On the first day of twenty-ten, Sweet Baboo and I woke up at ten am. EASILY the latest I have slept unless ill or injured or post-partum in perhaps as long as twenty years. Sweetface was tromping up and down the hallway, and when I gently suggested to him that there were ways to be quieter, and he stared at me, mystified and amazed. I was being quiet, Mom.
But anyway. We both woke up, and nearly simultaneously blurted out, "I don't want to go do a race today." Then we giggled and dived back under the covers.
Later, Baboo went for Starbucks while I made beans, tamales, and eggs. We settled in for the day-long "criminal minds" marathon. Yesterday evening, we took Sweetface to the bus station.
Meanwhile, both of us are relieved that I'm employed, but I'm extremely relieved to finally be doing something that your average trained monkey couldn't do. Of course, there's a lot of bad stuff that I have to be careful not to take home with me--I assess kids that have been abused, kids that are mentally ill, and kids that, in all honestly, are fine, other than their horrible parents. A couple months ago I wrote a paper on self-care for people in the behavioral health professions, so I know how to take care of myself. I vent. I journal. I run.
But the work is fascinating. The atmosphere is nice, and they're decent to me, I like my coworkers, I have a nice office, and it fits with my life's philosophy that we should always try to ease suffering and leave the world a better place. They trust me to know what I'm doing, and leave me alone to do it. Best of all, I'm BUSY.
If the pay were higher, it would be perfect, but I'm satisfied with things the way they are. It's odd. I don't have as much time to work out, but I'm still happy. I guess there's no discounting enjoying your craft. I mean, you spend 40 hours a week at it, right? A sucky job has the power to really affect your life.
So. I have a house I love. A job I love. A man I love. (Who loves me back). The kids are all grown, and seem to be doing well. No, I'm not willowy, (perhaps I never will be) but I'm just going to focus on being strong and having fun. Tomorrow, we're riding the Tram up to Sandia Peak, doing a little snowshoeing, and then hiking down.
Bring on 2010. I can't wait to see what it holds!
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