Both Thursday and Friday were a blur for me this week. Catching up after a week away is never easy. Add to that being hampered by what ever is going on with my back and you can well imagine that life has been challenging. BTW...the snow , ice and cold don't help either.
Yesterday, I actually had a day with very little pain in my back . It allowed for a small window of opportunity to function at a higher level.
This was a huge help given that Friday's are usually jam packed with things to accomplish, including getting ready for Shabbat dinner.
The weather even cooperated ,creeping above freezing for the first time in a very long time here. 
Today, the back pain is back.
My movements are cautious as I try my best not to aggravate the situation as Susan and I have tickets to see the Lion King on Broadway tonight courtesy of our children.
I have managed to tackle cleaning up my desk area as well as everything from my initial follow up list from the show in New Orleans. 
Now it's time to make that next list.
The first list was the easy one. 
There were a number of obvious must do items that accompanied me home from the trade show. 
The next list is a bit more challenging.
This list will be the forward plan as compared to the clean up list that I just completed.
I need to be a bit more creative.
I must step back and get a glimpse of the big picture.
If you follow professional football at all, you often see that an offense will come out at the beginning of the game with the first 15 plays scripted. 
In the huddle, the quarterback simply relates the play to his team mates ,they break the huddle, line up at the scrimmage line and execute the play to the best of their abilities.
As the game progresses, the play calling becomes more fluid. 
The quarterback has coaches frantically speaking into his ear from their headsets. 
In the huddle, he not only has to communicate this information, he also has to make sure that he has everyone's attention. 
One team mate maybe dealing with an injury. another may be barking at the opposition after the last play. Another may be gasping for a little breather after exerting themselves over and over again.
The calm of those first 15 plays has long vanished. The battle is in full force and it is his role to bring home a victory, all the while maintaining his own sense of calm.
This is how I feel today. The game is starting to heat up. The prescript-ed portion of the contest is over.
Now is the time for leaders to step up and do what leaders do.
LEAD!
Now is when the game becomes exciting!

Time to huddle up...ON ME!

Shabbat Shalom!