Strong and Empowered, That's Me in Still Listening to Spirit

Despite having to make an unplanned and 'emergency' visit to the Clinic today, I am sitting here at almost midnight on Friday, May 23, feeling strong, empowered, almost able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. I still had energy left at the end of a very long week which included a 9+ hour day. I am certain tonight that I am not too old to continue to work, and that I have found a 'fit' in my new company.

I went to the Clinic because the pollen of spring has been causing me to cough all week. I have been using my inhaler, which usually helps. Not today. I choked, coughed, my nose ran and my eyes watered. I literally could not catch my breath, nor could I talk at times for coughing, nor could I quit coughing! At about 11am, I realized I was wearing myself out and that if I didn't get some help, I would be in deep trouble for the weekend.

Heath and Jaime have left for Anchorage for a state track meet for one son and dropping 2 children off for a very expensive basketball camp. Beth and I are in charge, whatever that means in the grand scheme of things, which puts an extra bit of stress on the both of us.

Such stress that Thursday after I left and Beth was left to cope, she reached breaking point and was shaking and trying not to cry over incomplete instructions on how to close out registers, reconcile the cash, make new 'banks' and so on. To heap more on top, the popcorn boys had drama about hours and overtime and other stuff that was entirely unnecessary.

We both are learning new computer programs, new procedures for the vast amount of money generated by the sale of popcorn, sodas and specialty coffees. The biggest problem with learning new things is Heath's ADD, I have decided it isn't necessarily ADHD. He'll be in the middle of explaining how to do something, spot someone in popcorn or coffee doing something wrong, or maybe just different, and he immediately goes over to take care of that.

Once he is gone, he seldom gets back on track explaining how he wants things done and how to do them, and it is almost impossible to bring him back to it in a timely fashion for a continuous conversation! If we corner him in the office where he can't see what's going on, he still can hear what's going on and becomes distracted and off he goes. Beth and I often just wander our way to where we are to be in the computer to do what he is talking about...

In fact, he told Beth the other day after I was gone and he was showing her something she didn't know "Do you mean to tell me you have worked for 15 years in hospital administration and you don't know how to create a document in Word!? Her reply was that in administration, she had people who created the documents, letters, contracts, and everything she needed FOR her! Yet, Heath managed to make her feel stupid and incompetent....

Wednesday was the day Heath and Jaime and family were to take off for Anchorage for what they decided would be a family vacation. Jaime has been having to drive tours daily, but Heath has had Marv (an older guy who is expert in the popcorn area and a great handyman) studying and driving for his CDL so he can drive and Jaime can do all the other reservations and paperwork that she has on her plate. Plus, he and Jaime vowed that this summer they would see their children more, have mealtimes set, and not be running around doing work all day every day. Last summer was very hard on the children as well as them.

Anyway, so I in deep in the middle of getting the 11:30 tour paperwork done so Bryan can get going--it was 11am. Bryan had returned from his 8am run, happy that he had half an hour to eat, pee, take a breath before his next tour. Heath called me on my cellphone to say "Where's Bryan? Get him out here. I am out front in my rig, I need him to go with me to move a bus."

I didn't know what bus, if it was stuck up the hill, or what was going on. But I looked for Bryan while on the phone with Heath and found that he was in the men's room based on the fact that the door was closed there and he had gone back there. I told Heath and he said "Knock on the door and tell him to get out here!"

I said "Absolutely not, I am not doing that. Calm down."

Bryan reappeared and I motioned him from halfway to the street to come to me immediately. Bryan did the "What?" gesture. As he passed, I said "Just get in the rig with Heath, he'll explain." Heck, I didn't know anything more than he did!

Bryan came back to say "Marv didn't pass his test." Oh crap! I got Bryan off on his tour and relaxed. Not for long, Heath came striding into the store, sidled up beside me and said "I need to talk to you privately, let's go." I followed him out, around the corner, up and down half a block, and then he said "Let's get in my rig to talk."

We got in and then he said "Let's drive." So we did. Marv didn't pass his test, it was the second try. He didn't even get to drive on the first try because he didn't get through the pre-check without too many mistakes!

