A new season has begun

I've been quite busy with various things in my life lately and this has taken a backseat to that at the moment.... I'll try to sum things up in a neat package...

Work:
Work has been killing me, but has been very rewarding at the same time. We're currently working on the new ( and 1st ) casino in town and we've been under the gun to make things go smoothly and quickly. This means getting stuff modeled, detailed, printed and reviewed so it can be sent for approval, and then the other guys get to check all the work... then get it to the shop. This wouldn't have been an issue had the designs not changed a bunch of times and questions got answered in a timely fashion. Instead... it lags and we have to wait... and here we are.

So, the bosses have made incentives for us to work more and get things back on track. That's great, but now with it being spring, there's work around the yard and such to be done too.

I can't complain. They treat me VERY well and while everyone is screaming about a recession, we've not been busier.. having to turn work away at times. That's a nice problem to have.

Racing:
This past weekend started my new season and I got to really see what little I did to the car made a difference. For whatever reason, I went into this weekend with alot of confidence and a great attitude about it.
Friday night I setup the 1st course for our test event with some other of the drivers.
Saturday we had our test event and got to drive a few cool cars and rode in a few VERY cool cars... made my day.
Sunday's event was a blast. Like I said, I went into it not worrying about where I'd place, or who was in my class. I just was happy to be there driving again and have a great time with all my racing buddies.
I found that I drove very aggressively and spun in the 1st run. After I got that out of the way, I felt more relaxed and on each run I got quicker. Each time, the car felt slower, and smoother, and nothing came out of nowhere to surprise me. I was rewarded in the end with a class win over someone that normally eeks me out of decent places and out of 97 drivers, I finished 27th. Not bad for a 1st event of the season.

Personal:
Most of my confidence as of late has been the result of a close friend's attitude towards me. It's nice to have someone that believes in you and supports what you enjoy doing. Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool when you are trying to do something well and you work so hard to achieve it.
My friend is going thru a bit of a tough time, and I'm doing my best to be that same person they have been to me. It's a bit of a different situation, but the intent is the same.
Sometimes no matter what you try to do, you need to step back and just be there. It's not saying you don't care, but you're showing that you do by not smothering them or clammoring for thier attention and giving them the space they need.
It's hard to walk that line. You care and want to be sure they KNOW you are there and want to help if you can, but you also have to respect that you have no idea what they're going thru and sometimes just letting them be, and standing aside until you're needed is the right thing.

You can be a friend and still let them have space. You may think you know what's right, and what's best, but you're not them, and no one can change that. Everyone needs to follow their own path and find thier way to that door we all must walk thru someday.

I've been really good at that balance so far, but it's hard.