A Letter To Karen

Dear Karen: It is lunchtime and I have decided to go outside and sit and take in the city. I found a nice spot by a statue, next to a young tree that throws just enough shade to make it comfortable in the unseasonable heat that we are having. I have brought lunch ( a pickle loaf sandwich, chips, yogurt and diet ginger ale) and a book, and have settled in for a nice read. The traffic is going by noisily, lots of beeps and roaring engines. A train blows its whistle as it passes close by. I am constantly looking up as strange people pass. And by strange I mean both people whom I have never met and really wierd people. :) It is a little uncomfortable, and hard to let my guard down as they all pass, but no one seems to mean any harm, and they all respect my space. The words on the page are interesting, but my thoughts are scattered, its hard to concentrate. I recognize a girl from my department, whose name is Cindy also and we wave to one another and she strolls over to say hello. She asks how I am doing and if I like it so far and I say yes, that it is very interesting, but I am looking forward to actually getting my own space and being able to do some real work of my own.I still feel out of sorts, as if I am intruding on their work spaces, as one has not yet been assigned to me. They are nice people, yet I dont feel the warmth and welcome that you had extended to me when I first came to Northgate. Cindy has to leave as her lunch break is up and again I am alone with my thoughts. The day is not yet too warm, even though it is noon, and my little tree is keeping me cool in its shade. I think about how nice it would be for you to work here, too. The benefits are tremendous, really. We do not get Monday off for Columbus day, because instead they are going to observe that day on the day after Thanksgiving. Woo Hoo. I wonder if you think about me. Have you burped out loud much? Is Stephanie behaving? Has the new girl started? I hope you give the new girl a chance. I am hoping, of course, that you do not like her as well as me, but that you get along well and that she will try to help you out as much as she can, like I did. I hope that she is a good worker and easy to get along with. But please don't forget about me :)

Time to go back. I throw all my trash in the can beside me and scurry through the door and up the escalator. Throw my purse onto the conveyer that goes through the xray machine and step through the metal detector. The officer gives me a hopeful look, and I smirk back at him as "Beep Beep Beep" I set the alarms off. I have yet to get through the detector without setting it off. He sighs and comes at me with the wand and I dutifully spread my arms and legs and let him "wand" me. "Darn, I thought you'd make it this time" he says playfully. "Are you taking a lot of iron supplements or something?" Nope. Just magnetic I guess. I swear I could go through the thing naked and still set it off. Hmmm.....

So I am thinking about all of the new things I have done and learned in the past few years. Quite a lot, actually. This is nothing different, just a new set of things to learn and master. I want to be the best darn Case Manager they ever saw.

Annie continues to grow and is now about an inch taller than Whitey. Shadow is looking for you to come over and ride, and Rusty is looking for some carrots. He says that it has been such a long time since he has eaten a spree that he had forgotten what they are, but he appreciated your getting them for him and cant wait to get some more.

So I think you are going to the farm this weekend. Hope you have fun and get lots done. Know that I am thinking about you and cant wait till you can come over again. I am looking at my scrapbook right now and looking forward to us working on it and our bracelets.

Do take care, my friend.

Love Cindy