At the Salt Lake City airport

3:17pm, mountain standard time, Salt Lake City International Airport, Salt Lake City, Utah, Sunday afternoon, October 30, 2022. Today is the thirteen year anniversary of my last day as a full time hospice chaplain. The party last night was to be with co-workers from that era. Unfortunately, two couldn’t make it and one has a serious illness. Consequently, it was not the reunion anticipated. Still, it was nice to see old friends and a few long forgotten acquaintances. Now, after a farewell lunch with my mom, I am at the airport, traveling back to Orange County to spend Halloween with my daughter.

Killing time before the party

6:06pm, mountain standard time, parking lot in Ogden, Utah. Drove to Utah with my mom to attend a wedding reception/Halloween party for an old work friend. On the way we stopped at a costume store in Ogden to buy a t-shirt so I have something a little festive. The party doesn’t start until 7pm so we are waiting and killing time scrolling on our phones and talking.

Evanston, Wyoming

6:41pm, mountain standard time, mom’s house, Evanston, Wyoming, USA, Thursday evening, October 27, 2022. Finished up in Dublin this morning then caught a plane to Salt Lake City. My mom picked me up at the airport and we drove the hour to my hometown of Evanston. It has been two years since I last visited. A lot of memories are coming back; some good, some not so good. All it all, it is nice to be here. Tomorrow we will drive to West Wendover, Nevada, gamble a little and enjoy some time together.

Reconnecting

6:17pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Dublin, California, USA, Tuesday night, October 25, 2022. Spent the day training the new executive director and finishing up last minute issues with payroll. Tomorrow is my final full day in Dublin. On Thursday, I fly to Salt Lake City to visit my mom and attend my previous supervisors wedding reception/Halloween party. I look forward connecting with friends and seeing my mom again. It has been over five years since I saw my old coworkers and almost six months since my mom visited me in Arizona.

Strands Beach, Dana Point, CA

3:58pm, pacific standard time, Strands Beach, Dana Point, California, USA, Sunday afternoon, October 23, 2022. Ended up going out with a friend last night which put me behind packing for the week. I didn’t leave Chandler until 9am. That meant hitting terrible traffic outside Palm Springs. When I pulled in to Dana Point at 3:30pm my daughter and her friend were already dressed for the beach. Now they are playing in the waves while I rest in the sand.

Getting ready

5:55pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, USA, Saturday evening, October, 22, 2022. Productive day; Walked, worked out, grocery shopped, bought leather conditioner for my work bag. Did laundry, packed and watched football. Getting ready to head back to Orange County and fly to Dublin one last time before flying to utah/Wyoming to see my mom and friends.

New assignment

4:35pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA, Saturday afternoon, October 15, 2022. Went for a short walk this morning, got coffee and worked out. Then I ran a few errands and watched football. Yesterday I found out I will finish in Dublin soon and go to work in Palm Desert. That makes life a lot easier to balance.I look forward to making the change and starting a new assignment.

O. Henry and the Oakland Airport

11:58am, pacific standard time, Oakland International Airport, Oakland, California, USA, Friday morning, October 14, 2022. They installed a short story kiosk at the Oakland Airport. You put your hand over a sensor indicating the story length you desire then, instantly, a strip of paper is dispensed, free of charge. The story lengths are 1 minute, 3 minutes or 5 minutes. I chose 5 minutes and got O. Henry’s, The Cactus. It is a good read and, I must say, a fun and novel way to encounter excellent writing.

Short story dispensed at Oakland, California airport

Good day

4:17pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, USA, Saturday afternoon, October 8, 2022. Spent the day working on payroll, reading and going for a walk. Now I am watching football and getting ready to head to Orange County tomorrow morning. It has been a good day to re-energize and get ready for the next work week.

I am feeling better

4:55pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, USA, Sunday afternoon, October 2, 2022. It was one more day of rest and football today. Thankfully, I am feeling better and have a direct flight to Oakland. I will sleep in tomorrow, do my morning meetings, then travel to California for a busy week.