This week has been a new kind of chaos. Our regular, well maintained schedule has been torn up and scattered to the wind because this week, Matt started a new job in Melbourne. For the last 18 months Matt has been developing the software that we retained from the closure of HUCX - our prefab building company. From the outside it might have looked like an irresponsible decision, him not getting a job straight away thus making me the bread winner on a part time income from the Tech School. However we made a choice and decided to invest in the software and invest in Matt.
To be honest the last 18 months have been far easier than when we had the company because now at least the small amount of money we did earn was mostly our own. I cringe at the thought of how many times we got paid and the money had to go straight in HUCX to buy a pallet of timber or top up staff wages. Over the last 18 months Matt has managed to take his software so much further than he ever could when we had a working factory. During this time, he has also been in charge of the school run and dinners.
A few weeks ago he got the opportunity to present his project at a Rust Meet Up (Rust being the coding language he specialises in). He was meant to be one of two presenters on the night but the other person dropped out so Matt had the stage for 2 hours. I wish I was there to see it. Rust is a modern coding language and which means that it's quite specialised. Most developers have heard of it but not many use it commercially so it’s been impossible to find advertised roles that use it. Finally he had a room of people who knew what the hell he was talking about - I still don’t fully understand by the way!
After his presentation, he had lots of engagement from the crowd including people from an optics and autonomy company in Port Melbourne. They wanted him to come in for a chat and four weeks later he started as a Senior Rust Developer. Luckily we had May Day last weekend so we could update his smart/casual wardrobe because he’s now heading into Melbourne four days a week with one day working from home. We’re so proud of him. The last 18 months have been tough financially but they’ve paid dividends with his software and expertise (finally) leading to new and exciting opportunities that never would’ve come about otherwise.
Matt has also spent the last 18 months as lead parent while I’ve been saying yes to every opportunity that comes my way. I’ve had the freedom to go off to events, summits and conferences knowing that he’ll just hang out with the kids. Our ‘transition week’ as I’ve been calling it, has been a rude awakening as me and the kids adjust to the new timetable that has Matt out the door before 6am four days a week.
Monday and Friday are fine because I work from home but on Tuesday to Thursday, we now have to be out the door by 7.30am so I can ride with kids to school and be at the Tech School at 8am. My once calm 1.2km downhill ride to work has been replaced by a nearly 6km round trip before 8am! I know you’re thinking, Jess, wouldn’t it be easier if you drove? And yes it would be but we’ve spent 18 months getting the kids to ride everyday and we all really want to continue doing it so it just means a super early start.
It's awesome missioning around on bikes with the kids, apart from when it was belting down with rain on Wednesday when I picked them up from afterschool care. It was so wet that I had to get the kids to go straight into the bathroom when we got home and stand in the bath so they could peel off their soaking wet clothes without leaving puddles everywhere. You could pour the water out of our shoes. Once we were all dried off and I’d chucked everything in the washing machine Frank made us all hot drinks and we were able to laugh about it. On reflection it was pretty mad. I should’ve just grabbed the car and picked up the kids leaving the bikes at school but this is what ‘transition’ weeks are for.
We are at the start of a new chapter for our family and it will take a while for dust to settle and our new routine to feel normal. Matt is excited about his new job and where it might take him but he’s really missing the kids (and me!) now that he’s only hanging out with us for a few hours at night. On the other hand, I feel like I’m with the kids ALL the time but that is mostly fun - apart from the whole riding in the rain incident.
Being adaptable and holding things lightly is the only way forward. It's a great reminder that good stories often happen in the moments of chaos. The times when things go wrong or the unexpected happens. We instinctively try to avoid catastrophe but it’s going to happen anyway so we might as well embrace it and make the most of it with the people we love!
