Knight of Pentacles

 I lost my job yesterday.   "Dismissal without cause" Things had been boiling up between me and my employer for a while now and I was planning on leaving after I had finished my current job.  So I was a little surprised, but not really, when my boss showed up yesterday with a letter.   The sentiment can't be all negative on their part because they gave me 2 extra weeks of severance.   I've had lots of emotions since yesterday.  I've never been fired before.  But suddenly I don't need to worry about the stuff that was taking up most of my waking world.  And all of the things that I wished I had time to do, spend time with my family, work on home projects, meditate, Lao Gar.  Suddenly I have more than enough time for them all, if only for a bit. But first of all, what I need to do right now is just stop and breathe. Song of the Day: Take on Me (MTV unplugged) by Aha https://youtu.be/-xKM3mGt2pE?si=avKQeok3P0oeeC1n

 "Hope for the best, but Prepare for the worst" That has been one of my personal mottos for a few years now.  It started as part of my job.  In construction, and especially in the safety aspect of construction, it's important to imagine the worst scenario, so that you can put things in place to stop them from happening. -Working near the edge of a roof?  Imagine someone slipping near the edge and falling down.  Put up barricades. -Power cord got damaged and has exposed wires?  Imagine someone not inspecting it before use and getting electrocuted. Either fix the damage or red tag the cord so nobody will use it. -Someone left the fence open?  Imagine a child running through the gap and getting hurt on the site.  Close up the gap, educate your workers about the importance of protecting the public.  It's sometimes important to think about the worst thing that happen because then you can take STEPS.  Because not very many people go to work planning to get hit by a skid ste

I have always prided myself on being self sufficient.  My husband always joked that one of the things that he loved about me was that I didn't NEED him (but WANTED him).  I love being able to do things on my own, from figuring out how to move something really heavy (tip: leverage is your best friend!) to changing the oil on my truck. I think part of it comes from being an introvert and preferring to be alone.  I find a lot of social situations very draining and need time to myself to recharge.  It's not only daunting to ask for help sometimes, but it's often just easier and faster for me to do it myself. Another part of it is working in a very male-dominated industry.  From the very beginning I wanted to prove that I had what it takes to be in construction, and that I wasn't going to be a burden that had to rely on my male coworkers for every task.  It's amazing how a little problem solving and stubbornness will  help you find a solution to most things. But just bec