I refuse to accept that this is what “normal” used to be. Things are just coming in at lightning speed and it feels like we barely have time to take a breath before the next event.

Return to school is always a fun time. There are tons of extra activities for the kids this year, which is all positive. I’m coaching both kids in hockey, which is just an insane amount of work to kickstart. Volunteer efforts are always a tough one, because there’s always more that can be done. Thankfully the majority of the administrative set up is done, and it’s about executing the year. Still… it’s going to be 8 tournaments and at least 35 games. Weekends are all but gone for a while. Fun weekends I expect, but time isn’t kind.

Side note – I did have an event with a parent at the first practice of one of the teams. Truly an astounding event that put everyone on the wrong footing. I get emotional outbursts, but parents really should know better. Not only do they look dumb, but their kids get some of the flack as a result.

Tons of health bits this last week. I pulled my back, relatives in the hospital, major surgery, and some horrendous C news. I’m in that middle curve where there will be more funerals than weddings for the next 10 years or so. I know that’s the reality, but it doesn’t necessarily blunt the news of any of the events.

Work is also at a crazy level. The summer months finally had people take vacation they’ve accumulated over the pandemic. The team has worked some absolutely insane hours, and time off just wasn’t an option (I don’t work in healthcare, that’s just *mind blown*). That didn’t stall items, but it gave time for some folks to come up with ideas and for some reason decide that we are going to try to keep pace with prior years. Even though every report on mental health says this pace isn’t sustainable. There are some key folks here that are able to rally the troops and keep folks sane. When those people decide they’ve had enough, stuff goes sideways very quickly. It’s not one of those things that’s linear… it’s a slow drip, and then boom, the damn bursts.

I dislike taking big decisions while under stress. I prefer to soak on it, at least 24hrs. That works for most things, but I do realize it means I tend to pile on more stress than may be healthy. The personal space is getting to a manageable state and there’s some light at the end of that tunnel. Work… that is more complex. I think it may be time to start exploring other opportunities.