My Three Little Kittens

As soon as my wife reads this post she’s going to say, “Wait, we have four kittens. What’s he talking about?” Bear with me honey, I’ll get to that one later. Yes, I’m ashamed to say it but we have four cats in our house.  Animal hoarders we are not, but I’m certain Milisa would become one if I were not around!

I can’t believe it but my last blog was written last year, or December 19, 2010 to be more precise. A lot has happened to me during this 24-day hiatus. I had a whole series of blogs prepared and I was excited about the new year that awaited me.

Have you ever heard of the phrase, “My world just came crashing down?” I’ve had enough to endure in the past 22-days but I truly believe that it has been the best of times, it was the worst of times. Sorry, Charles Dickens but I had to steal a line from your novel, “A Tale of Two Cities.”

First of all, I stopped running when the weather turned nasty. Right after I wrote my December 22 blog, I gave up on my marathon training program. I had several excuses. Good excuses, I might add.

Secondly, Christmas was very subdued due to many financial cutbacks and sick family members. All of this put a ton of stress on my family and my marriage. My kids were happy and got most everything they asked for and hardly knew any different. My wife and I rallied together and endured a tough holiday season and have emerged more committed and stronger than ever.

The new year rolled around with a laundry list of resolutions which included working harder and resuming my running regiment. On Thursday, January 6 at 10:00 a.m., I was laid off from my job and I have now joined the ranks of the unemployed.

I’m not mad. I’m not angry. I’m not resentful or vindictive. I am actually relieved. It may be time to completely remove myself from banking and try something new. On Friday, I started making phone calls and the support from my former co-workers, friends, and family have been overwhelming. Many leads have materialized and once again, I am very optimistic about the prospects for 2011. When one door closes another door opens. I truly believe in that statement.

My mother-in-law came through big time with a nice gift to my family. She is paying for a Spring Break trip to Disney World. Also, she paid for SCUBA lessons for me, my sister-in-law, and brother-in-law. Wow, a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to SCUBA dive.

This past weekend, I completed my SCUBA classroom and pool lessons, and this weekend, I head to Vortex Springs, Florida to do my open water certification. I will be SCUBA certified this weekend. Wow, a dream come true. “It’s the best of times it’s the worst of times.”

Okay, the kittens. Has anyone seen the movie, “Despicable Me?” I will admit the movie got off to slow start and I actually turned it off about 55 minutes into the movie. At the end, Mr. Gru has his three little kittens and he writes a childrens story to his three little kittens. A very touching moment.My wife and two kids are my three little kittens. They are truly the  most important things in my life.  My job, marathon training, SCUBA diving, blogging, facebook are all parts of me but singly do not define me.  They are a part of who I am but they are NOT the most important things in my life.  Watch the movie an you’ll understand more of what I am talking about. I highly recommend it.