One Secret to a Working Mom Success: Value Traditions

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Greetings from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ! Things have been busy. I am still a working mom of three, working full time who is trying to make a difference. I do a lot of things and try to be present so that I can learn from them. I share them on this blog so that we can learn together. Below are some thoughts, hacks, and/or lessons that I have learned from navigating my world. "Family traditions counter alienation and confusion. They help us define who we are; they provide something steady, reliable and safe in a confusing world."— Susan Lieberman   Traditions have a way of defining a family, provide stability and give hope. They are especially important for woking moms who spend so much time working to provide for their family that they may miss some of the "traditional" mom things like bake sales, volunteering at the book fair, and a host of actual and seemingly made up holidays.  They are also important for families trying to reinvent themselves in the wake of d...
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There's no place like Pittsburgh...

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In some cities you get propositioned for sex, political campaigns, or P.E.T.A. However, in Pittsburgh, you get propositioned for the “jitney”. A jitney is what is commonly known as a gypsy cab in some cities. It is somewhat of a Pittsburgh icon. August Wilson even wrote about them in his plays. However, until Saturday, a jitney was something that I had heard about, but had never seen.

As I left the grocery store on Saturday, I was propositioned and I finally understood that you don’t necessarily find the jitney. Sometimes, the jitney finds you.

I was introduced to the jitney because I altered my routine. I changed grocery stores out of necessity, a storm was coming and I needed food fast. Each time a storm is brewing they make it seem as if you will be unable to leave your home for days. So I ventured out to the ghetto grocery store near my house. Something, I try not to do.

I suppose reason follows if the grocery store is in the ghetto, my house is in the ghetto. I am in denial about that though. I believe what my co-op says, my neighborhood is in transition…

Normally, I shop at the uppity grocery store across town, but on Saturday I went to the store closest to my house. Now, despite what some of you think, not all grocery stores are created equally. Some have the good produce and some have what’s left over. Some have advertisements for yoga and some have a jitney driver soliciting business.

Having lived in other cities, I know that the disparity in grocery stores isn’t unique to Pittsburgh. However, when I heard the man ask, “Do you need a jitney?” I knew that I had arrived. Despite my protests, there was no denying, I live in Pittsburgh.

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