I showed up with my game face on, hoping to just get through the party. In the end I had a wonderful time and barely noticed the pit in my stomach. I was at a retirement party for a former colleague at IES and the garden was full of people I worked with during my first two years in Chicago.
As the afternoon went by, I started braiding the threads of stories together and realized that where I am today is directly tied to my last IES assignment. My last assignment was five months in London, running the student residence hall. I started blogging while I was there, one thing led to another and now I’m sort of a social media expert. Sort of.
There was a new baby to coo over from a couple that met at one of my coming or going parties. He was a coworker and she was friends of another coworker. I was in town for a few days and we were all at a bar. They ran into each other and now 3 and a half years later there is a baby and a marriage.
One friend was visiting from Portland and her not-so-new boyfriend was there. My ol’ boss Matt was there and we had a lot of catching up to do. He was my safety net when I was in London, so without saying much we can get back on the same page very quickly.
I got home around 7 or so and promptly fell asleep on the couch. Now I’m going to do some core exercises, hop in the shower and go to the office. It is a big day today. Lots of projects kicking off and I have reiki tonight. My back is acting up post-trip and I want to move back into my bed. This should help.