A BAD TIME

This lady is not happy.

It’s now official – I had to lay off all of my office employees, my Yoshiko included. The only person staying on…for the moment…is Line, who does client visits outside the office. Most of them finish this Friday; Yo has one more week to go, then will be gone too. It’s breaking my heart. The only consolation is that summer is here – so maybe they can make believe that they’re on a long vacation. Right.

Pointing fingers anywhere else is useless. I’m the one at fault. I should have taken steps to correct the situation a few months ago when I saw the way it was going. I took the risk without calculating; without having a backup plan; putting all the eggs in the same basket. Unfortunately everyone pays, myself included. Not only morally, but most definitely financially. It’s macaroni for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as they say. And maybe we’ll skip lunch to be certain there’ll still be enough for dinner…..

However, sitting and whining, although a normal human reaction isn’t going to help. One doesn’t hit the ripe ‘ole age of 60 (yegads! This weekend!!!) without having experienced setbacks along the way. I had been thinking to take it easier this summer – working a 3-day week, resting up – but that isn’t on the agenda now. I foresee a heavy schedule for the next few months if the business is going to get back on its feet. And believe me – I’ve been reminded that one must keep eyes open and especially NOT depend on anyone else. This time around I’ll go with my own instincts. It may not work out, but at least there’ll be less frustration.

My grandma had a term for it – she would call it the “count your blessings” time. I’ve been repeating it over and over since I realized that the decision could no longer be delayed. One of the blessings is that the employees are all eligible for unemployment – good. Another is that I am still healthy enough to work – good. Then one can add that I live in a country where second, third, and even more chances are feasible options. I won’t even get into the “happy family” bit, because it goes without saying – the most important things in life are still there and I’m much more fortunate than many people in this world. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that Grandma was right. The sun is still shining.

Have a good one, folks. Sending you a SMILE!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.