Back to Work

It's back-to-work Monday for me today and as I look at the clothes I was choosing to wear to work today I realized I hadn't worn work clothes in 3 weeks! Something to kind of be thankful about right? But then again ego reminded me I didn't iron anything last night either. So I have to choose something that is the least wrinkled in my closet as possible LOL. Before I even got to that point, I sort of woke up and ran into a video on YouTube from Teal Swan as if I was meant to hear it today. The video was about why relationships fail. Now I already have the sense that I need to really own my Universe, my world and that includes my share of the blame for why MY relationships failed. That isn't just my marriage mind you, that's all relationships. The video reminded me that I need to forgive my own shame. And THAT hit home. I realized I still have shame and I didn't think I was enough. And I need to keep cleaning that up until it isn't so much of a deal anymore. And so that was my A-HA moment for the day. And allowed me not to focus too much on the fact that... I am going back to work today! I actually had a game plan already actually. I have my Tech Council Meeting on Wednesday already and I need to prep for that thing and put a presentation together. Other than that I'm just reading hundreds of emails and catching up and gettins used to stuff again. Used to traffic for one [and believe you me am I ever so glad I cleared up that Driver's license thing. I checked today and the suspension was GONE!]. Used to the banter with the people in the office. Used to eating breakfast at the cafeteria again instead of making my own. And so anyway the day didn't go so badly. In fact, I was sort of surprised there weren't as many people in the office (the big wigs anyway)  as there usually are. Made for a pretty quiet Monday back. I can say that I did have a kick-in-my-ass epiphany and that was checking my rate of return on my IRA last year which was over 25%. HUGE! But I looked at $6K in my other IRA and that made nothing because I didn't invest it in ANYTHING! And then it occurred to me I hadn't done anything with it in more than 10 years! If I had just made what the S&P did over the last 10 years, I'd have more than $16K in there right now! Argghh! If that isn't a case for getting off my ass and learning how to grow my money boy...

I went home on time today and by 5 PM, looked forward to making some chicken and then finishing my steps and then picking up Johnnie for my regular turn this week. Until I got a call at 5 PM from Lisa. I was literally a block from my apartment. And I knew what it was about. She was still in Pasadena and now stuck in traffic. She called to ask me to pick up Johnnie. And perhaps bring him by the house with food so that we could at least have some family time (really so she could have some time with him until it was time to go to my apartment). I was ok with all of that. She even suggested I pick up chicken for she and Johnnie. She had good timing because that was what I was going to have anyway. And I had all that pineapple rice I hadn't eaten yet from last night! Lucky her. And so I picked up Johnnie, always so glad to see me when I get him. And then we went to Ralphs to pick up an already roasted full chicken and some fried chicken wings for him. And off we went to Lisa's house. We got there before 6 PM and I had to get us inside using the keys in the backyard. Anyway we had a spontaneous meal together the 3 of us. Johnnie with his fried chicken, Lisa and I with roasted chicken and pineapple fried rice. Pretty damn good too. It was not lost on me that in 2017 and 2018, January in this house was pretty miserable because of some of the biggest fights we had. And here we were a couple of years removed from all that and I think we HAVE evolved, big thanks to things like that video I ran into this morning to make that possible. We even did Johnnie's homework together. And then off Johnnie and I went to the apartment. It was Magic School Bus time. And it was also our time together for the week. Johnnie went back to school today and I made him draw what his day was like. That in the middle of playing with his play-doh dinosaurs and watching his video. He was simply being the happy kid that he was. And I was very glad to have him back in the house even if just for the next few days this time. I was glad to be giving him a shower again even though he was back to his mischievous self splashing water around. Back to watching caterpillar videos before going to bed. I wouldn't have it any other way.