David quit his job.

Just like that.

No new job lined up.  No security blanket of independent financing.

He quit.

He quit because after a year of 50+ hours a week and an hour long commute and a job that was stressful and never ending in its demands it was time.

Nothing can force you to clarify your values and your life like a new baby.  A new baby is all encompassing in its demands and there is no ignoring the impact.  And so David found himself with a new baby, a wife crippled with postpartum depression and a job that was demanding his heart and soul.  Something had to give.

I wish I could say that the decision seemed clear to us but it didn’t.  We struggled with the overwhelming aspect of our lives and felt lost and trapped. What were we to do? We just bought a house, had a baby, how could we survive without an income? And yet, it was a simple phone call from my mother that put us straight.  She simply said, “Stop playing scared”.

Life gets like that when you start having kids – when you grow up.  The consequences of your decisions have far-reaching impact and you start to drive through your life white-knuckled and scared of the “what-ifs”.  However, life should never be lived from behind a rock – from the point of safety and when my mother so clearly told us that we were being cowards we knew what we needed to do.  You can either own life or life can own you but either way it is a choice.  So David and I chose.

The truth is that I’m not that worried. David is very talented and well liked. I’m sure he will land a job soon and indeed he’s been rather busy interviewing and fielding a variety of opportunities.  That isn’t the best part of this story though – the best part has been seeing him smile again. The best part has been waking up everyday with a husband who is present, relaxed and excited about his own life again.  We’ve gone to the lake, seen movies in the middle of the day, had family dinners EVERY night and generally enjoyed being a family again.

At the end of the day it is the choices we make everyday that determines what is important to us – where our values sit.  I’m proud of the fact that my husband had the courage to stand up and choose his family above all other obligations.  Now then, anybody looking for a great creative director?