2024, a year in retrospect

2024 was just another year.  The older I get, the more things just blend.  I hoped this year would be different and to get some traction into better success.  Yet, trying and failing at the goals I wanted to score has been a considerable disappointment.  I wanted to be better at a more suitable job and get more writing done.   Yet last January, I was glad about coming out of so much stress. My job is stressful, but I got to the point where I just do not care anymore.  So, it has become very frustrating to get through the year.  Each month was the same as the last.  I wish it was a more productive year.  I learned a lot and had more time to write with less overtime.  It has been a long one, and the hope of next year will be better. 

January was the month I was ready to change my life.  I wanted to do more and get out of this low spot I had been in for years.  I wanted to work on my stories and get closer to a novel. This was quickly overridden by trying to focus on time past work. It was also so stressful that the hours were cut, but they were expected to rise eventually.  So, there was another weekly stressor, and overtime would be assigned like in previous years.  For at least two years, adding a day to each week limits my time off.   I tried to focus, but it was difficult to get through the stress of snow and cold of the winter months.  I hate driving in the snow and dinged a previous car due to a slick spot.  The time off we should have had the entire time was still lovely. 

The next few months slowly go by due to the weather and the busy work schedule. I still had no luck with another job.  It was driving through the surprise of snow or any other bad weather.  It was the push to make my section faster when it is not set up to be that way.  I tried to keep up with the unrealistic goals.  I just want to be right in my work and not make mistakes.  If I make mistakes, I could face some severe consequences.  So, it was getting to me at this point.  The weather was cold with little snow, but it could quickly come, even if not predicted.  So, I drove daily to work with the same old attitude.  It was the chill till late into March, too. This was not helpful due to the stress of the regular winter months blowing over to the spring.  I was glad when the warmer weather came, and the bosses seemed forced to keep the hours down. 

Spring brought more of a nice time to feel better and enjoy the outside. There was still a lingering fear of working extra hours, but it was just the push to be faster.   My crew is the clean-up crew.  They are expected to ensure everything is correct, while the other crew can leave a terrible mess when we walk in the door.  It was nice to wear my hoodie since they had to change the rules.  I prefer the jacket, but that will always be searched due to new policies.   Though theft is probably still happening.  Other rules, such as a sports lid for water bottles, did not help much.  I found one online that I could use but still use as a twist lid.  I was a little brighter without flashing the rule-breaking in front of the bosses. Still, the regular hours were pleasant for gaining the necessary sleep and relaxation to handle stressful work.  I could not focus on too much since it was so much of my week.  I enjoyed time with my family, especially my nephew, who loves running around and playing silly little games.  I will enjoy him while he is still at a fun age. 

Summer brought new challenges since the heat can be as terrible as the cold.  I am in a warmer building, which means winter can be better, but summer is insufferable.  I cannot stand fans due to my constant sinus infections.  I have an allergen that helps set all that off.  I set a wall to let the others feel the wind while I deal with the heat.  Also, sweating is a good thing for your body.   Trying not to give my sinuses a break was a constant battle.   It is also when specific departments pick up work.  So I expected the extra days to be continued like 2022 with the zombie month of six days of labor. Yet it came and went with the pressure to be faster but accurate.  Yet, management has to discover they are counterproductive things.  It was still a few months of sweating and exhaustion over a different stressor.  Though it was terrible, I prefer it over possibly impaired driving conditions in winter.  I do love the mid-season, where I can work.  It seems to last forever when the weather is intolerable.  I received my ten years at the company: a useless Plack and a lovely gift card.

Fall is welcome when the weather presents itself. It was a mix of hot and cold, usually with a few fall days of perfect weather.  I want to vacation now but only need some more extraordinary weather items.  It was nice to take two vacations this year.  The larger one was to the New England area to visit the remaining states I have not visited.  We centered in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. There was a slight diversion to New Jersey.  It was beautiful in all the states, putting me at forty-seven states I have entered.  The leaves were not orange yet, but the landscapes were so pretty.  The second vacation was to my home state and the most popular state park, Hocking Hills.   It was gorgeous with its rocks and waterfalls.  There was a drought, so the water was not as great, but the hikes were beautiful.  It was nice to have the time off, and the hours were still not being hiked up. It was when the fans could be turned off, and I could focus better on my work. 

Then comes the blustering winter with the busy season.  Another department took over my space since their area was incorrectly set up.  My desk was also invaded on time, with items to be put in more secretive locations.  It was a much smaller area that did not do well with me. The blackout days came with the Christmas season.  This year, It was worse since they added hours to the regular days.  This made every week so long and exhausting to keep up with any sleep.  It was an odd schedule since they said a day in previous years.  The cold was not fun either, with snow in the early season and on the days I seemed to work. I barely had time to decorate my desk, but for the quick lights and a tree. The first week was hectic, and my section had too many workers.  As the weeks continued, they kept the awful schedule despite, at times, being my section running out of work. In previous years, they could not help but change the schedule.  Finally, before Christmas, they cut the long hours.  The fatigue was there, and I still had to write the stories in between all that time.  I am so sorry about not responding to those. I still need to read your stories, too.  It has been a long few months. No matter how hard I try, nothing ever improves. 

There is still hope for the next year despite this one.  A year of more growth and better management of stress. It is nice not to have an overexciting year that involves working nonstop.  I have grown tired of many things at this company for over ten years. The future can hold so much better if only a break from a better job would be available. It seems that life is never what you expected as a child. I had a decent year with less overtime and no major awful events.  I guess that is something to be said.  I want to go into the New Year with the best intentions and learn from my mistakes.  2024 was a year of growth and understanding through the painful parts of adult life.