Sorry I missed writing yesterday.
It was a physically challenging (pain wise) day .
I have a secret for you...Pain sucks!
It truly drained the crap out of me again yesterday. 
Today is much better.
While I have not given in to it, I have altered my expectations of what and how much I can get done while it lasts.
This, much like emptying my plate of only my top 3 or 4 priorities daily, is proving to be a very smart plan.
I am accomplishing all that I set out to do. 
I am not disappointing myself at the end of the day with a list of unfinished or unaddressed tasks.
I am setting myself up for success on a daily basis.
Each day that I accomplish this, is followed by a day where I set the bar just a tad higher.
You would be surprised just how motivating this can be.
At the end of the day , when I can survey the landscape around me and see progress, I feel really good about myself.
Yesterday I had a meeting to discuss a project that has been gnawing at me for a very long time,maybe over 3 years.
I pick it up and put it down. I start the engines on it every once and a while only to find that for one reason or another the timing is not right to launch .
When I originally scheduled this meeting, it was a split second , seize the opportunity, move.
Within hours of scheduling it, I started having second thoughts.
While I am committed to the project, I knew down deep, that I am not ready to give it the attention that it needs. 
I had my meeting.
I pitched my idea.
And then , less than 24 hours reached out to the powers that be that I am working with and spelled out why I want to put the project on hold for a launch much further down the road.
It's not that I don't believe in the project or in my ability to make it happen.
Quite the contrary.
I am so passionate about it and so committed to it, I want to make sure that it gets the effort and attention it will need.
I even went so far as to let those I am working with know the exact future date I am planning to launch...October 4th 2018!
Now I have a target.
Ready-Aim-Fire!

The day that started out beautiful and sunny yesterday did not last very long. By noon the storm clouds had moved in and we have been treated to soaking rains from last night and continuing through this morning.
Did I happen to mention how well all of this damp does to the back situation?
Still another week where I had to forgo the gym.
I am looking forward to the time that I can get back on track.
Right now, a walk around the block would be a real treat.
Soon enough I suppose,just not yet.
Today is the annual Purim carnival at our synagogue.
It's a wonderful day for the kids in our school. Although our kids have long out grown this event,Susan and I continue to help out every year.
It's kind of the seminal event for the Spring holiday season.
Mid week this week, we will celebrate Purim (just Google it if you want to learn more!) .
We have a huge celebration on Wednesday night , the Megillah reading on Thursday,and when we sit down to Shabbat dinner on Friday night ,it will be 4 weeks until Passover and the first Seder.
Welcome to the wonderful world of the Jewish calendar!
Thanks Mom!
This is how I grew up.
Mom ran the house based on the next holiday coming up.
Not the immediate holiday.
No the one following the one we were on about to celebrate.
To Mom, getting ready was almost more important than the yom tov (holiday) itself.
What's the old adage, the devil is in the details.
That may be true. 
I decided to Google the expression and I actually found something enlightening. 
I found:
"An older, and slightly more common, phrase God is in the detail means that attention paid to small things has big rewards, or that details are important."Once again proving what we already knew, Mom's know everything!
Thanks Mom!

It's a beautiful sunny day here in North Jersey today.
 Every thing is soaking wet from yesterday's rains , however I may go grab some cushions and sit outside for a while. 
I would love to take advantage of the nice weather and get a head start on Spring cleaning outside,but with my back being the way it is that's not going to happen today.
I did have some computer issues yesterday that have now been resolved so there is a bit of catching up for me to do today.
Once again, I am keeping my to do list at a bare minimum. 
3 or 4 items, that's it.
One of them will be to take it easy.
The back was screaming loudly starting at about 2 a.m. 
It's just now becoming tolerable.
The best thing I can do for it is nothing.
Just sit .
I have a lot of that on my agenda for today.
In fact as I am writing to you, I am sitting waiting for the Orkin man to show up.
It's ant season!
Once he's gone,I will bring some lunch over to Susan , then come back here and sit at my computer researching retractable shades for the Grooming Shoppe.
I have 2 sales promotions I would like to launch.One is easy and as soon as Sara comes here to show me how to do something on my computer I will get an email out on the first one. The second one needs some input from a vendor before I am ready to go public with it. 
Until I hear from them,all I can do is sit and wait.
See.....more sitting!
What else does the day have in store?
Filing
(more sitting)
Some emails
(more sitting)
and then some more sitting.
In the present none of this seems very productive. 
I am sure that this plan of action (or inaction) will serve me well in the long run.
Only time will tell.
Shabbat Shalom!

