Sometimes, Tigers need a clue-by-four to remind them to stay balanced.

I have this terrible habit of becoming married to my job and placing my relationships second, even when I'm living with a partner. This becomes further complicated when my romantic interests are at a number that is greater than one. Kitten and I watched "Eat Pray Love" on Saturday and discussed our relationship. Recently, I've been bad about showing her affection, love, and attention just because Life (mainly work) has been getting in the way and it's been pushed to the side.

Something that's unique about Kitten and I's relationship is that she's not polyamorous, but I am. I told her that when we started dating and have reminded her of it occasionally throughout our relationship. She's not thrilled about it, but she doesn't try to change that part of me. Instead, we're talking and working through it so it's not a deal-breaker for either of us. The going is slow and tedious, but it's what's needed even though I'm far from patient.

The big crux of everything for Kitten is that she needs to be reminded that she is the top priority in my relationships, which she is. Traditionally, I eschew poly hierarchy because Emotion can't tell the difference between a primary and secondary partner (I love them both the same). Reason knows there's a hierarchy simply based on how my life intertwines with my partners. Primary partners are typically ones that you share living space, bills, and general day-to-day miasma. Secondary partners are typically ones that don't share all of the craziness of the daily household. Typically. There are always exceptions to the rule and, of course, your mileage may vary. No relationship sticks to hard and fast rules; they are ever-changing as they grow. I'm constantly learning things about my partners, which constantly change the rules.

Speaking of change, my manager, C, just recently visited a store on an Audit Day. He said that the auditor reminded him very much of me in terms of personality and mannerism. But, moreover, he gave me a new carrot to dangle in front of my muzzle when he explained the role of a Store Auditor. The current regional auditor travels between 300 stores, covering at least 2 per day and spends 3-4 hours interacting with management and associates. Now, for me, this would be good. It serves two purposes: getting me out of the dead-end track for DC LP and gets me engaged and moving again. This is fundamental to how I work. If I have a goal at work, I will work harder and smarter at everything to achieve this goal. C is arguably both my biggest supporter and my biggest critic. He is the only manager I have ever trusted enough to open up to, both personally and professionally, and he has not betrayed that trust. And I'm not gonna lie. January and February have been HARD at work. There were times I was so frustrated that I wanted to break down and cry or storm out and leave. I didn't, obviously. But, looking back, it's also very obvious that I need to re-evaluate the energy I'm expending at work. A lot of it goes unappreciated. The associates are honestly what keep me sane and coming back. Also, our HR Manager is pretty sobering. She's pretty cool about me going to her with questions about professional development.

Another point of balance is my apartment. Kitten and I hunkered down on Sunday and cleaned up most of the front room. That was causing me a great deal of grief because we had her stuff pulled out to work on and sort through, but Life kept getting in the way. Yesterday, we got 'er done. We have pictures hanging up throughout our apartment now, too, which makes me happy. Right above my desk is the picture the Harem commissioned for me at MFF. In our bedroom is one of the pictures that E did for Kitten and I (I still need to get a few more of them printed). In the living room is my 4 Tenets poster (Honesty, Integrity, Strength, Courage) and Kitten's skittle painting she got at MFF. My swords are also here finally, which provides me as a swordsman a focal point for energy.

Overall, as I approach the ripe old age of 26, I'm working on re-balancing my life so that it has room for two partners (Kitten and E), a possible advancement in my career, and time for me to run Waystation FurCon, as well as do a few other things to keep me sane (like leatherwork)! In general, though, I also recognize that I'm in a good place. Even if it's not where I want to be, it's where I need to be.