Switching Things Up

August 2021 will be remembered in our home as the month that Dad moved to a different shift at work.

Spoiler: It didn’t agree with him, and he’s now back on his regular evening/night shift.

It was fun and different, though, and if there had been less workplace shenanigans involved, it might have been a good fit… eventually.

Things that were definitely on the positive side of the equation (from my point of view):

  • Not having to worry about waking Dad up in the mornings (because he left for work at 3:00am)
  • Choosing my daily outfit in the morning instead of the night before
  • Having Dad home for dinner and bedtime every night (not just on his days off)
  • Saturday morning garage sales!
  • Grocery shopping before lunch on Sundays instead of in the afternoon

There were an abundance of downsides, though, not the least of which being that Dad was basically jet-lagged for a few weeks in a row.

I think everyone involved will be glad for our routine to return to normal… including the next guy in line for the job.

Up And At ‘Em

The sun has finally risen, even though it’s behind this overcast funk that just won’t quit. The cat has gotten what she wanted (breakfast) and what she didn’t really want (her morning meds). I’m not quite firing on all thrusters yet, and the cold brew won’t be ready until I get back from taking my son to day camp.

Sounds like a good time to do some freewriting.

Except my mind is a blank.

Maybe it’s a good time for some meditation practice, instead.

My Condolences

As Connor and I sat idling in the loop line at school this morning, the stickers on the vehicle next to me caught my attention.

I couldn’t quite make out the dates, but it looked like this woman’s sister passed just a couple years ago.

Normally, an SUV bedecked with a memorial would stoke my empathy and curiosity, but only for a moment. Maybe it was because I sat there behind this Lexus for a good five minutes before the school began letting kids in, but something about this memorial just got me right in the feels. I think it was the added touch of the customized license plate that finally did it for me.

Sometimes rear-window memorials seem overdone or gaudy, but this just struck me as… genuine?

After we all drove around to the side entrance and I waited my turn to pull forward, I watched the kids climb out of their Mom’s car.

Sorry about your Aunt Jessica.