in October. It was fun and I met other teachers, which helped to significantly increase my assignments at Greenfield. As I gained experience, I gained confidence and loved the job!  
 
 
Assignments were coming almost every day by late January as I was subbing in all elementary grades, including resources and special-needs classes. I was having a wonderful time and really loved the kids, teachers, administrators and staff. It was awesome to be greeted in the halls with big smiles, especially by the little ones. My banking “career” seemed like a life-time ago.
 
Even though I had been a loyal and dedicated employee, banking had long ago transitioned from a career to a job. In high school, I wanted to be an American history teacher but went the business route in college and career with no particular inspiration. 
 
After experiencing the amazingly satisfying and enjoyable substitute teaching role, I realized I hadn’t achieved the level of passion in business that I would have if I had followed my first dream of being an educator.
 
I particularly encourage moms with children at home as well as anyone interested to seriously consider subbing. It offered flexibility and control over my schedule as well as the satisfaction of helping teachers create a healthy and positive environment for our children.
 
 
My son Mark, now 28, and I had a conversation recently that left me feeling extremely satisfied about my work philosophy. I joked that he would have been much happier being born to wealth. Mark sincerely responded he wouldn’t have traded because he appreciated me attending nearly all of his baseball games, while many other fathers didn’t because of work.
 
It was a great joy of life to watch young Megan make “delicious” mud pies and have tea parties. It was a joy watching my son’s first home run soar over the left field fence and making exciting plays at home plate. In weighing mud pies and home runs versus that next ego-boosting title and a few more dollars at payday, pies and games easily won.
 
Long ago, I remember seeing a one-panel comic that showed two adjacent back yards. Behind the small, plain home were several boys having a wonderful time in a small, inflatable swimming pool. Next door was a huge, fancy house with a large in-ground pool. A forlorn boy peered pensively through the fence at the kids next door. 
 
That caption-less comic captures the essence of a good quality of life. Our family was happy with the inflatable pool at our home.

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