80 days to... what?

I've got this little pocket calendar that I was given after the Christmas holidays that I use for my "countdown" until the end of the year. When I started the countdown nearly a month ago, I thought of it as counting down to my salvation, when all of my current troubles will be over. Since then, things have settled down quite a bit... every morning, I journey quickly to my isolated corner of the world, brush by my boss with a polite nod, and try to hang out in my space and avoid most folks for most of the day. For four weeks, it's worked, and I've avoided any major conflicts. We'll see if it keeps up.

Anyway, with things getting quiet, the countdown seems to mean something different. After 80 more school days, my life becomes a giant wild card and who knows what will happen? While the uncertainty carries some excitement, there is always that dread of the unknown. It's hitting my wife pretty hard, and I don't know how to handle it. I have a hard time listening to people share their fears. Although I'm supposed to be the man of the family, I often expect my wife to be the strong and reliable one in the relationship. How does one deal with another one's uncertainty and anxiety about the future when you are having enough of a time dealing with your own? I've never been good with the whole sharing feelings thing and I'm at a point now where I realize that I need to get good at it.

I suppose I've got another 80 working days (and counting) to figure the whole thing out.