Ending the Week on a Better Note

This week had a rough start that left me bitching and moaning and wallowing in self-pity. On the advise of someone who sometimes looks out for me, I pulled my post on “gossip”. It was one of those things that happened at the peak of my meltdown and probably not something I should have put out there for the world to read.

But I’m pleased to say that things are looking up today. I went into work to act for my big boss who is on leave this week. It was not too difficult to supervise the maybe 5 other people in our division who showed up today. Needless to say, it was a quiet day, one of those days when you can really get a lot done.

The best thing about the morning was an hour-long phone call from my boss, who is not supposed to be thinking about work. She listened and said all the right things. I have a new respect for her approach to problems and her willingness not to simply be a bureaucrat. This isn’t to say that the problems I faced are all resolved, far from it. But I now know that I have the critical support I need to do the right thing. I suppose I will not be shuttling out the door into retirement after all, not just yet anyway. Hopefully this will cure my insomnia. It’s amazing how much more effective an actual phone call is than a series of cryptic exchanges by Blackberry. I just haven’t learned the joys of texting.

My mid-afternoon treat made me realize just how nice something you have been missing is when you haven’t experienced it for a long time. I’ve had maybe 3 massages in the past 8 months, all of which have left me sore the next day, feeling a little like a piece of tenderized meat. But today I returned to my original massage therapist, who did wonders for all those kinks caused by my long absence and by my week from hell. She spent some time watching me walk, trying to internalize the necessary data to be on my “dream team”, the group of people who are meeting this week to figure out how best to deal with my walking issues. I listened to a CD of the ocean and its sea birds for over an hour while my body remembered just what I had been missing.

Tomorrow I get to relax into Shabbat. I will sing the prayers and speak the ancient words that Jews around the world recite every week. It will be a time to slow down, stop, and recharge for whatever lies ahead in the upcoming week. I think everything is going to be alright...