Life's a Party!

“Greatness is the courage to overcome obstacles.”

~ Dr. David Hawkins

It is said that life is a party.

If in fact that is so, I believe that it is one that I surely don't want to miss.

And if I plan to show up to the party, I think it would behoove me to do so properly attired.

Sweats and a hoodie are hardly what one would consider as putting your best foot forward.

With that in mind, I spent some time last night going through my closet in preparation for the cooler weather that is coming this way.

After putting away some summertime gear, I found that I have 5 nice sweaters that are perfect for this time of the year.

I do have a collection of hoodies ,however I think I am looking to up my game a bit.

I pulled out a half dozen pairs of slacks, none of which I fit into at this point.

Yes, I have not discussed my weight lately and yes again,it has become an issue.

(We'll get back to these slacks in a minute).

I also found a pair of jeans that I can add to my wardrobe.

They are the same size as the pair of jeans that I have been wearing since mid August.

I decided to try them on and guess what.

Yep...no way!

In the past, this would have been devastating to me.

This is no longer the case.

Because I weigh myself every morning,I know exactly how much I have gained.

I had already made the decision that after celebrating my birthday on Sunday at dinner with my family that I would go on a 21 day version of our 40 day cycle.

If I started on my birthday,it would end the Monday before Thanksgiving.

So,my current goal is to be able to wear those jeans on Thanksgiving day.

Sounds like a doable plan to me.

As for the other slacks,they are neatly folded and stored in a plastic bin next to my bed.

One mountain to climb at a time!

Who knows....Christmas is not all that far away!

The Perfect Birthday!

“There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs.”

~ Zig Ziglar

Somehow I lost a couple of days.

I last wrote to you on Saturday and now here we are and it's Tuesday.

Where did those 2 days go?

That's a damn good question!

They were partially consumed by a flurry of activities generated by my birthday.

Yes , yesterday was my birthday.

I turned 64 (okay stop singing the Beatles song!)

Sunday disappeared between driving the bus, a long overdue lunch date with an old friend and then dinner with my family. I left for the gym at 6:30 in the morning and did not get back home until after 8:30 at night.

Yesterday,on my birthday, I again left the house early in the morning and did not get back to my desk until well after 7 p.m.

Upon opening my emails, I found a number, a big number, of birthday greetings waiting for me.

It was wonderful!

The problem that this created for me is that a number of years ago , I decided that if someone reached out to me on my birthday ,it only seemed right to respond individually rather than in a Facebook post that says "thanks everyone for the birthday wishes".

As I read each "Happy Birthday" message, I responded to it.

I spent over 3 1/2 hours last night doing that.

I finally finished after putting in another hour this morning doing the same thing.

What a blessing!

I could not have had a better birthday than that!

Making Progress!

 "It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit."

~ Harry S Truman

Today was supposed to be my Day of Doing Nothing day. Sweat pants and a hoodie and me and my computer.

That was going to be my agenda. Some writing then some course work, then some lunch and then back to my studies.

It's almost noon now and I am just getting around to writing.

On top of everything else,out of the blue, I got a phone call from a dear high school buddy who is traveling through the area so I will jump out in a few minutes to grab a cup of coffee and catch up with him a bit.

Max and I will do lunch (some left overs in the fridge) and then swap out the light bulbs in the family room (we did the kitchen and dining area yesterday) when I get back.

Amazing what some new lighting can do to a room!

My new plan is to be able to spend the latter part of my afternoon at my desk listening to my course on coaching. If I have time, I will also listen to a bit more of my course on Mindfulness.

It s becoming painfully obvious to me that I have yet to get a handle on my time management. Or more precisely my ME management in regards to that particular resource.

I am getting better at it.

In the past, losing the morning as I did today would have led to me abandoning any hopes of accomplishing what I had set out to do in the first place.

Today,it just means making adjustments to the amount of free time that I have left and just how much I can hope to get done in it.

That's a far cry from throwing the proverbial baby out with the bath water.

It's called progress!

More importantly,it's a win for the home team!

Shabbat Shalom!

Caoching

"The key to happiness is inner peace.

The greatest obstacles to inner peace are disturbing emotions such as anger, attachment, fear and suspicion, while love and compassion and a sense of universal responsibility are the sources of peace and happiness."

