Sigh of Relief

I finally had my first set of reviews this morning at work. My firm has a very open review policy, so twice a year we are read verbatim what every supervisor thinks of us. Not counting my 12 weeks as a summer associate (which really, shouldn't count), I had never had any formal feedback on my work product. Add to that the fact that my hours are under pace and I was (very) nervously awaiting these reviews.

I sat at my desk for 30 minutes, my whole body burning from anxiety, listening to another associate read .... glowing reviews. I may have done a few things right, but I have definitely made mistakes and am by no means a model first year associate, so this was a huge relief. It helps to be a first year because no one expects you to know anything and it also helps to work for really nice people.

The only mention of my hours was at the very end, when my reviewer asked in what really sounded like pure curiosity whether I've been able to get enough work. I told her that the first few months of the year were terrible and that it picked up in the spring but it has dropped off significantly the last week or two. She murmured acknowledgment that it seemed to be the trend for the office and then moved on to a different topic. Considering the last 4 months of the year I will be out on maternity leave, I'm pretty confident that it won't be a big issue at my year-end review either.

So today my job is leaving me with some pretty substantial warm fuzzies and my life feels very comfortable right now. Timmy is at what must be the perfect age and I truly can't get enough of him. PJO and I have been able to spend some quality time together lately. I've had many free nights and weekends and the weather has been perfect nearly every day, so my photosynthesis (I'm convinced I have it) is working in optimal condition.