Tag: night shift life

Hero in Progress, Mission Logs

Break in the Clouds: The Universe Just Opened a Door

Mell D'Clute
SuperMell stands before a glowing apartment doorway, one hand reaching toward the handle as warm golden light and cosmic swirls shine from within. Storm clouds break behind her, revealing sunlight and a distant Calgary skyline. At her feet, Diana the black cat with a white chest tuft sits confidently inside the doorway, illuminated by the glow.

There’s been a break in the clouds! It’s interesting how things can change from one week to the next. As I wrote in my last post, I decided to put the stress of moving and uncertainty about it up into the Universe to handle. Well, the Universe responded in a big way! The Universe opened a door for me — one I’m ready to walk through.

A Change in the Direction

Previously, I had hopes of renting a place close to work that checked most of my boxes, but was a little worried about being able to handle additional costs, like pet fees, parking, utilities, etc. On a whim, I decided to check out some more listings on RentFaster.ca, and found a place that worked even better. Rent price includes all utilities, garbage, snow removal/lawn care, parking, and no pet fees, and separate ensuite laundry. And it’s actually cheaper than the other place! The only extra costs I would have to pay that I am not already paying are internet and tenant’s insurance. This makes budgeting so much easier for me to handle.

The Sign From the Universe

Not only did I find this amazing place, but I got a direct sign from the Universe that this place is meant to be. When I contacted the landlord to make arrangements to view the place, she informed me of the address… Here’s the sign:

The street address is exactly the same name as the street I currently live at in Carseland, but in Calgary!

That had to be the Universe sending me a signal, am I right?!!

Last Wednesday’s viewing made everything click; the place truly felt like home. Envisioning life there came naturally. Once the application, credit check, and references were completed, approval followed—now just waiting on the probationary period ending December 14th.

A Break in the Clouds

I am genuinely excited about this new place! I have nothing but good vibes about it. This has increased my optimism and is a wonderful boost to my mood. It literally feels like the storm clouds have started to break and clear skies are peeking through.

I am looking forward to moving in to the city, closer to my work and to my brother. Even though moving itself is exhausting and stressful for anyone, I feel confident that this will happen smoothly. Most of my things are still packed away and stored in my parents’ garage, so the packing and carrying up of the items in my place now can happen around the Christmas break, as I have the 24th to 27th off and am anticipating using some of those days to move things to the garage, space and weather pending. I’ll also do a deep clean. Only the bare necessities will remain, like clothes, food, bathroom supplies, etc. I love it when a plan comes together!

The Plan: Mission Parameters Locked In

December 2nd I will meet with the landlord after work and review the terms of the lease and sign it. Once I pass my probation at work, I notify the landlord, who at the time will be out of town for a couple of weeks. When she returns on December 23rd, she will sign the lease and then my first month’s rent will be due.

Move-in date is January 2nd, which I have anticipated as all truck rental places are closed for January 1st. As that is a holiday for me as well, I plan to do my laundry including my bedding, ensure the place is clean and tidy, and pack up all that remains except what I would need in the morning. I will use the bedding my parents had on the bed for that night. Then I will go to bed early that evening as I plan to get up early on January 2nd. I would normally work on January 1st evening, but now have asked for a personal day for that day, which has been granted.

Move-In Countdown: The Steps Ahead

On the morning of January 2nd, I will plan to be at the Enterprise rental place by 9:00 a.m. Then I’ll meet the landlord at the new place to go through inspection and get the keys. At that point, damage deposit will be due. Then I head back to Carseland, gearing to move things into the truck starting by around 10:30 or so (which reminds me, I have to post a ‘helpers needed to move’ post on Facebook Marketplace or something like that). I anticipate one hour to load the vehicles and then head to the new place, arriving by no later than 1:00. That will give me 2 hours to unload the truck, as I have previously estimated I would return the truck to the rental place by around 3:00.

At that point, my first priorities will be to ensure Diana is safe and comfortably exploring while I assemble the bed first, then the other furniture and move the furniture to where it would look best. Then I’ll probably rest for the day. I can take my time unpacking, starting with bathroom and kitchen and working my way through the boxes. After all, I will have the rest of the weekend to unpack and determine optimal times for sleeping in the new place.

