One Day Down, A Whole Summer To Go

First day of work today. Sad I haven't had the will to post up the past couple days but who's perfect?
It was a good day. Had a blower the entire time so I just blew gravel into the center of driveway parking lots and the like. First place we went to is the complex I'm staying at. I was able to change out the heavy coat there for my lighter hoodie as we went to the next side and stopped for lunch. Tasty sandwich and the best berries I have ever had in my life later I got back to work. I have to say there's something very rewarding about doing a day of work, not talking or doing anything other than the labor. Come back home and felt like you've done something with your day.

When we were done and I had to go to the bank to establish accounts and direct deposits I mentioned to the personal banker they  gave me that I needed his signature for the paperwork back at the office. Without a second's wait he snapped into, "Oh ya, I'll hook you up," and proceeded to walk off to get some stuff. Came back a bit later. Took too long. Opened up another savings (a long term and short term) and got a checking again as my last had been shut down due to lack of funds.

Wasn't particularly impressed but it was alright. Tomorrow we'll be back and get it right, possibly with a different banker. Had to watch a safety movie for work as well. Boring basic stuff. Read the material, lift with the legs not the back, don't chop your finger off. Sad thing is there must have been stupid people who actually did this stuff. I feel sorry for them. What did they have to explain themselves for? "Well... I just saw something was stoppin up the motor and thought to reach on under into the spinning mower blades real fast to pull it out..." WHO DOES THAT? Isn't that common sense?  Guess it isn't as common as it should be. Then again nostalgia isn't what it used to be either... Funny how that works.

You know you're always right about the hard work being rewarding by itself as well when you take the best shower of your life shortly afterward and the water's black. I was so dirty and I'm probably going to be the same way tomorrow and the next and after that and so on. All for eleven, count it, eleven dollars an hour. Not what I wanted but better than I've ever had. I'll deal.

And i'm good with it. I'm very good with it, in fact. I'm glad I finally have a job in a place where I just can't stop smiling with people who love and appreciate me right away for me. Didn't happen as much as I would have liked as regularly back home. It's a very nurturing environment, something I've always known the theoretical dynamics of but never experienced. There's a difference between theory and practice. And, for the first time in my remembrance, I cried tears of joy last night. Nobody saw, it was only three and I wiped them off quickly but that feeling, overwhelming happiness for feeling like I belonged right where I was, even though we were watching Law And ORder: SVU or whatever like I'm sure millions, hundreds of millions of families do ALL THE TIME, I couldn't hold them in. It;s something I've never felt.

There was no pressure in any of it. I had said, "I've never had brothers before." and Jenn tells me, "You always had brothers, you just didn't know it."

Now it was weirdest for me because in my family it doesn't matter how much blood lies between you. If I've never met you I'm not gonna chum up to you in a day. But that's what they did for me. They saw me, acknowledged me and accepted me for all I was, flaws and otherwise. They didn't care. They knew me to be family and there was nothing else they could see me as. I'd never been here till this last week but it's already home to me. I may want to do this every summer, and definitely some winters! We'll see.

Sushi night tonight! More expensive than down home but nonethjeless it was a veritable feast. Gotta say, the Miso soup needs work... Any ol' place can make a bunch of rolls but the true caliber of a sushi restaurant should be decided by the first dish: Miso Soup. It was thin, should have had thicker chunks of tofu and more seaweed. I looked at Lonte at that moment and we shrugged. Good moment. No resentment of thin miso soup. Too obsessed with the Mango Madness Roll!

Despite all the hardships that go by, the potential chance to start something negative, to pull me back into the world of dissatisfaction and depression, I can't. I've tried to think "What could make me mad right now?" but afterward seventy million me voices scream out "Why would you be unhappy here? Holy wow, dag it's freakin beautiful! I think that's some thinking you just need to get over dude, This isn't your OLD life, This is Alaska! And when I go home I'm taking that mentality with mebecause it'll be kcon and all! So many people I haven't seen and all that backwards momentum all forgotten or used up in my absence. I'll make a fresh start.

Until then, though, I'm happy. 'll take it day by day and come back wealthy with assets and wisdom.

Yours,
Dag