Best Start Ever

I have not made a blog entry in quite some time so I thought it would be a good time to check back in.  I am happy to say that things in my world have been going quite well.  I have a found a healthy balance in my life and am enjoying the absence of long periods of mental anguish.  I have been able to keep my thoughts in check for the most part and have started to realize what a psychiatrist once told me. He told me to think of my thoughts as being translucent, having them pass right through my mind and not allowing them to linger.

Work has been going amazingly well this year.  This is the best start to any job I have ever had.  Things seem to be falling in to place quite nicely and I am really enjoying the work I am doing.  I never thought we would make it through April with all the storm clean up we did but, here we are at the beginning of June.  I am constantly learning and trying to maintain the professionalism that our customers expect.  My boss has been great with us and I appreciate his input in helping me grow.  This is the best relationship both professionally and personally that my boss and I have ever shared.  We have been through a lot together and I think we have come to understand each other in really positive way.

We had quite a scare about a month a go now.  My boss had a transient ischemic attack (TIA) which is a mini- stroke.  It was a shock because he has done physical work his whole life and is in good shape.  He lost his license and is not supposed to start work again until September.  He is feeling much better now but, still has to go through the waiting process.  We are doing our best to make things work for the company and feel we are working really well as a team to make the best of things.  Jesse and Heather are doing a wonderful job and we have added an amazing woman named Christine to the mix.  She has done amazing and has been a big asset to us.  A young man named Devon started a few weeks a go too and is getting better each day.  I think it will just take him some time to get used to the long days and coping with the heat.  Our customers have been patient as most of them are aware of what my boss has been going through.  All and all, we are holding things together and working hard to achieve success.

We finished a sod job on Friday which I am really pleased with.  I believe I was able to maintain the grade so that the water still drained in the appropriate manner.  The customers are a lovely couple and are very happy with the work we did.  They had been waiting a long time for a new lawn and I am certain they will enjoy their back yard a lot more now.

Jodi is almost done another school year.  She is starting to work on report cards which are due in a few weeks.  I am glad she will get a chance to relax for a bit and spend some time with Ollie over the summer.  I think she may end up going out east at some point to visit her parents.  I would love to go too but, do not want to take much time off this year.  I may book a day or two off here or there to go camping but, do not plan to be a way for an extended period of time.  I am hoping Jodi and I will get a chance to play some golf this year as it has been a few years since we hit the links.  Our relationship continues to grow and we are in a good place right now.

I feel fortunate to be where I am at right now.  My life could have easily gone another direction if I had not made changes.  I was reflecting yesterday and cried.  I thought of all the times my mind was in a dark place and when suicidal thoughts were severe in nature.  Somehow I have made it to today and I do not take that fore-granted.  Life is a gift that I did not always want.  I am able to experience joy now and appreciate the little things on a daily basis.  My mind is not absent of struggle but, the road I am traveling has become a little smoother.

Hope this finds you well.  Take care,  Shawn.

“The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong.”
― Laura Ingalls Wilder