Saying goodbye to some sweet friends

I have worked with the Young Women in my neighborhood for nearly 4 years now. Yesterday I was released from my position. I had known for about a week that I was going to be officially released, and I have cried every day since. I know I'll be okay and I'll still get to work with the youth in my neighborhood quite a bit, but it's still hard. 

You have to understand several things about the Young Women in our ward. They are amazing. They make their leaders look good. They are sweet, kind, happy girls and I have never detected anything like a clique among them. They are responsible and smart, and they have taught me way more than I could have hoped to teach them. 

I spent most of my time working with the Beehives, the 12- and 13-year-olds, though I have a soft spot for everyone age 12-18. The Beehives are the sweetest people. Always happy to show up at church activities, always happy to see me, and never seeing my mistakes. I have loved being with them every Sunday and every Wednesday night, and I am simply going to miss them. 

Wednesday nights are going to be lonely. Clint is back in school and has class from 6-10 on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, so I will not see him on those days at all. I may spend the next several Wednesday nights crying and missing my sweet girls. I don't know how long it will take for me to stop feeling super sad about it. 

I know the Lord has a plan for me. He knew the best place for me to be for these past several years was with the Young Women, and maybe for the next little while, the best thing for me is to spend more time at home. I don't know everything yet, but I'm gonna get through it.

Why haven't I been sleeping well?

I've traced it, and I think I've figured it out.

My office chair.

I started sleeping light back in October and noticing that I would wake up sore and achy in my lower back. Not pleasant. I thought, "What is this? Am I aging?" Heaven forbid, and other curse words.

Well, that was about the same time I started my new job. Originally I thought my chair looked great. Nicer than the standard office chairs that everyone around me had. But not great support for my lower back. I think I have a bit of a deeper curve to my lower back than the average worker. So it was a problem.

First, I tried this:

It seemed to help. Plus I liked the sassy zebra vibe. But I like to use it at home, too. I've never been one of those organized people who remembers to take vital things with me wherever I go. Every time I forget to take this little donut to work... back problems the next morning.

Finally, I got this lower back mesh support thingy from Target. And it's staying on the back of my office chair. 

Today's my first day using it. But I can already tell this is going to be the start of a long and beautiful relationship. Ah, relief.

What else have I learned? That you never know how much easier it is to wake up at 5 in the morning when you get a good sleep and wake up without aches, then when you don't.