Diana: The Warrior Princess

I hope Diana will adjust well to the new place and moving won’t be too stressful for her. She’s done it before and rode with me as I moved from Richmond, BC to Carseland, Alberta. This is a much closer move. She’ll be safely stashed away in the 2nd bedroom of the apartment when the moving in of items happens. The only thing I need to worry about is getting her into the cat carrier and traveling to Calgary. Also, I’m sure she will miss her boyfriend a lot, so I do worry about her and how she’ll handle all of this. But with a new place, and new windows to look out of, I’m sure she’ll adjust. I named her after Wonder Woman, after all. She must have missed scratching my couch, too, right?

Final Thought

When there’s a break in the clouds and a sign that the Universe has opened a door for you, you walk through it. When all signs point towards this being meant to be, you allow yourself to feel optimistic and positive. Some people don’t understand that, but I know that’s how things work. When you put good vibes out there into the Universe, you get good vibes back. If all you do is put out negativity, chances are that will be your path. I was in a bad place for a while because I was embracing negativity far too much. It’s so amazing how fast things can change when you decide to embrace positivity.

How has the Universe shown you your path forward? Have you gotten any signs like the one I just received? If so, please feel free to share your story in my comments.

Hero in Progress

The Calm Before Big Change

Mell D'Clute
SuperMell sits calmly in a lotus meditation pose while a storm rages in the background. Lightning flashes behind her as she keeps her eyes closed in peaceful focus. Diana, her black cat with a white chest tuft, rests curled in her lap with one ear perked, listening to the distant storm.

The Calm Before the Storm

I’m currently in a holding pattern—waiting to hear whether the place I want will have a vacancy, watching other January rentals, preparing for my Lean Six Sigma exam, and biding my time until I reach level 50… which is in 2 weeks. It feels like the calm before big change, and I’m trying to appreciate it even as the uncertainty makes me uneasy. I know I should appreciate the time I have now as it will get pretty hectic once December hits, but it also has a little bit of an unsettling void feel to it. Life is what happens to you while you’re making other plans, I guess.

The Storm

“The Storm” is how I’m choosing to encapsulate this uncertain time period. It could be a terrible storm, filled with lots of wind, a blizzard, a blinding fog, or all of the above. Or the meteorologists could get it wrong and it presents itself as much more tame than was anticipated. Who really knows for sure?

And honestly, the weather this week felt like a perfect mirror of my inner world. We actually did have a storm earlier this week. Rain, turned to freezing rain, and then snow, and lucky me had to drive through all of that on my way to work. It was super icy and I couldn’t travel more than 80 km/hr speed due to the car swaying too much on the frozen roads. It was like trying to drive on a frozen pond. It was scary but I made it in time for work as I left early. However, this made me question whether or not I should upgrade my tires to all weather tires… Yet another expense… Great…

Riding It Out

I’m trying not to get ahead of myself too much and stick to my weekend goals so I can calm the chaos. I’m also doing my best to practice self-care and breathing exercises to calm down my stress level so I don’t freak out. I’m pretty confident I will pass the probation period at work. I’m sure I will get it all figured out soon and get better at managing my time. My parents have decided to gift me the all weather tires for my birthday present, which is fantastic! (Thanks!) I will get the new tires on tomorrow—just in time for yet another winter storm to potentially hit on Sunday.

Things are starting to come together now. I’ve also got all my Christmas shopping done, almost finished wrapping all the gifts, and should have it ready tonight. It’s super rare for me to do anything Christmas-related before my birthday, but I decided to do a little shopping last Friday after work (as well as get my oil changed). As my birthday is in December, I have always felt like the two things need to be kept separate. But honestly? I was missing shopping. I love walking the malls, looking around, and all of that. I don’t really get to do that as often as I want to anymore with my crazy work schedule and living so far from a mall. The most I’ve been able to do is walk around Walmart, and that gets old real fast.

The Calm of a Storm

Who says storms are terrible anyway? Sure, some are, like hurricanes, tornadoes and typhoons. But there is a calmness to a storm. I love a good thunderstorm, and it was definitely something I missed while living on the West Coast. And who doesn’t love the scent after a fresh rainy day, or the sight of a beautiful rainbow to signal to us that it’s over.

