Now April is over is I can relate what a intense, almost nightmare, it has been.
It started off with my wife and I finding out the IVF worked and our baby is very healthy.
No long after, I was threatened to be fired. I don’t like the job, but with a baby on the way losing ones job isn’t great, especially as historically it’s taken at least three months between jobs to secure another - usually temporary - gig.
This all caused me to have something of a semi breakdown during which I found out exactly how little I’m valued at work when, after going for a mental health walk and coming back, a colleague saw I was struggling and kindly offering to grab a coffee and have a chat. Next day I was pulled over the coals again for it by management because I’d gone out, come back, and gone out again. Upon explaining why I had gone to get a coffee I was told “yes, well, we aren’t paid to take coffee breaks.”
Not too long after this, my parents visited from Australia. It’s great to have them here as I usually only see them once a year. We went to Wales over my birthday week, it’s a beautiful place! My wife bought me a Steam Deck which I love.
Literally the day after my birthday we found out our beautiful dog Jake, who was being looked after by my wife’s parents while we were away, had to be rushed to the vets.
His liver and pancreas failed which caused him to develop diabetes. He wasn’t responding to any treatment so we had to make the hardest decision of all.
The following day we spent in Hay-on-Wye, which was again beautiful, but rather diminished by the news. The day after was the four hour dive home, then to the vets to say goodbye to our little man.
Somewhere in there I found out a story I’d submitted to a competition got to the top 50. It didn’t go further but I’m taking it as a win.
Two days after Jake’s goodbye it was back to work. Three days after that I completed this huge task that had literally taken months and I was the only one working on it. As if to re confirm how little work values you (which resulted in something of a tirade on my Substack) there was no “well done” or anything, just the next demand shoved in my inbox.
Next week my parents, wife and I are off to Cornwall for a week. I’m really hoping it’s the start of things beginning to improve.