Glorious Return to Work

I worried that I wouldn’t wake at my usual get-up time after begin off for seven straight days. But the worry was unfounded as I woke just before 5:20am feeling fully rested and ready to go. What’s more, I felt even better than I did on Tuesday. Ship-shape - just in time to return to work. :) That’s how it goes, I guess. All systems were go. The coffee was brewing and my exercise routine was underway well before 5:30am. I really needed to get back to work. Without goals and a plan, having time off is almost worthless, and certainly not good for one’s ongoing mental health. It’s fair to say that work provides more than just a financial life line. In addition, it provides the structure, balance, and routine I need. This isn’t earth shattering stuff. Instead, just more evident than ever. I went through my usual paces, including reading the Daily OM and meditation. Through this, I was reminded how important this stuff is to my day. Finding and feeling peace, I prepared for my run. Meanwhile, it was only 25 degrees. I wore my thickest winter wicking shirt. My run felt really good. It was nice to be out exercising before sun up. Mindy was making scrambled eggs upon my return, and the house was rockin’. All the kids were eating their breakfast and taking marching orders from Mindy. Kelly agreed to pick Rocky up from school today. However, that critical piece has yet to be determined long term. Mindy believes the answer will soon reveal itself. I’m trusting her on that one. The nice thing about everyday kindergarten is that it’s the same routine everyday. Speaking of which, I can already sense that the kids are getting it – our routine. I asked Mindy about the likelihood of Rocky attending her school, just like Bella. In the end, our expenses would go up minimally and our routine would be so much easier. But Mindy already checked. There are no openings. In fact, they’ve got kids being bussed off to another school due to overflow, so that’s not a viable option. For now, it seems, Rocky will stay at St Mary Magdalene. Soon Mindy and the wee ones departed. It felt great to be showered and ready all before 8am. My dad was at the house by 7:45am. I forgot to mention that he was coming over to get Jacob on the bus since this was an official ‘late start’ day. They do two or three of these each year. They school day is delayed by two hours to give the teaching staff time for developmental programs. Given that this was my first day back after being off seven in-a-row, I didn’t feel it appropriate to be two hours late. As I greeted him downstairs, dad was fiddling with the cable remote attempting to view brother Bob’s $20K bedroom makeover. Our Audio/Video system is not real intuitive. I had to help him out. While pressing onward with my routine, I caught a few chunks of the program which is available via on-demand viewing under lifestyles. Like all makeover shows, Bob & April both were crying when they did the big reveal. I found it awkward. I didn’t get to see much detail, however. Soon I left for work. Dad seemed to have things in hand with Jacob. It felt great driving into work. The day went well. I had to remind myself more than once that this was Wednesday already. My days have been upside down since last Tuesday. We had our regular staff meeting at 11am. It lasted almost two hours. I had no errands needing run so didn’t bother leaving for lunch, although I sorely needed a haircut. I worked until just after 5:30pm. It was totally dark when I left the office. I called brother Glenn on my drive home to touch base about our February ski trip. As much as I want to go, we most likely won’t be unless something unforeseen changes. Glenn took it in stride – understood. Saw it as a potential money savings. After all, his finances are tight right now being laid off and all. We talked briefly about the seemingly endless follow-up with his unemployment. They’re always threatening to take it away for some odd reason, but it typically gets resolved. We also talked briefly about Lindsey and then about Rina. He doesn’t admit it but I suspect having a relationship with her, however poor, keeps him grounded/connected with a sense of family. From my perspective, she contributes little of herself into any meaningful relationship. At home, I walked Ykraps after greeting Mindy & the kids. Jacob & Bella were off with Jimaken. This was our first taste of a non-Jimindy Wednesday. We had turkey and noodles using leftovers, of course. They were delicious! Rocky & Landon liked them too. They ate very, very well. Mindy had the two kids bathed before Jacob & Bella got home. J & B must’ve gotten home around 7:45pm. They were fortunate in that they were permitted to skip a bath. Not long after putting all four kids to bed, both Jacob & Bella broke into tears. They were distraught over what they viewed as a lack of attention since Rocky & Landon’s arrivals. This wasn’t entirely unexpected. We even talked about it. I was impressed with Mindy’s handling of the matter. She offered her empathy and consoled their fears, but she didn’t allow them to run ram shot over her either. Finally, after getting all four settled and sleeping, we both enjoyed an alcoholic beverage – me an IPA, Mindy a glass of wine. We headed to bed at 10pm.