changes afoot

(I've been busy; you'll see why...)

What I didn't tell you a few days ago is that I went back to work at the shop. Yep. Selling bicycles and bicycling goodies to the good people of Anchorage and points beyond. I wasn't going to, but then I did.

It wasn't an easy decision to make, and I'll admit that after telling Jon I would return to the shop, I woke in the middle of the night and started thinking about bikes and what I had just told him. I had to get up and read for awhile before going back to bed at about 5:30 a.m. I had violated one of my decision-making rules: I made a decision at the end of the day instead of first sleeping on it. Okay, I had been sleeping on it for a few weeks as the shop started getting busier with each warm day. And I watched as Jon worked more hours and got more stressed.

Lately, I've been working on a little fiction, but I'm pretty challenged by it. I'm also easily distracted and was not getting as much done as I should have. So, in an effort to redirect, re-energize and help out a bit in the process, I told him I'd go back for two months. Three days a week. That should give me a few commutes a week and enough days of work to help me appreciate the days I'm not at the shop. My first day back was April 3rd.

But this is about more than just what's happening at work. There's lots to do on the house in the next year and a half. The clock is ticking on completing some energy upgrades that have rebates. There's the floor, the kitchen, the siding and walls. The landing and stairway. The deck. Jon enjoys working on the house projects; he only wishes he had more time for them. Seriously, he should be the one with the sabbatical. If only it was easy for him to take enough time away from work! And here I am, wanting it all: bike tour, completed house, sane husband. That's why I went back. Nothing will progress if Jon's too stressed in April and May.

Sometimes, I feel like this. It's good to feel needed.