Waterslide Down; Bumpy Ride; Empty House

During a conversation with my wife today as I caught the little bit of sunshine in the parking lot on a break, I was describing how the work environment at South Swamp has changed since I was hired. At the time I started, a little over 2 years ago, the then Executive Director immediately recognized in me the attributes of a great teacher & marketing guy, & although I was hired as a teacher/trainer, he immediately propelled me into the highest circles of the University of Blueberry Syrup that are possible to reach, including a meeting in the system President's office within 2 months of me being hired, suits & ties, the whole thing. This continued for just over a year, with me being sent on missions that had a lot of visibility. I was accustomed to all that, so it didn't affect me, but it did condition me to certain habits in my then new position. At the beginning of my second year with the University of Blueberry Syrup, the Executive Director was arrested for embezzlement & the entire structure collapsed into what I now call South Swamp. I was asked to keep the torch lit as long as possible, & I did so on my own, with great effort. The time has now come that the torch has gone out, & a new one is trying to take fire. The whole point of this is that because I was raised so high so quickly, I now must make the long but very fast journey down to where I would normally be functioning, & it has been, & is, a long, bumpy ride on a very large waterslide. This realization helped me come to grips with what I am experiencing, & I am grateful for the vision *:-)

Our son & his wife & 2 children are fully engaged in moving, & our grandchildren & daughter-in-law have already left to stay with her parents many miles away, so we won't find it easy to see the little ones until things have settled. My son is staying in the new city that he works in, so that the commute doesn't destroy him, & it is a new job anyway, which will take all that he has. Good luck to them all.