Good early morning GH.  It has just passed 5:00 AM here in our little corner of the world, and it should come as no surprise, that at this time of the year, the view out the Weather
Window is...dark. Since we had enough snow in the last two days, I am very happy to report that the current temperature is 34 degrees, and that Sugar the Weather Dog is sleeping soundly. That's a good sign that no major weather events are on the horizon.

I don't anticipate that I have much to do today, and for me that is also good.

I got to thinking earlier, as I listened to a truck go by a bit before 5:00 AM, that very few of us know much about what our spouses do in their job, or for that matter what they do on a daily basis. Sure, we often know in general terms because of the company that they work for that they deliver things, account for things, teach things, build things, etc. But, we only know general things, not the specifics.  What we do know is often garnered from the things they say about their jobs, often in a complaint, but that is about it.   I taught school for a long time, I worked in the adult education area before I was a public school teacher, and about the only thing that I generally said was that I was there.  How do you really describe your daily activities.  Even when we think we know, do we really?  I know what Mary does in only general terms.  I have assisted her, but if she tries to really explain, my eyes start to glaze over and I get an "I wish I was somewhere else look" on my face. Maybe that's as is should be.  I don't mean to not be interested, but if I wanted to do her job, I'd be an indexer. We all have our own interests and unless, or maybe in spite of the fact that you work for the same employer, then you have other thoughts on your mind.  This might be a good place to insert  a few of the lyrics of that mid-sixties song by the Vogues, Five O'Clock World, if you are old enough to remember. But, that's an awful lot to think about. Raising children can be a tough daily job, but do we all want the daily details? Probably not.

So, I think I've said enough. Next time your spouse, partner, or significant other starts to talk about their day, try to listen, try to understand, but realize that they generally just want to vent, they aren't seeking a solution.  That's probably just as well. Most of us would take years to acquire the skills that our spouses, partners, significant others, or just our friends outside of work, spent a lot of years developing.  That's okay; just listen attentively, shake your head as you try to understand, but mostly, just listen and be there for them. Mostly, people are just working through their jobs and trying to get you to notice how an activity that consumes the majority of their waking moments has been trying, satisfying or something else.

I was just downstairs to finish my library book, and I turned on MSNBC only to find another host for It's Too Early. Let me say for sure, it was. Tea time is almost upon us, so I'll just say Ciao.