The BER’S

 Starting Tuesday are my four favorite months of the year.

The BER months.

Even in 2020, I am hoping they will be enjoyable.

September:

Pumpkin spice surfacing everywhere.

Goodbye to the 90’s and maybe a few days in the 70’s. Maybe less central air?

In South Carolina, leaves starting to lose their bright green hue.

In NY, it meant the beginning of leaves changing color and sweater weather. 

October:

Time to put a pumpkin on the front porch and by the fireplace.

Halloween decorations appear.

In South Carolina, maybe a hint of color changes.

In NY, time to get the rake out.

Days gets shorter, darkness longer.

Apple picking.

November:

Finally, the leaves change colors in SC.

Hallmark Christmas movies 24/7.

Thanksgiving.

Online shopping.

And finally stores deciding to close on Thanksgiving !!

Even if it is just dinner for two, we can still give thanks and feel blessed.

December:

Decorations up.

Christmas music all hours.

The smell of the cookies coming out of the oven,

Wrapping gifts and sending cards.

Trying to find that special gift for someone.

Getting the gifts, cards and cookies put in the mail.

Finally getting to use the fireplace.

Driving around seeing all the outside decorations and houses lit up.

The glow of our tree in the dark.

Christmas Eve Day, the best day of the year.

Still feeling the magic that anything can happen on December 24th,

Looking to the sky as I did when I was a child in hopes of seeing something special.

Christmas Day, my second most favorite day or the year. In some ways after the morning, it slowly starts to be a let down.

A nice dinner and we open our last gifts of the day.

December 26th, I start the countdown to next year.

December 31st, while I have never been a big fan of New Years’s Eve, this year might be the exception.

Farewell to 2020.  The year we wish we could have skipped.

In the blink of an eye, its 2021.

Happy New Year !!!!!

See you next week.

My 16th post since ...and the Team Huddle

Since I last left the office on March 13th, I have posted 15 entries. 

Here goes number 16.

I am not going to go on an on about what has changed, what has been missed and what I am not getting to do.

I have been told by my writing mentor, when you can’t think of something just write.

So that is what I am doing.

In high school, I loved essay exams.  I would write and write and write and sooner or later got to the point of the essay and the answer.

Today, I had two new team members on our team huddle call.

In a moment of trying to have some fun and being impulsive, I asked my current team to tell the newbies a good thing and a bad thing about their new manager, me.

Talk about asking for trouble.

I have to say they were pretty much spot on with their responses.

The bad’s:

Do not ask Donna anything prior to coffee.

Donna cries when she is happy, sad, mad and frustrated.

Donna can use “salty” language.

Donna can be direct and blunt.

The good’s:

Donna loves Christmas.

Donna loves cheese.

Donna loves Hallmark Christmas movies.

Donna is a good team Mom.  (I responded “couldn’t you have said a good team “older sister”?)

Donna always has our backs.

My add’s:

OT is not mandatory, you work it as you see fit.

If you are having issues  with a Loan Officer and I will happy to reach out to them. (I really said “I don’t mind having a “come to Jesus talk with them”).  

Life is more import than work.  I preach Life/Work balance.  Time with family, friends and away from work is very important.

I make sure everyone uses up their Paid Time Off vs giving time back to the company.

Epilogue:

There will be good days and bad.  

Happy Donna, Cranky Donna and Quiet Donna.

Donna who acts as the buffer between the team and the expectations of Sr. Management.

We laughed a lot during the call.  I am sure the newbies are wondering what they got themselves into.  

It was a a good way to end a busy day.

Learning and laughter, Welcome to Team Pizzo.

See you next week.

Boredom, depression and me

 I go back and forth.

Am I bored?

Is  the fact I am tired due to the long workdays?

Is the desire to sleep or take naps from exhaustion or boredom?

I am finally feeling depressed over the months of no’s?

Is sleep my escape?

Besides writing, binge watching TV,  a weekly trip for groceries and work, life it pretty much the same every day.

Every day.

While I have never been one who was always running all over the place, at least it was my choice.

Thank goodness for the phone.  It is my one real contact with the outside world.

The rides to get groceries let’s me see life is still out there but the changes are obvious.

I worry about depression, feeling sad and I do try to fight that feeling.

I fight it more some days than others.

It is summer and I should be sitting by the pool with a nice tall drink soaking in the sun.

I miss jogging in the pool with my waterproof IPOD.

Hopefully, soon again I can get back in the pool and exercise.

Instead, I am on Season 6 of Grey’s Anatomy.

Last weeks big accomplishment was catching up on reading all the magazines I had piling up.

I have mastered so many games on my IPAD.

I am also fearful of getting the virus. I have a cough that is allergy related but each time I cough I have a small bit of doubt in the back of my head.

I really do fight the sadness and boredom.

I do not fight the naps, they feel too good.

I try to think about things like what I want to have done as far as home improvements.

I search Pinterest for Christmas present ideas.

I try to think of other things to do to keep busy.

Jigsaw puzzles? Not a chance.

Crafts, nope.

Fancy meals, no to that too.

Like everyone else, I will get through this time and come out on the other side with a sense of relief.

Just no ideas how long it will take.

This is my 20th week home. If I do that amount of time again, we will be into 2021 thankfully.

The year of virus, depressing news, protests, riots, violence will be behind us, I hope.

The labels put on people will hopefully fade.

I won’t be called privileged or racist or any other labels that have been thrown around at each other for no other reason than to cause pain.

We will all come to recognize the good and bad in all, coming the to the conclusion that there is less bad than good in all of us.

At least that is what I pray will happen.

The power of prayer.

May it heal us all and make our days less boring, exhausting, tiring and depressing.

See you next week.