Times of Transition
Hello again.
Nope, I didn't forget about this place. It's just taken me a long time to figure out where I was and what I wanted to do with a lot of things, this blog included. I haven't really made any final decisions because it seems to be that my life is pretty much in constant transition as of right now. To be honest, it's not just my life but the lives of those around me as well that are in a state of constant motion. Of course, one could argue that life is always a period of transition (Thanks, Matt) but for now it seems like really big things are changing. Some of them are a bit on the scary side.
With the state of the economy in the US right now, I have been a bit concerned about the downturn in the manufacturing jobs because my husband works for a company who makes engines for many of the trucks/buses that are in use here in the US and some parts of the world. His plant only works on a couple of different models which makes the sense of security not that stable. Since not a lot of people are buying the type of trucks that he makes engines for, the company had lowered the number of orders since about December 2007. In all honesty, we have kinda been expecting something since then. It was just the anticipation of whatever would be taking place that got to me more than anything else. Last week, Chris was notified that he would be part of a temporary lay-off until about the middle of August. He'll be getting a bit less than what he was bringing home during the slowdown at his work. It's going to be tight but we'll manage. There is some worry about other things working out. Yet right now, I don't have a lot of worry. If this was to happen a few years back, I would have been freaking out big time. Then I would be sick for a few days, unable to do anything other than sleep and be in severe pain. Still, not knowing if Chris will be called back to work only to be let off again, possibly for good, is a worry. Therefore we decided to take it upon ourselves to make a change to something that may be a bit more stable. Chris decided to leave the company and find a new job. So far, the new job has been going well. It's a 10 hour day for four days with most weekends free. It just takes some time getting used to for him. It's taking some time for me to get used to the schedule as well. I really don't sleep too well without him but if this is what gets us through, i'll have to deal with it. I'm just thankful that he was able to find a job at all. So to deal with the challenges that come with a new job, I think we can make it through.
Health-wise, things have been on both sides of the coin. The good things are that Chris is still cancer free and has passed the 3 year mark. A couple more years and he can say that he's in remission. I know that cancer is a tricky thing. We're more prepared now than we had been for that battle thanks to some great people at the Cancer Center here. He's still having some problems with his migraines. They have lessened over the past 6 months. They haven't gone away completely. I think that he'll have to deal with them for a long while because of the fact a number of stressors are his triggers. We'll just have to adjust when necessary.
As for me, I'm doing ok. I have had the same thought over and over the past few days. I feel like I've been in a walking dream for the past couple of years. Probably longer than that. But honestly, I have been sitting out on my front porch and just wondering what has happened to all the time I've missed. I know I've been a zombie of sorts. Last year, my youngest brother and I went to a concert with his girlfriend. While thinking about the bands, it hit me that the concert had been a whole year ago. I barely remember what had happened within the year's time. I don't know how I can reclaim those days but I know that I'm not going to let anymore time pass me by without a fight. I've lost too much already. Deep down, I know that much of my "time warp" stems from Billy's death. In all honesty, I didn't know how deeply losing him affected me and my daily life. He had been so sick for so long that I knew he wasn't going to grow old here with us on earth. Yet in losing him, I lost myself. So the past couple of years has been me floundering around and trying to find my footing in the world without one my biggest rocks. Today, I think I have my feet planted solidly on the ground. Just taking the first step is going to be a hard one. Unfortunately, it's not something that I can keep from doing. It has to be done sooner rather than later.
For now, I'll leave it at that. I promise to annoy aka fill you all in later on the other things. My hands are sore and needing a break. Hope all is well.
Love and blessings,
Kim
Nope, I didn't forget about this place. It's just taken me a long time to figure out where I was and what I wanted to do with a lot of things, this blog included. I haven't really made any final decisions because it seems to be that my life is pretty much in constant transition as of right now. To be honest, it's not just my life but the lives of those around me as well that are in a state of constant motion. Of course, one could argue that life is always a period of transition (Thanks, Matt) but for now it seems like really big things are changing. Some of them are a bit on the scary side.
With the state of the economy in the US right now, I have been a bit concerned about the downturn in the manufacturing jobs because my husband works for a company who makes engines for many of the trucks/buses that are in use here in the US and some parts of the world. His plant only works on a couple of different models which makes the sense of security not that stable. Since not a lot of people are buying the type of trucks that he makes engines for, the company had lowered the number of orders since about December 2007. In all honesty, we have kinda been expecting something since then. It was just the anticipation of whatever would be taking place that got to me more than anything else. Last week, Chris was notified that he would be part of a temporary lay-off until about the middle of August. He'll be getting a bit less than what he was bringing home during the slowdown at his work. It's going to be tight but we'll manage. There is some worry about other things working out. Yet right now, I don't have a lot of worry. If this was to happen a few years back, I would have been freaking out big time. Then I would be sick for a few days, unable to do anything other than sleep and be in severe pain. Still, not knowing if Chris will be called back to work only to be let off again, possibly for good, is a worry. Therefore we decided to take it upon ourselves to make a change to something that may be a bit more stable. Chris decided to leave the company and find a new job. So far, the new job has been going well. It's a 10 hour day for four days with most weekends free. It just takes some time getting used to for him. It's taking some time for me to get used to the schedule as well. I really don't sleep too well without him but if this is what gets us through, i'll have to deal with it. I'm just thankful that he was able to find a job at all. So to deal with the challenges that come with a new job, I think we can make it through.
Health-wise, things have been on both sides of the coin. The good things are that Chris is still cancer free and has passed the 3 year mark. A couple more years and he can say that he's in remission. I know that cancer is a tricky thing. We're more prepared now than we had been for that battle thanks to some great people at the Cancer Center here. He's still having some problems with his migraines. They have lessened over the past 6 months. They haven't gone away completely. I think that he'll have to deal with them for a long while because of the fact a number of stressors are his triggers. We'll just have to adjust when necessary.
As for me, I'm doing ok. I have had the same thought over and over the past few days. I feel like I've been in a walking dream for the past couple of years. Probably longer than that. But honestly, I have been sitting out on my front porch and just wondering what has happened to all the time I've missed. I know I've been a zombie of sorts. Last year, my youngest brother and I went to a concert with his girlfriend. While thinking about the bands, it hit me that the concert had been a whole year ago. I barely remember what had happened within the year's time. I don't know how I can reclaim those days but I know that I'm not going to let anymore time pass me by without a fight. I've lost too much already. Deep down, I know that much of my "time warp" stems from Billy's death. In all honesty, I didn't know how deeply losing him affected me and my daily life. He had been so sick for so long that I knew he wasn't going to grow old here with us on earth. Yet in losing him, I lost myself. So the past couple of years has been me floundering around and trying to find my footing in the world without one my biggest rocks. Today, I think I have my feet planted solidly on the ground. Just taking the first step is going to be a hard one. Unfortunately, it's not something that I can keep from doing. It has to be done sooner rather than later.
For now, I'll leave it at that. I promise to annoy aka fill you all in later on the other things. My hands are sore and needing a break. Hope all is well.
Love and blessings,
Kim
posted by Kim @ 4:01 AM
2 comments
