Good Bye January!

I had a strange urge to cling to Christmas this year & couldn't figure out why - I like snow, snowmen, the new year etc - just didn't want to let December go for some reason. I think it was a premonition…

January brought too many late nights and very early mornings at events & the office, long nights in classes, sad situations affecting family friends, and an ever-growing mental list of things I need or should do but don't have time. I felt burnt out, tired, unproductive, & had a tough time not being annoyed by silly little things. My last January weekend was spent at the hospital with John (ER chairs are NOT good beds!). I was excited to sleep in Monday (maybe even get "snowed in" at home by the blizzard), but even that turned out to be less than peaceful!

Eventually tough wears down. As I drove to work on Wednesday, I realized that, despite all efforts & solid reasoning, I had reached the end of my rope. The rope responded with a hole in my new nylons & a soda machine that stole my money…funny rope...

But then… The small crack in my office door widened, and in stepped, not a coworker with questions, but, a thoughtful John bringing caffine (to make up for the sticky-fingered vending machine), snickers, & a cool vase of flowers. He claimed that it was for helping him out with the surgery, but really I think he just knew that I was having a harder day than I wanted to admit.

To be fair to the month, there were some good things - a fun Olympic Curling lesson, awesome Pilates classes, Nintendo Olympics on New Years Eve, saving a homeless guy, and some fun with the Wallis & Hawkins kiddos... My friends Heather & Bryan took over my dance classes this term - so it will be nice to have that night open & great to know they are having fun teaching! And then, there was one nice evening, when I was home before 9, and decided to just stop, pull up my covers, and read a non-work related book (a luxury usually reserved for when I'm stuck on an airplane), just because, ahhh wonderful!

In the end, I realize there are always many people who have much bigger things to complain about than I do, and still others who will always whine about tiny things. I'm ok being in the middle. And with that, I bid "good riddance" to a stressful January, as I look forward to a better, brighter February!