 Guess where I am and what I am doing?
It's 8:30 on a Friday morning and I am sitting at my desk writing to you.
Ain't that something!
Now that I have my CDL, I have a new schedule which includes a day off. 
Imagine that!
And as luck would have it 
(okay I finagled it to happen) 
that off day is Friday. 
So now there is no excuse for me to not write to you and let you know how I am doing on How Am I Doin' Fridays.
I am doing great.
Yeah, my back is still aching. February is still acting like February.
I have a ton of catching up to do.
I still have to shop and prepare dinner for tonight.
Life....it keeps on happening!
Here's what I am not doing.
 I'm not wasting the day doing nothing.
The to do list, as always is a short one:
1) dinner
2) doctor
3) write.
Once I accomplish all three of these , everything and anything else is a bonus.
I have a funny feeling there will be a lot of bonuses today.

Shabbat Shalom!

 I've been griping and grousing about my back for a number of weeks now. 
It's painful.
It has limited my activities.
It has effected my mood.
I have not been the best partner to my bride.
I have neglected a number of agenda items.
In general, I have not been the me I know I am capable of. 
I heard from a friend earlier this week.
Another round of chemo for him. 
David....get over yourself!
It's just that simple.
The Sun is shining today.
 My pain level is tolerable.
Be thankful for everything.
The phrase Carpe Diem is actually only part of a longer quote. 
The original phrase is:
"Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero" meaning
"seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future."

The past is history.
 The future is not a promise there are no guarantees.
Carpe Diem.
Seize the day, or more accurately"pluck the day".

Sounds like a plan to me!
Shavua Tov!

 It's been quite some time since I have written on a Friday .
It's nice to be able to catch you up on How I am Doing.
Life is good!
This back thing has made me cranky and irritable . 
I find myself not engaging with people as much because of it.
I don't want to come off as a complete jerk so it's better that I just keep quiet!
Leaving that one challenge to the side,life is as I said good.
My over all health is fine. 
I am being diligent with my food protocols.
I haven't been able to get to the gym with this back thing however I am confident that will change soon.
My CDL test is on Tuesday.
I will probably watch the video on pre-trip inspections another 8-10 times before then.
My desk is clean of any back log and I am pulling together my campaigns for next week.
Passover is 6 short weeks away from tonight. 
It's time to get started preparing at least mentally if not physically.
Pitchers and catchers reported this week to Spring training. Opening day of baseball is a few weeks away which will make my wife happy. You know what they say:
 Happy Wife, Happy Life!
Just in case any one around here has turned their heads towards Spring time, there is a snow storm headed this way tomorrow night. Possibly as much as a half a foot of snow.
That really won't effect much other than possibly my Sunday morning bus run. 
TBD!
As I said,Life is good!And there's nothing wrong with that!
Shabbat Shalom!

The other day I came across an article on Facebook about a close friend of mine from high school. It was a posting from a local newspaper regarding a dinner where he would be recognized for his philanthropic work in the community for almost 4 decades.
I was in awe of my friend. 
I always have been.
 He is in every sense of the word a mensch!
(even if he is Lutheran!)
To be honest though , I have been wanting to write about him for over a week now. 
While the article was wonderful and the recognition long over due, I am even more amazed that every single time I see him, and in every single picture that gets posted, he is smiling. 
He is possibly one of the world's smiliest people.
He always has been. I've known him for 47 years and I can't remember a time, not even once, when he did not have a smile on his face. 
Life has not always been nice to him.
He, just like the rest of us, has had his ups and downs and his trials and tribulations.
None of that has ever removed that smile. 
It's not a fake, toothy grin.
It's a smile that starts in his eyes.
The rest of his being picks it up from there.
I have been with him at weddings as well as funerals.
 Always a smile.
Not the same smile obviously. 
However there is always a smile. I am jealous. 
I am envious.
I am in awe of this ability.
A smile makes a difference.
I have noticed that lately in some photos of myself that I have seen.
This is not the first time this has come across my radar screen.
There is a lot to be said about the power of a smile.
After 47 years of knowing my friend, I think it's high time for me to add his gift to my tool belt. I know it will serve me well!