This time, Jaime told him to wait until she got back from her tour between 10:30 and 11am so she could drive him to the cop shop for the test. His appointment was at 11:30, plenty of time. She told him absolutely not to move the bus until he had a licensed CDL driver with him because he only has a learner's permit.

Heath spotted Marv at the bus around 10am, stopped to talk and told him not to move the bus until Jaime was there.

So what did Marv do? He decided at 11:10am to head on down to the cop shop so he could complete the paperwork early. (I assume an 11:30a appointment time means come in at 11:30 and we will do paperwork and driving test.) He drove himself to the cop shop without Jaime, parked across the street in full view of dispatcher and anyone else in the front of the building and walked into the cop shop.

First question after he got in there--how did you get here? Answer: I drove. Question: By yourself? Answer: Yes. Immediate FAIL. It's a wonder he didn't get a ticket for driving without a proper CDL license. His wife's excuse (Beth) who also worked for popcorn, was that he thought it would be okay because he didn't have any passengers!

You can't fix stupid.

So Heath was beside himself because Jaime was devastated that she would have to stay behind to drive and would miss the family vacation and her son possibly winning his 3 running events in the state meet. Heath was agonizing about letting Marv and Beth go, really the only thing he could do. How can one justify using a driver you know doesn't do as he is told, is so irresponsible or stupid, and letting said driver drive 25 passengers on winding twisting mountain roads? What huge mistake might he make that costs equipment or lives?

During the conversation, or rather monologue, Heath was driving and we finally ended up at the Ore Dock, facing the water, me listening and him talking.

When he wound down, I said "Can't you fly Jaime home from Anchorage for the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday driving?" How can I find words to tell you how his whole demeanor changed and the lightbulb of solution lit up over his head. He drove me back to the office and went to talk to Jaime.

I went back to the office, looked at next week's schedule and found that the only time we would need to hire 25 seats from Klondike so Jaime wouldn't have to drive was Tuesday. So I called Heath and told him this. It would be $xxx to pay Klondike for the trip and seats. I opined that air fare, hotel in Juneau because one can never get off a flight in Anchorage and get a flight to Skagway the same day. The wear and tear on her traveling--would cost more than that amount.

So the decision was made to have Jaime take the trip, hire a Klondike bus for the one run Tuesday, that they should relax and enjoy their family vacation... Sigh. Can I say I was worn out by 1pm? Yes, I was but I recovered with a bit of food, pecans, and lots of water.

That day, Wednesday, I had worked an hour past my leaving time without even noticing...9 straight hours. I still wasn't near done getting things organized, arranged, and straightened up from the chaos of that day and prepared for the chaos of the next day.

I am overjoyed to be able to get to my desk every time I want to. So far since the first day, Heath, or Jaime, or Beth were all working, using, my computer and desk and my work just accumulated and I fell further behind in learning how to access the things I need daily to do my work.

Further, I am to keep track of accounts payable via QuickBooks which can be accessed by the bookkeeper in Indiana. Every day since May 1, I have mentioned I need QB installed and every day it is acknowledged that indeed I do and it would be done today. Today has yet to come and those invoices accumulate, both those we have paid and those yet to be paid. I am kind of used to this with Klondike because it was almost June before I got to the office to begin the bookkeeping.

Beth asks me how I cope. I tell her that I feel a certain detachment from the end result of the whole enterprise. I am concentrating on doing my job and not concerned about making mistakes, the financial health or illness of the company, etc. I see none of that, I want to see none of that, not even a bank statement or bank balance.

she doesn't entirely understand what I said, but admires that I can remain so serene in the midst of what appears to her to be loud and vigorous chaos. As I continue to train her in tours, if there is ever time, it will be less chaotic to her and easy to handle.

So, I have written a book here. I am happy to have 2 days off. I am hopeful that my cough/allergies will resolve themselves. The health care provider today was my next door neighbor as she as on call today. She said they are seeing way too many pollen, allergy related stuff this spring. We figured out that in addition to the pollen, the street cleaner downtown this morning put more dust in the air than it cleaned off the streets. We really need an hour or two worth of fairly heavy rain to wash the air and dust away.

All is well, Blessed be!