Uncharted Waters

[2Times2Many]

The trip was amazing and such a needed get away. I got to cross off some landmarks I hadn't seen and wandered in and out of stores giving my willpower quite a workout, but it held up.

Texted H a couple of times (at his request) to let him know I was okay and texted when I got home. I told him that although I knew we had worked together as a team, I realized that if it weren't for his hard work I never would have been able to take the amazing trip I just did. I told him I wanted him to know I appreciated all the good things in my life that he made happen.

Got a reply yesterday morning saying he was glad I enjoyed the trip and thanking me for what I said. Haven't heard a peep out of him since.

A couple of interesting things happened just before I left.

H continued the conversation we were having about happiness via text later that evening and talked about how he looked for "happy moments" and at the end of the day he would reflect and hopefully the happy moments outnumbered the times he wasn't so happy. He gave me an example of a moment that made him happy and said looking at his day that way was a way to cope.

He said there were many things that were missing that he thought would bring him happiness so he just concentrates on "moments" instead of dwelling on what's missing.

He also said he was glad he had a friend like me who understands him.

One other thing he said on the phone is that sometimes he will decide he wants to go have a beer with a friend and so he'll call someone. He said sometimes he may have to call 5 or 6 people until he comes to someone who is available ... or he'll just go by himself.

I found all that interesting because it shows Job is right about his life not being one big party and there is alone time that he tries to escape.

I also find it interesting that he seems to have stopped looking for that "over-all" happiness and is instead focusing on little things that make him happy "in the moment."

One tidbit about BIL that backfired on him. BIL was made aware of a mistake I had made about a week ago (nothing major, actually) but he took the opportunity to send a group text to me and H about it. I read the text after parking my car at the airport to catch my flight out.

I can't tell you how angry I was because there was no reason to say anything at all to H. It didn't affect his job and he couldn't fix it anyway. I saw it as seizing an opportunity to put me in a bad light and get H riled up with me over something.

H gets angry or short with BIL from time to time (and rightfully so ... BIL says and does dumb stuff sometimes). I assume BIL thought H would do the same to me. It all came across to me as a "gotcha!"

But it backfired. I told H I thought BIL was trying to stir up chit in the hopes H would get angry with me. H's response was that he doesn't get angry or lose his temper with me anymore and hasn't for 2 years. (It's actually been about 9 months since he last snapped at me over something, but I'll let the time thing go). I'm just glad H sees things for what they are.

Still, it was a pretty lousy way to start my trip.

So, tomorrow it's back to the grind at the office and catching up on things. But BIL won't be in for a couple of days. YEAH!