Sunday Morning...

Yawn!

Good morning, all. Just woke up. Sinuses are dry and inflamed--how does that happen? I'm hydrating, hoping that the inflammation will settle down. After I eat breakfast, I plan to take a Zyrtec. But right at this moment--misery. It's early yet--

I'm trying to decide if I want to get dressed and head to church. I've not been in a couple of weeks, and I rather miss it. On the other hand, I have to get cracking on Monica--without a bear to show at JoAnn's when I demo, it will seriously compromise my ability to garner more students for my bear class.

Which brings me to JoAnn's itself and my manager (who is leaving employment--so sad). Recently, her mother came to live with her (from Florida) due to the death of her father. She didn't realize how much her father was doing for her mother, and when she arrived to assist with the funeral--well, let's just say that decisions were made quickly and now her mother is up here in Michigan (lots colder here than in Florida right now), living in her house.

Not that this is a bad thing, but change can stress you out. Further stress on the job that isn't required isn't necessary, either. And so she has resigned her position. Personally, I find this to be terrible news. I really liked this person. She is enthusiastic, smiles all the time, loved her job (until corporate rather ruined it for her), and treated everyone like they were her special friend (including me). Her position gave her the chance to "get out and be with people", and she exudes "people person" to the nth degree. She made work seem less like work, and more of a team experience--with a lot of creative background to make it a fun and happy place to get stuff done and make the customer happy.

I know where she lives, and I can come and visit (the offer has been extended, naturally), but it's never the same, as I'm sure you're aware. She lives just down the street from where I work, too, so it's possible that I could lunch with her at times. I'll miss her terribly, and fear that the new boss will be too strict (they've already insisted on a background check, which I feel is quite unnecessary) , which will ruin the experience (which for the last two years has been a very happy coexistence) for me.

But I'm left with wondering how I can help with this. I'm not nearly the people person that she is. Next to her, I'm a hermit. No way that I could ever fill her shoes. In some ways, I'd like to try, but I know that the big boss would never go along with it. I'm a good "do-er" with leadership capabilities. My biggest drawback is that I sometimes think that I'm such a good "do-er" that I can do it better than anyone else. People get angry when I try to extend helpful hints--meant to make their day a little easier--and respond to me in negative ways that I detest. I end up trying to do everything and still keep my sanity. It never works. I end up unemployed. Never a good position, that.

Wednesday is her last day of employment. I want to go to her "last day" party, but don't even know at this point if she's going to have one! I will have to call and ask some of the staff. I do imagine that there will be one, because she was much loved by the rest of the employees and the customers. She is a GREAT loss to the store, and even the other managers can't believe that she's leaving.

Of course, as they say, when God closes a door, he opens a window. There is every possibility that she may go elsewhere to re-discover her connection to the general public, and begin working for a different store--doing the same type of work. If that occurs, I may just quit JoAnn's myself and head where ever she goes (let's say Michael's or some such). You never know. She might stay home and take care of her mother, too, which I believe would allot her great blessing, too.

All this, while thinking about what to make for breakfast.

Monday, I work a half day. After that, I drop the car off for repair, take a loaner to my girlfriend's house to work on Monica, and then I suppose that the sky's the limit. I am about 9 rows into the head on Monica. She's "crowning". It's rather slow going right now, because I'm experiencing not a little grief over my friend's resignation, and wonder if corporate is going to walk in and tear up the whole place, put in new managers that no one likes, and end up like the store on the west end of town--too much old stock that will not sell, employees who don't care, and filthy floors. I would sooner work out of my home than for the JoAnn's on the west side of town!