Opposites

I just got assigned to a high hour 4-day trip starting tomorrow afternoon...so it'll be awhile before I'm back home sitting at my desk. So I decided to jot down a few thoughts before I hit the road...

Opposites. Or should I call it "full circle?" What I'm referring to is life. Back when we were young'uns, our parents took care of us. And now that we're aging, we are the ones taking care of our parents. Mom used to encourage us to get out of the house and go play outside, and now we're encouraging Mom to get out of the house and play outside! When my Dad was ill, my sister took care of all his needs - just as my Mom had taken care of her when she was a baby. All this is truly a part of growing up that I don't like. I want Mom's quality of life to stay good - I want her to have friends, have lunch dates, go to club activities. But she has to want to - we can't force her to do anything since she's an adult.

Opposites. In the early days of our marriage, we had issues with my husband's side of the family. Miscommunication, misunderstanding, and hurt feelings. Somehow we worked through all that and didn't hold grudges. But now the miscommunication and misunderstanding is occurring on my side of the family! I'm afraid to say anything, make suggestions, or say what I really feel. It's so sad. We're preparing for our only daughter's wedding, and instead of everyone being happy for us, we keep running into roadblocks and hurt feelings. Why can't we all get along?

So...I'm having to distance myself and not take these comments and actions personally. And I'm trying to help my daughter understand why things are being said and done, and why people aren't excited and happy for her. But I'm afraid that it's going to harm her future relationship with everyone. It's so sad. But I've got way too many other things to worry about...why can't we all get along?

Lots of great things will be happening soon at my company! One of my training classmates is working hand-in-hand with upper management to change the environment of our company. We are striving to be a company of integrity, where everyone does the right thing even when no one is watching. There are new procedures being instituted, trainings being held and unfortunately, there's lots of griping. Some of that griping is on the internet where anyone/everyone can see. Why would someone do that? Does he not care that management might see what he's said? I was tempted to bring his ranting to the attention of management, but I figured he doesn't need any help hanging himself. So sad. But it's so hard to work with him.

So I will keep doing what I do best - having a good time welcoming our passengers, working with the crew, and just enjoying the heck out of my job. There's lots weighing me down, but the trick is to not let anyone else see that. I keep silently praying and hoping that all goes well - a happy smile is what the passengers want to see...not a worried half-smile.

I am looking forward to this trip - it has late show times, so I can "Sleep in" and wake up on my own. Ahhhhhh. I can hardly wait. First we'll do a turn to St. Louis, then we'll overnight in Seattle. I'm looking forward to a nice bowl of clam chowder in the bar - so good! Then the next day we'll head back to Denver and then on to Detroit for the night. I looked up a friend from high school who now lives in Detroit, but she's already made plans for the day I'll be there. That's okay - I'll hang out at Bob's Big Boy for breakfast! The next day, we'll fly back to Denver and then go back to Seattle for the night...and maybe another bowl of clam chowder? Then on Monday, our last day, we'll go back to Denver and then we have a round-trip to New Orleans! Too bad it's not an overnight! I have one day off on Tuesday, and then I'll be back on for five more days!

 It's late, I'm tired, so I guess I'd better sign off for the night...Goodnight!