Caught in the Middle

The weather over the past couple of days has energized me.  The Summer months are generally some of my least favorites due to the hot and humid weather in this area.  But the lack of humidity at temperatures under 80 degrees makes such a difference in how I feel.  The Fall is my favorite time of year, and the weather makes it feel like it is Fall.  But then, after feeling so good going into today, everything kind of fell apart as the day went along.

For whatever reason, others find me to be a good listener.  It isn't a special skill or anything.  You just have to be willing to listen to what others are saying.  When you gain that kind of reputation, people tend to want to talk to you, and/or confide in you, if you prove you're trustworthy.  This has placed me in the awkward position of getting caught in the middle of situations between people I know, only because I am willing to listen without being judgmental.  Getting caught in the middle can be stressful, and that is what I had to deal with today.

I hate getting caught in the middle of things.  I don't like having to take sides between people I like and/or respect, and I refuse to do it, if I can help it.  It gets even more difficult when one of the people is my boss, and another is a trusted colleague.  Now I have to "choose" between my career and a friend.  By providing information to my my friend, he used it to confront our boss.

The result of this mess is that my boss believes that I'm not able to keep to myself information meant only for me.  In addition, my colleague now believes that, since I did it this time, I am willing to pass along information to him that he isn't really meant to know about.

I don't know if any of this makes a bit of sense to you, the reader, but I am not happy with where my relationship with either one now stands.  And it's my own fault.  I allowed myself to be put in the middle of this situation because I was willing to listen.

***

I finally get my daughter back home after she spent this week with my in-laws.  She loves her grandparents, and I'm glad she has such a great relationship with them.  But I'm excited to get her back and we'll have a nice weekend together before she has to return to my parent's for most of the next week.  The summer is almost over, and school will be starting in another week and a half, and our lives will return to a somewhat normal state.

I really wanted to end the summer on a high note, so I'm planning to take off a few days next week so that we can go to Ocean City.  My girl loves the beach, and I love the atmosphere at Ocean City.  We've been there enough times to develop our routines, which includes eating at a few great restaurants, walking the boardwalk, playing miniature golf, riding carnival rides at the pier, and dipping into the ocean water at the beach.

One thing I always try to do is take her to a seafood buffet so that we can experiment with different kinds of seafood.  There are a lot of things that she's never tried before, and it's fun to develop tastes for new foods.

Anyway, the getaway will be good for both of us.  I can't wait.

Have a great evening, everyone.