It’s a very zen approach to take things one step at a time and to live in the now. What is the point of worrying about things not yet to come? It just causes too much stress on your mind and your body. Live in the moment. It is of course important to make plans in order to achieve a goal, but to take things slowly, not get ahead of myself, and figure it out as I go. Storms come and go, and so do these intense seasons of change. All things must pass…

Diana is a Master of Zen

Cats get it. They understand that time is really meaningless. All you need is food, fluids, a litter box, and some toys to make you happy. And plenty of sleep.

I have however noticed that she is constantly looking out the windows to see if her “boyfriend” is outside. (There’s this neighbourhood cat that roams around the whole town that our family has affectionately dubbed as “Boots” due to its white paws on a grey body). Diana always seems to be anticipating his approach around the same time usually. I think she actually worries about him if the weather changes, as when it was snowing earlier this week, she was looking for him with much more urgency. It will be difficult to move her away from him… Poor Diana!

Final Thought

I’m sure everything will magically fall into place. I know I’m not alone in feeling some anxiety about this calm before big change. I’m choosing to take things one task at a time, and send my stress up into the Universe to handle for me. Everything will be fine and will work out. I only have to believe it will and put those good thoughts out into the Universe.

What are some ways you deal with stress or anxiety? Share in the comments, I’d love to hear about it.

Hero in Progress

Packing Up the Past: Making Space for My Next Mission

Mell D'Clute
SuperMell stands confidently in a softly lit room filled with half-packed boxes labeled “Past,” “Dreams,” and “Next Mission.” Her black cat, Diana, with golden eyes and a white tuft on her chest, sits on one of the boxes as dawn light streams through a window overlooking the Calgary skyline, symbolizing a hopeful new beginning.

SuperMell is Ready for the Next Chapter

As I prepare for a big move to Calgary, I’ve been thinking a lot about what ‘packing up the past’ really means. It was once put to me by someone wise that I am the hero of my own story—just as everyone is. I tend to view life through that lens. If things are going great, just wait for the next daunting chapter. When life is challenging, turn the page to a new one. That perspective keeps me from getting too lost in the lows and reminds me that life ebbs and flows like the ocean. There will always be ups and downs—it’s how you carry yourself through them that matters most.

Brave Words, Am I Right?!!

Haha! Sometimes I catch myself trying to write something inspirational and find myself wondering in my mind if what I am saying is factual or over exaggerated. Take that intro paragraph, for instance…. I’m not quite sure why I wrote that in particular, but it sounded in my head like a great start to a blog post. I don’t know if it is or isn’t, but it’s made me wonder how exactly am I carrying myself as of late.

Reality Hits Hard, Sometimes…

Some things are going great for me, and some I’m struggling with—so I guess you could be the judge of how well I’m carrying myself these days.

I’ve started a new night-shift job at a Printing Place in Calgary, and I genuinely like it. While it’s not exactly the graphic design world, it feels a lot closer than cleaning offices ever did. It’s creative-adjacent, process-oriented, and oddly satisfying.

But with every good chapter, there’s a subplot I could do without… What I don’t like so much is the daily commutes, especially as the daylight is completely gone or not quite present both late at night when driving to work, and early in the morning when driving home. It’s about a 40-45 minute drive away, and it’s becoming quite the pain in the ass, especially since we just had our first snowfall of the year yesterday after I got home from work. I’m grateful I didn’t have to drive through that on my way home—only some icy fog.

The extreme dislike to the commuting is highly motivating me to start looking at apartments. I’m trying to gear myself towards moving early January. Which is great, but scary as well. Rent prices haven’t fallen and likely won’t anytime soon, so that worries me a little bit. And of course there’s the added stress of actually moving, which is always a headache. But I’m trying to imagine myself a few months from now living closer to work and in a place where I can control the temperature, which has been at least a decade.

Feelings are Weird…

I guess the stress is getting to me as I’m finding it difficult to get my lovely ADHD brain to kick into gear. I avoid housework like the plague, am great at making list of things to do, but not so great at following through with it. The good news is most of my stuff is still packed away in the garage, so I don’t have a super amount of work to do as compared to my last move. But still… Budgeting, figuring out how to make the overnight weekends work for me without making too much noise, etc., etc.,

Somehow I feel like I will be able to get my act into gear once I have all my own stuff and can do what I want on the weekends, but then again, I’ve always struggled with the task of housework, so who knows if I will be more organized. I just feel like I have missed my things a lot, you know?

