Transformation, Renewal & Perspective
We work from home. Which has its perks. Today, the studio gave up its precious shipping and receiving real estate to make way for the entire team to have a Challah baking, team building exercise. Doing things together as a team outside the formalities of a work day is an initiative we always talk about but never get to. So although biting into the warm Challah this Wednesday night will be like heaven on earth, it’s really heralding in the Jewish New Year on the right foot that is the real icing on the cake.
Today was not the only time #TheFrockStudio morphed into a space of new dimension. When I gave birth to Tsofia 22 months ago, I was in a rush to get back to work (after a week) and struggled with my desire to create a nurturing schedule that incorporated the constant nursing, healthy sleep patterns and my impatience to work as much as I was used to. I wanted to be the woman on the top of the corporate ladder, with my baby right there with me.
Chaya has been equally weighted by transitioning back into a convenient, healthy baby-work-life routine. While she is fortunate to have the choice to bring #babyber (his #instaname) to work, she doesn't have the same close proximity and convenience of walking downstairs like I had. As we fleshed out the pros and cons, we came to the conclusion that we’re lucky enough to have #TheFrockStudio in a home, with a nursery right upstairs so she can be the girl boss and baby boss at the same time.
Yes, it will take time until she’s in a rhythm, but she has decided to bring him to work and take advantage of the perks of working from home. That's where we began to see the beauty of the home office unfold, whereas I had never seen it in that light before. Having the freedom to do both as best as I could meant that the blessings that working from home had, were becoming very apparent. The baby swing has actually added a sense of softness and unpredicted sense of calm to the office, which we can definitely use. But then there are times like Thursday night where The Frock Studio needs to make way for the New Year meals of 30+ friends and family. Fabric samples that were neatly arranged need to be moved, printers and organized stations get displaced, the communal Frock work table takes on a new role and my stress levels increase slightly (ok, maybe more than slightly). With the help of two angels, our brother, and my husband, the Studio becomes a dining room fit for a banquet. Transformation. A new space was born, yet again. Renewal. My husband turned 31 this week and shared with me his thoughts on reaching this milestone (aka now being the same age as me:)!
In Hebrew, the corresponding letters of 31 are the letters Lamed and Aleph. When combined, the letters spell the word "Lo", which means “no”. However, when switched in order, they spell the name of G-d. I can choose to feel the burden, or blessings, of having the Frock Studio at home. Perspective. Having to manage the comings and goings of our home office has meant the whole Team Frock has had to be flexible with each other's space, and at times give up their own semi-permanent workstations and just go with the flow. While it does impact the efficiency of the workflow, a slight change in perspective has made all the difference. Seeing the packing table transform into the place for the team's Challah baking exercise enabled us to feel more tangibly the ability to synchronize two opposite realms; the workspace, home space, in a sense the physical and spiritual.
In our two and a half years of business, we have recently been feeling the (physical) growing pains of working from home, which is pushing us to move to a bigger space. While it may not have bedrooms with a nursery for our baby to sleep in while we work or the freedom to quickly throw on dinner at 3 pm if we didn’t have time in the morning, what we do know is that wherever the new year brings us, our studio will always feel like home.
We would like to send our sincerest wishes to each and every one of you. May the Jewish New Year bring about the transformation in your life you have been aspiring for, the ability to transfer your perspective on your current situation to find the goodness and light, the home within everything and the freedom to open yourself up to allow G-d’s blessings into your life with joy. Sending blessings of peace, love, and prosperity from our family to yours.
Xoxo Simi, Chaya, and Team Frock!