It’s been so long since I’ve posted that I hardly know where to even start. So much has happened in my life since I posted last (August 14, 2018… almost eight years ago, holy moly!) I used to enjoy writing all the time, but life became busy, I guess, and after a while I just… stopped. I’ve missed writing about my life, honestly. And my wife (Did I mention that I got married in 2019?) recently started her own blog, and I guess that kind of inspired me to pick it back up.
So, let’s just do a quick run-down, shall we? I am… well… much older now than I was at the time of my last post. I no longer work for the government contractor. I was downsized, and then I just decided to pursue other options. Now, I work at a plasma center in the quality department (very recently upgraded from the lab, which was somewhat enjoyable, but a bit too strenuous for my old body). I enjoy my work now. It’s nowhere near as stressful as my old job was.
I had a heart attack a few years ago and ended up with a triple bypass. Yay me! Now I have a nice, gnarly scar running down my chest. I also see doctors for just about every other thing you can imagine (all normal, routine illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, depression… you know, the common stuff.)
I’ve recently started going to church again on Sunday mornings, although I find myself struggling with faith more and more as I get older. I think it’s mostly a fear of what comes next, honestly. I’m definitely not a fan of heat, so Hell is out of the question for me. Heaven would be great. I’d also be okay with nothingness… just blinking out of existence. Also, if ghosts are really a thing, I wouldn’t mind sticking around for a while just to mess with people. I’m sure it would get old and boring after a while, so it’s not something I’d want to do forever.
In more serious news, my oldest daughter struggles with addiction these days. We’ve gone through hell with her and found out that it never really gets any easier. After numerous attempts to help her and being lied to, I finally realized what I had to do. I’ve seen enough episodes of Intervention to know. I had to tell her that, although I would be here for her if and when she decided to finally get help, I could no longer play the game. I don’t have the energy or the emotional capacity for it. I’m not going to lie, it breaks my heart every day, but what else can I do if she doesn’t want help… doesn’t want to change… doesn’t want to get better?
The other kids are doing great, for the most part. I have four wonderful grandsons from one daughter. One is married and, for the first time in a long time, seems happy. One just graduated last year and is going to college a couple of hours away. And the last two are teenagers, with all the angst and drama that comes with that stage of life. And the twins… well, that’s a totally different story, best saved for another time.
Overall, my life is hectic and chaotic, but also rewarding. There’s always something to do, somewhere to go, and someone to see. There are countless birthday parties and family holidays to attend. Sometimes I feel like just staying in bed and saying, “No, I don’t want to.” But I know that I can’t do that.
So, that’s the rebooted “Life of Dennis” in a nutshell. We’ll dive deeper into what makes me tick these days in later posts. For now, I encourage you to just relax and enjoy life as much as you can, while you can.
