So, I am “home.” I am not happy about it. If home is where the heart is, then I did not come home—I left it. I enjoy my time with M so much that coming back is more of a responsibility than anything else.
I arrived to a pile of bills that needed payment, a cat that was upset that I haven’t been there for some time (even if Julie did a great job of keeping her fed and watered), rent being due, and a job that a) seems to have gotten along quite well without me and b) I slid back into without even a hiccup.
That frustrates me the most. That I sit down at my desk, turn on my PC for work, and the calls, emails, and visits by people needing my help start up as though I haven’t even been gone.
The builds that need documentation continue. The alerts for those builds keep coming. The updates to the existing documents and help files keep flowing in. They do not seem to care that I want to be in Canada. They do not care that my head is not in the game yet or that I am still thinking like it is 4 hours ahead.
One of my favorite quotes is “We kill ourselves a little each day with the things we deny ourselves.” I have 29 more days to survive until M arrives here for her first visit. IM, phone calls, emails, and the like are a poor substitute for being together.
We knew it would be difficult to start this long-distance relationship. We did our best to talk ourselves out of it on many occasions and in many ways. But everything just seemed so right, that we kept going anyway. Tucson and Halloween only cemented our desire to be together. Now it is just a matter of time before hard decisions and difficult choices need to be made.
Once I get settled back at work, it is time to talk to HR, my boss, and the ARAG legal group about immigration/emigration (so we are covered no matter who goes where), working issues, and related.
2006 is going to be a very interesting year.
Glad you arrived safe and sound. Also glad your cat got good attention. Also glad that work survived without you AND wanted and needed you back. Not so glad that you are miserable already without her, but not at all surprising. The countdown begins again. At least if there is any light at the end of the tunnel is that you do actually know when you will see each other again. I'm not even going ot bother trying to tell you to 'keep your chin up' or anything else of the like. It's tough and it's misery, but hopefully worth it for you in the end.
ReplyDeleteHey John,
ReplyDeleteI’m the PR guy for ARAG and as I was doing my weekly ARAG blog search to see what's being said about us out there, I came across your blog and most recent post.
I’m assuming you’re already an ARAG member, so getting the info you need about immigration should be a snap. You can give us a shout at 800-247-4184 and ask to speak to an immigration case manager who can guide you through the process. Plus, what’s convenient about immigration matters is that most of them are federal in nature, which means legal inquiries you may have might be handled simply with a phone conversation with our attorney who specializes in immigration issues.
If you want to talk more specifically, e-mail me at media@araggroup.com, otherwise just give us a call.
Good luck with everything, and here’s to keep on keepin’ on!
Paul Kluding
PR Aficionado
ARAG
www.ARAGgroup.com