My day started out just fine. 
As a matter of fact,it was more than fine.
When I opened my emails this morning, I found , much to my surprise,  a file that I have been waiting quite a while for and quite honestly didn't think I would have any time soon. 
It was a great way to start my day, giving me the opportunity to launch a sales campaign that I have been forced to put on the back burner until now.
However, for some reason, things have seemed to turn south from there.
In my mind, I had picked out an outfit for the day that I thought would be appropriate. When I went to my closet to put it together, I found that one of the key elements to that outfit was nowhere to be found.Kind of a bummer, but no big deal. I chose something else and continued on with my day.
I had heard that we were in for some warmer weather this week.  planned my dinner menus around that only to find that today was not going to be one of the warm days.
Again, no big deal. I just changed things around a bit switching tonight's meal with what I had planned for tomorrow.
After 2 hours at the chiropractor last night, I am moving much better. However, I am growing tired of the constant pain and discomfort. 
I just want to feel good!
Out the door and on the road for my morning rounds and now I had to deal with traffic. 
Lots and lots of traffic. 
Why on a Tuesday when there are clear skies and for no apparent reason is the volume on the highways and roads so heavy today?
Now I feel myself starting to get annoyed.
 I call ahead to a patron who is chronically late in getting out the door in hopes that maybe , just maybe, they will accommodate every one else by being on time.
 Ha...I should have known better.
I'm not sure why the Democrats and Republicans in Washington are worried about appropriating funds for infrastructure. It seems just about every road in Northern New Jersey is undergoing some sort of rehabilitation.
Where did all of that money come from and when will it end because lately getting from point A to point B has me detouring through the rest of the entire alphabet!
Yes.....I am frustrated today and I am not sure why.
Probably because I am not functioning at 100%. 
I am in pain.
I am uncomfortable. 
I am dealing with computer stuff that quite honestly I just don't know how to do.
Lots of "stuff" seems to be up in the air and I am not sure that I have any say as to when they will move forward.
Like I said,frustrated.
The good news is that this frustration has not led me into the kitchen.
That for sure is a good thing.
While I am not sure where to or how to find a path out of this malaise, I am fairly confident in the knowledge that if I just let go,I will find my way.
In the words of Mr. John Lennon...Let it Be!

It is just amazing how having that one day to catch up this weekend has changed my working environment.
What was a maelstrom of chaos has completely subsided . I now have what for the immediate future seems to be a clear path and a clean desk.
And once again, The Universe seems to approve.
My advice from my mentor Darren Hardy today spoke about "pruning your rose bush" .
A rose bush has tons of buds. However it can not possibly produce all of those flowers. In fact, if you don't trim them back, the bush will eventually exhaust it's resources trying to feed all of those buds. Ultimately the plant will die, literally burning itself out. 
My to-do list are those buds. Trying to take on too much was killing me.
By trimming that list down, all of my resources and energies can be devoted to the remaining tasks at hand. The result will be full vibrant and beautiful flowers.
Makes sense to me! 
I may even end up with some free time to smell the roses!
Shavua Tov!

Yesterday I wrote:
Once said it becomes a reality!Obviously that is working since I also exclaimed yesterday that I am back and launched my February Word of the Month:
EFFORT.
Coincidentally, my quote of the day from Doug Smith ,my colleague mentor brother and friend from High Performance Leadership was:
"What we say creates expectations!"
It amazes me how these things all tie together.
So here I am,day 2 in a row . 
A fresh start on my Journey.
While scrolling through some old pictures in my daughter Sara's photo album last night , I came across a picture of her and Loki.
Judging by his size , it must have been from about 8 -10 years ago. He seems full grown but not filled out to his majestic appearance.
It got me to thinking about him. 
Again as coincidence would have it, it was just over a year ago, that we began the battle that led to what we all new would be the eventual conclusion. 
Reflecting on my current experience with the pain and discomfort in my back and legs that I am dealing with, I can't imagine how frightened and alarmed that poor beast must have been .
I have the capacity to understand what is happening to my body and that eventually I will get better.
I know if I take Advil , the pain will subside.
I understand that the therapy and adjustments are helping.
This poor animal only knew the pain.
I know how much it hurts for me to stand up. No wonder he chose to lay under the table for hours on end. 
It was his safe haven.
I have to ask myself ,in retrospect, was I fair to him?
Were those last few months of him being a part of my life , my families life, worth putting him through whatever he was experiencing?
He could no longer pull himself up to his favorite resting spot, dead center on the sofa.
Once we got him on the proper meds, he seemed to be in a whole lot less pain. He appreciated being part of the family. 
He still greeted every one and anyone who came into our house with one of his dozens of "monkeys" (stuffed animals) hanging from his mouth.
He still loved to come rest his massive head on my lap and waited patiently for me to rub his ears, something that gave him nothing short of euphoric pleasure.
No, I am sure that he appreciated the few extra months that we all had together just as much as we did.
Two days before we had to put him down we had our annual open house Sukkot Kumsitz.
The house was a beehive of activity with somewhere in the neighborhood of 60-70 people visiting us that day. We spent the entire day outside and Loki was there to greet everyone. 
He was in his glory!
It was his last hurrah.
The next morning, he let me know it was time. Even the harness which for the last few months allowed me to help him get up and get outside was of no use. 
It was time to say good bye.
It was a good life.
He was a great friend.
I was so fortunate to have him in my life.
Shavua Tov!