Trials by Fire - The Sequel.

The past 5 days have been evil, chaotic, trying, and most stressful.

The first headache was induced by yet another mistake made by the hospital followed by threats from the Emergency Association insisting on payment in full. Literally hours spent on the phone with people insisting they never sent letters and statements that I was reading back to them verbatim. Still nothing is settled and I've had to send copies of everything they're denying to have sent.

The next involved my previous life and I am too tired to go into detail - maybe someday - but not now.

Most recently, my place of business was robbed at gun point (I was not there, thank G*d) but the losses are immense and we've all been shaken to the core. We were interviewed by detectives and state troopers; the surveillance video has been on TV; stills from that video have appeared in newspapers in 5 states, and the story also ran on local radio far too many times. Phones have been ringing with customers and friends checking in to make sure we are all OK. We're not, OK? I am sure we were aware that this could happen given the state of the economy, but when it becomes a reality we are never ready for it.

The past two days were spent cleaning up the dust used for fingerprinting which, seems to be everywhere and that is no easy chore. Yesterday the owner arrived to work up a complete inventory of what is left and what was taken. It was a calm, but tense 11 hours and in the end the missing inventory list was huge - worth over a half million was gone - and we all just sat and looked at one another in stunned silence. It was over. Now it is solely in the hands of the owner and the insurance company, but the store won't be open for another day or two as we regain some sense of composure.

Somewhere in all that mishugass a package arrived at the Post Office. It was a gift from my wish list and just what I needed to be reminded that the outside world was still there and that someone cared. Thank you Peter, I really needed that long distance hug and reminder that I still have a new job to celebrate and a new keyboard to save my cramped hands. Bless you my friend. Your gift arrived at the moment I needed a slap to sanity. I hope you are looking forward to your trip to the states, that you have a safe journey, and more fun than you could ever hope for. You deserve it.

I know all this will pass. I am grateful that I have learned a few tools that kept me from crashing and burning as these things toppled me for days. After cleaning up the store as much as possible Monday afternoon, I met a couple of friends for an early dinner in town. That outing, the friendship, and especially the laughter helped me get through the tense, hellish hours of Tuesday. I slept little last night.

Today gives me a break from all of the above as I head back to the new job and the community I love here at the beach.

I hope this isn't too much information and that it makes some sense upon reading.

And so it goes.
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