Earning A Little More of Everything...

So our finances are at a direly dastardly low point and I had a few opportunities this week to increase my monthly earnings. My decision of which to pursue brought me closer to an understanding of who I want to be. 

One opportunity was to take on the full time care of an 18 month old three days a week. The other was to take on a paper route.  The childcare paid ½ to 2/3 more.  Thinking from a purely financial lens would steer me to the three days of childcare.  But that didn’t sit right with me.  And what is this time out on the fringe except an opportunity to create a lifestyle that is right for me?  I would gain financially, but I would lose three mornings a week, time I set aside for reading, writing, and thinking.

On the other hand the paper route would bring me closer to two goals: make a little more money, and take a ½ hr walk every day.  Did you know a person can reduce their risk of most cancers and boost their health simply by adding a half hour walk to their daily routine?  So from a wider lens that takes into account benefits of time, and benefits of a healthy lifestyle, the paper route wins hands down.  It means getting up a little earlier 6 days a week, but I win there too: this weekend is the time change, so when I get up at 6 this week, it will be like getting up at 7 last week, which means I am actually sleeping in a ½ hour more!

At least I hope that is how it works. I'm going to walk the route tomorrow and make a final decision after that.