The stress of moving, starting a new job, commuting, and completing my Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training is making my emotions seems quite numb as of late. It turns out, this kind of upheaval is not just ‘normal-chaos’ — according to Healthline, people undergoing relocation often face significant emotional and mental-health shifts.

I’m not sure what it is I am feeling, other than stressed out and living with some uncertainties. For instance, the place I really want to rent I won’t know if they will have anything available for January until at least late November. I do worry about the costs of living and so forth as well. When exactly will that giant sack of money fall from the sky?

Diana’s Take

Diana, as always, just patiently sits by my side as I write this blog post. She probably has no idea how stressed out I am or the feeling of overwhelm that’s wreaking havoc on my ADHD brain. I’m sure she can’t wait to be able to scratch my couch again, or crawl around under my bed as she used to do. She might miss her friend, the neighbourhood kitty we have affectionately referred to as Boots, who prowls around looking for food. She probably won’t miss my parents’ cats though… It’s been awhile and they still don’t really get along.

Final Thought

Seriously, where is that giant sack of money? Has anyone found one yet? If so, how and where did you find it? I’m dying to know! I’m doing my best to save money now, and will be able to handle things until I move, but not so sure about how to afford it when I am living in Calgary again. Time will tell, I suppose.

Soft-Paw Sunday

Moonlit Rest: Finding Comfort in the Quiet Hours

Mell D'Clute
SuperMell sits on her bed beside a glowing window under the night sky, her purple costume softened by moonlight. She holds a can of Diet Pepsi, relaxing before her shift. Diana, her black cat with golden eyes and a small white chest patch, curls peacefully beside her. The room is dim but warm, with moonlight casting a gentle glow that reflects the Midnight Mission theme of quiet nighttime rest.

Introduction – Moonlight and Stillness

Soft-Paw Sundays are my reminder to pause, even when life feels like it’s moving at warp speed. With the shift to night work, my quiet hours now fall when the world outside is asleep, bathed in moonlight instead of sunshine. There’s something both mysterious and soothing about this—like my own midnight mission isn’t just about working, but also about learning to rest differently.

The Rhythm of Night

The world feels different when you live in reverse. Streetlights hum in place of birdsong, and the glow of the moon replaces the warmth of the sun. At first, I found it unsettling—like I was out of sync with the rest of the world. But slowly, I’ve started to find beauty in it. There’s a calm that only night can offer, a steady rhythm that hums beneath the surface. It’s quieter, gentler, and somehow more forgiving.

I’m realizing that rest doesn’t have to mean a full stop. Sometimes it means slowing the spin. Sitting with a warm blanket and a still mind, letting the quiet do its work. The night has its own kind of restoration—it just asks you to listen differently.

The Art of Unwinding in the Dark

It’s easy to mistake quiet for loneliness when the rest of the world is asleep. But lately, I’ve been learning that solitude doesn’t have to feel empty. There’s power in claiming this time for myself, in building small rituals that make the darkness welcoming instead of daunting.

A can of Diet Pepsi instead of morning coffee. A playlist of soft ambient sounds or old movie soundtracks. Sometimes a notebook beside me to spill the thoughts that gather after work before they have a chance to follow me to bed. These small habits have become my “nightlight rituals”—anchors that remind me that even in stillness, I’m cared for and present.

Diana’s Moonlit Wisdom

Diana, naturally, has adjusted far better than I have. Cats have always been experts at unconventional rest—curling up wherever comfort finds them. She often joins me during these late-night wind-downs, curling against my side or perching by the window, watching the moonlight drift across the floor. Her golden eyes gleam for a moment before she blinks into calm contentment, a living reminder that rest is sacred no matter when it happens.

Final Thought

In these quiet, moonlit hours, I’m learning that rest is not about when it happens, but how deeply we allow ourselves to embrace it. The night has its own kind of comfort—soft, hushed, and healing. If you’ve been searching for stillness in a noisy world, maybe you’ll find it under the moonlight too.