April 3, 2024, Wednesday evening, 6:19pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point,California,USA. Drove back from wyoming today. Left mom’s at 3:55am pacific standard time and arrived in Aliso Viejo to drop off my daughter and the dog at 4:30pm. I walked in the door of my house at 5:30pm and called mom to let her know we were safe. Now I am starting to unwind. I can feel the tension leaving my shoulders as I watch the weather, eat pizza and drink a beer.

April 2, 2024, Tuesday evening, 5:48pm, mountain standard time, mom’s condo in Evanston, Wyoming, USA. Saw my old Chaplain job in Ogden, Utah is open. It is listed as part time. There is also a part time job in Salt Lake City and a full time position in Utah County. Seeing the job openings opened up new possibilities in my mind. For the first time I see a clear path forward to working as a chaplain and slowing down professionally. I could live in Evanston with no house payment and travel to Utah three or four days a week. It wouldn’t be perfect, but it is definitely feasible. That realization reduced my anxiety considerably. Seeing a different path makes current choices seem arbitrary more than necessary. For that I am eternally thankful.

April 1, 2024, Monday night, 8:31pm, mountain standard time, mom’s condo in Evanston, Wyoming, USA. Drove down to Salt Lake City this afternoon. Went to Costco then met my niece for dinner at PF Chang’s. Afterwards we walked around the mall and visited a novelty shop. My niece got some earrings and a necklace. My daughter bought a sweatshirt, some shorts and a top. It was a fun day. Looks like the weather is finally breaking after a couple of storms passed through. We should have a clear drive home on Wednesday.