"Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it without knowing what's going to happen next."

Friday, December 25, 2015

Shimo Family Update--December 25, 2015

It's dawned on me that our two older boys aren't little helpless kids anymore. I mean, look at that face--Kenji's a grown boy, soon-to-be-teenager. He's no longer willing to baby his younger brothers either; he has enough to think about himself (boy, his own life is stressful enough). 
I'm really feeling it lately--the real problems of two grown-ups. Man, I gotta prepare myself for much more. I know I'm hardly close to dealing with the biggest problems. They're due to come. Scratching the neighbors car, stealing, lying, cheating, bullying and getting bullied are the smallest of the problems in their lives. They're 9 and 10. Boy! Looking at mine and Fay's personalities we have very little chance of smooth-sailing with any of our kids. 
Thankfully, I'm still fairly young and my mind is quick. I'm able to catch problems before they get too big. I can outsmart both of my boys every time. But I know that the time is soon to come that they'll outdo me. It's a matter of time. 

I tell you, I haven't had a better job in my life. 12 days off at the end of the year in winter; 5 days off in spring; 10 days off in summer, and another 5 days off in fall. I don't know how much more I can ask for to spend with my family without spoiling the £$%& outta them and spending too much. 
I have to say, though, this time off is much needed. I'm a boring person when my mind is focused on work. My workplace becomes my world, and all I can think and talk about is my work. This time away from care and worry is exactly what I need periodically. I'd be living a very different life without it. 
Time to think and plan with a clear and relaxed mind makes it possible to make true decisions. Often, when pressure is all around, proper judgment becomes impossible. 

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Merry Christmas of 2015


  It's been a great year. It flew by like a flash. Photo's of last year's Christmas is still on the same camera that took this photo. That's how stretched I've been.

  I won't lie and say it's a walk in the park having 3 sons. They certainly are the cause of a few white hairs, and the quote is indeed true that goes, "All my paper money is replaced with pictures of my children." Choosing to start a family for me was not a business move.
  Having 3 kids isn't cheap. They need things and want things, and then they break things. They get sick at the most inconvenient of times. They live a lifestyle that is virtually impossible to support by essence of the expectations of their schools, neighbors, and friends. I won't say it's impossible to have a top-notch and excellent family and business life simultaneously, but it virtually is. I would venture to say that 99% of people cannot maintain it for more than a couple years. Choosing to have a family, though, is the most fulfilling and rewarding of them all.