Keeping the Home Fires Burning

After another really tough holiday season here in the Trenches, I'd like to talk about our unsung heroes.  No, it's not the support staff (especially because I sing their praises every chance I get).  It's our significant others.  As those of you who work in the Trenches know, it is difficult and draining to deal with our clients' crises on a daily basis, and even worse during the holiday season.  We end up completely exhausted at the end of the day when we go home to our significant others.  As you might imagine, we're not the best company when we get home, and I mean when we get home, which is usually pretty late.  At a time of year when most folks spend time celebrating with family and friends, those of us in the Trenches are exhausted and decidedly antisocial.   We work, eat, sleep, and go back to work.  What happens when we go home for those hours to eat and sleep?  The dogs are thrilled to see us, even more so if we take them for that four letter word that starts with "w", and ends with "alk".  What about the people at home?  Funny thing is, most of us come home to people who understand.  They know this is what we do, and that it's tough on us.  Are they thrilled with having a warm, semi-conscious person at the other end of the couch for three weeks?  Of course not, but they don't complain, they don't add to the pressure.  What they do is help us reduce our stress, and carve small moments of joy  out of our days, so we can continue to be at our best for our clients at a really difficult time.  They are our unsung heroes, and we love them.