JOIN USI always had a dream. My endless banter with my near and dear ones always began with, “My dream is to be able to work from home.” Finally, when it came true, my joy knew no bounds. I called up my kith and kin and crowed about my ‘luck’.
No more hurried baths, dealing with endless traffic and packing endless dabbas. No more feeling guilty of making my daughter wait endlessly for me. I can now spend a lot of time with her... I went on and on. My friends couldn’t help exclaim — “You lucky bum.” I also enjoyed the envious glances my working neighbours threw at me even as they rushed in and out of their homes. My husband’s advice to go slow on my bragging sessions only fell on deaf ears. Such was the initial euphoria.
Very soon, I found myself entertaining unwanted guests who visited me with a vengeance. Some were even generous to tell me, “Well, we can force ourselves upon you now. After all, you are at home!” This was only the beginning. Attending insignificant functions like the marriage of a cousin’s husband’s niece’s brother-in-law, the engagement of a friend’s wife’s cousin, and visiting distant relatives to enquire after their well-being, has now become an obligation. For, I am at home.
Instead of answering mails, I find myself compelled to do the laundry and clean up cupboards. While the deadline for a story is fast approaching, my neighbours drop in for a chat. Every time I put on my thinking cap and scratch my head hard to write a good intro for the article, the door bell chimes. Most part of my day is spent in heeding to my ‘friendly’ neighbours’ requests of “while you’re home today…” More often than not, I find myself working through the night to meet the deadline. And most of all nobody takes my work seriously. After all, I am working from home, you see.
I can’t even crib. For, hubby dear will fire the “I told you so” salvo that I so dread. I feel like pulling my hair out in exasperation (no wonder my hair is thinning out) and screaming out to the world — “Stay off me! I am also working.” But, let me confess. I wouldn’t trade my new-found ‘work-from-home-mom’ status with anything under the sun. For, I’ve realised, happiness to me is seeing the smile on my daughter’s face when I pick her up from school and knowing that I am the one that put it there.