Good morning,
Woke up with an awful headache, a still neck and some sniffles and coughing. I know I'm getting better but this sucks. I can't think of anything else (except the changes here which still tick me off). I'd say the day has got to get better but I don't want to tempt fate.
Tony is here and I cheer up with him, partly because he is always cheerful with me. WEe both admit to occasional aches, pains and less-than-perfect moods but we both work at staying positive.
I'll tell you a little bit about Tony and some of why we get along so well. I'm not sure when he lleft school and started working but it was probably around age 16. When I met him about fourteen years ago he was working from 7am to 3pm Monday through Friday and 7am to 1 pm on Saturday for about $40 a week For ten years previous to that he's been working the same hours for $30 per week and supporting his wife and two children; his wife said to me once, "we ate a lot of beans." When he started working for me after he'd been laid off AND had back problems I gave him his first weekk's pay in advance and later told him it was a Christmas present as was any other money I'd loaned him. When he got the chicken pox around Christmas and still tried to come to work I told him to go home and not come back until better and paid him full wages. Whe he was better, he and his wife and their baby daughter paid a social call on me to thank me. This man has class.
My first rule with Tony was that he was not to do anything that would hurt him (like working with a short-handled sledge-hammer which is what messed up his back). One day I came in the house and found him looking at a book. He jumped gultily; so the second rule was: I will never criticize you for spending time looking at books.
On my side, I can go to him any time for help and he will help me if he can. The reverse is also true though he has a large extended family for lots of things. He takes great care of my dogs and hom when I travel and at other times.
I can absolutely trust him not to steal and to be totally honest about money. In return, I give him as much extra as I can when he needs it. He gets time off for medical stuff. When he first worked for me and I was not paying him a lot I let him have time off with pay to do other better-paying jobs. As his three children were all still at home this helped.
I think each of us could talk at length about what the other had done for them and, for me, it is an ongoing miricle that we continue to be so grateful for each other. Most days when he leaves we thank each other and we both mean it.
He's very smart and I appreciate that. He's had employers who just wanted hard physical work and wanted hi to work faster, harder, etc and never slow down. With me, I'm always happy with his work. A lot of what I get is four hours a day with a person who likes me and helps me stay on a schedule - a great help with depression.
I've not now of many relationships, including marriages, in which both people feel so blessed. Regardless of money, work or whatever each of knows that the other can be relied upon. Some people get this from their families. Tony and I have both been heavily relied on but have not been able to rely on others. We are both also phobic about yelling or having people angry to us so we are both very careful with each other. We have never yelled, never fought. If a mistake is made we both say "my fault" and move on. (His wife is a yeller and he hates that though he loves her.)
Tony started working for me shortly after I'd moved here permanently and one of the best things I've gotten from him is a huge degree of acceptance in this small town. The fact that he appreciated me so much as an employer made a huge difference in peoples' opinions of me.
Nothing like a little gratitude to improve one's mood.
Guess I will go to work now.
hugs, katie
