Down-time

Last post June 29th, wow. Actually that date is very significant. Especially when it is seen as a contributor as to why it has been so long since my last post. You see, as I have mentioned in blogs past, I work for Verizon Communications as a Central Office Technician. I can say upfront that I am very thankful for my job, it's pay and benefits so I certainly won't use this space to complain about that. Now concerning that date ..... In the months leading up to that point in time Verizon announced that it would be spinning off 13 wireline states, of which West Virginia was one, in fact it would be the most wholistically spun off. These 13 states would be spun off by May 2010 and operate independently, in essence they would become a 'Baby Bell.' North Central would be their designation, I know... they could have come up with something better than that. Doesn't really make sense because some of the 'Spinco' is in California! This Spinco would operate autonomously for two months and then be absorbed by Frontier Communications. Anyway, tension and speculation would abound until all union personnel w/ over 30 years (retirement eligible) were worked into a frenzy about losing everything, pension, benefits, pay, etc. So they all retired ........ I mean every one of them! Which was roughly half of our work force!! May I say that we were at minimum staffing levels before June 29th! June 30th was their last day and that began a period of unreal workload and overtime, the likes of which I had never seen. I actually worked more overtime in 2009 than I had in the 4 maybe 5 years prior. It was daylight to dark, fastfood, etc., I actually worked so late on at least two occassions that driving home and driving back in the morning would have only left a two hour nap so I elected to sleep on the couch in my office.



At some point through it all my little girl actually asked my wife, "Has daddy forgotten where we live." I went as hard as I could go for 3 months and then on October 8th I went into the hospital to have my knee replaced! I went from wide slam open to shut completely down in one day! I had one of the country's best surgeons, Timothy Krimchek- Cincinnati Reds Orthopedic Surgeon, stayed at a brand new hospital at West Chester, began therapy the day after I got home from the hospital at the Bellefonte Vitality Center and pushed everything as hard as I could. So much so that the therapists told me that my motion and strength recovery was probably the best they had ever seen. Now I'll be honest, I pushed it very hard because I wanted the best possible outcome but I'm fairly certain that there were times when the therapist was trying to make me cry in front of all the other people in the Vitality Center! When you bend something as far as it will go!!! Then don't bend it any further!!!!!! Or when your knee won't straighten completely out then don't stand up and lean on it!!!!!! Well you'll be glad to know that I never shed a tear, I did think about it a time or three but the most they would get out of me was some squirming or an awkward grunting noise. I say that with only a little humor but all things considered the staff there was great.



What I really want to focus on is my time off. I was off work for three months and naturally the first month I really couldn't do much at all except sit in the chair, ok eat in the chair ....sleep in the chair, as a matter of fact I rarely left the recliner. For surgery number 11 it was the most difficult yet, couldn't sleep through the night for the first 6 weeks, etc. etc. but what was wonderful was getting up every day and sitting in my recliner dirnking a cup of coffee and watching my sleepy eyed little girl walk around the corner with a grin and have her climb up in my lap to watch some morning cartoons. When I got far enough along to be able to take care of both of us I told my mother and mother-in-law we wouldn't need them to babysit for awhile and Jaden and I spent almost every day together when my wife went to work. I watched Spongebob and Phineas and Ferb marathons till I couldn't tell you what sports season it was and we played every game she ever had I think and at night she usually fell asleep in my arms. We were counting down the days until I went back to work and savored every moment that God gave us together. When I did go back to work I fell into the same routine of 12 - 16 hours days and once again was hardly ever home and family time was lost once again. Then as fate would have it I had need of another surgery, I know if I was a horse they would shoot me, seems an umbilical hernia doc said could have been a pin-hole from birth and it was just time. Listen I can't take much more, anyway I'm now off again going back to work Monday and have been able to enjoy some of that downtime with family once again and it reminded me of all the time spent at home earlier and it made me thankful all over again. I just wish I could figure out a way to have it without going under the knife! I work out and exercise I just should have taken better care of myself when I was younger but I wouldn't have listened then if you would have told me anyway. Oh well!

Hopefully you have some downtime with your family and can enjoy the blessings of God with them and hopefully it is without the necessity of a surgical procedure. :) I think God will intervene at times to create some space in life to enjoy our families and that we should foster and encourage this time truly well spent after all He is the one who established the 'family' and He knows full well the importance of it to ones well-being. I also believe there is a part of this that must be undertaken by us as individuals to stop hanging out with the guys or gals, climbing the corporate ladder or padding our bank accounts or resumes' and spend quality time with our husbands and wives, sons and daughters, moms and dads while we still have opportunity. Some of the most profound words in the Bible were spoken by James, "What is our life? It is but a vapor, there for but a little while then it is gone."