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

In the Spring of 2010, I attended a one evening program called STRETCH. It was a free event geared at people who were transitioning in life and who might have an interest in what was then a relatively new and blossoming field called life coaching.

In the Fall of 2011 I enrolled in IPEC,The Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching.,a program designed for those who wanted to become a life coach.

From the moment I registered I was committed to the notion that I had no desire to be a life coach.

Why would anyone pay some one to coach their own lives?

It sounded ridiculous.

If you needed professional help , there are a plethora of psychiatrists,psychologists,social workers,clergy,head hunters and business developers out there , all with degrees from accredited institutions of higher learning.

When you walk into their offices the first thing you see on the walls is the affirmations given to them by these revered organizations verifying on sheepskin that in fact these people are certified experts in their chosen fields.

To me , the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching, and for that matter the entire field of coaching, was akin to the "learn how to become an artist "ads that I used to see at the back of my comic books when I was a kid.

So why was I spending my 2 most valuable resources (time and money) on this?

My reason was a simple one.

While I loved my Dad, I knew that I did not want to be the same angry curmudgeon that he often was.

Barking at people,scowling at people and grousing about this that and the other thing was not how I wanted to live.

I was at the time quickly becoming that person.

I felt as if life had kicked me around quite a bit and quite frankly, maybe it was just in my D.N.A. to continue down this path.

I wanted to get over that stuff and be a better me.

Lo and behold, I found out a number of things at IPEC.

#1 is that coaching is a very real thing.

#2 is that I was really , I mean really good at it.

I still had no desire to become a professional life coach, but I loved doing it.

BTW...........Did I mention how good I was at it?

Over the next 7 years, there were times when I thought it might really be helpful to engage a coach to help me along my Journey.

Financially that always seemed imprudent, and my "I can do this myself" mentality certainly did not help.

(I'm such a chauvinist!)

While on our mini vacation in August, all of this changed.

I had a plan to share my skills and life experiences with others. I also knew that with out a coach,I could never get this done.

In a very uncharacteristic move, I reached out to a coaching colleague who I hold in the highest regard and explained my situation.

I had a plan and I needed help.

That's when a funny thing happened.

I asked and she responded with an "okay lets go".

Huh?

That simple?

Well not 100%.

Seems that she saw some value in my skill sets and experience.

She saw not just my potential,but also an opportunity to add to her vast pool and ever growing community of really talented individuals.

With her help, I have moved this new endeavor down the road and with any luck , no with continued perseverance, I will eventually be offering my services in a professional setting.

7 years of denying who I am and just how good (read powerful, ,empathetic,talented,insightful and significant) I really am and just how much of an impact I can have on others.

Declaration:

I am a Life Coach.

(and a really good one!)

Never mind the sheepskins on the wall, I have the lines on my face and the scars on my being that attest to my expertise!
BTW...while any one can learn to draw by signing up with the ads in the comic books, only those with real talent become artists.

Shabbat Shalom!

More on G.S.D.

“The strangest secret in the world is that you become what you think about.”

~ Earl Nightingale

Since listening to my mentor Darren Hardy's message regarding working at Sparks Speed and Getting S#!t Done, I have been fairly diligent about this.
Diligent and maybe a bit aggressive, or maybe very proactive.
In either case, this positive energetic approach has been a welcome change to the way I have been handling things for the last few months.

It is also yielding some immediate results,again all positive.

Up until last week, my life was like playing wack-a-mole blindfolded.

Not very effective!

It's much easier when you can see the game in front of you.

Every one of the last few days has been productive.

Nothing has been overwhelming and stuff is getting handled daily.

Maybe, just maybe ,I have found a clearing in the wilderness that is my Journey.

I have no idea if this is a temporary condition or a real shift in the landscape.

That doesn't matter.
For now, I'll continue moving forward and enjoying the wide open spaces!

Well excuse me!

"Never give up on the most important goals in your life. Never give up on your life purpose. Never give up on your core values."

Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I was expecting some push back when I wrote about my daughter Becca's new form of transportation.

I expected to hear things like "you should be more supportive","She's a grown up,she knows what she's doing" "Let her do what she wants".

while all of these are valid points, my message was supportive. I am just strikingly aware of the consequences of the choices we each make and I hope all of my kids are as well.

I did get one admonish though and I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge it, share it with you and correct the egregious error I committed.

It was actually from Becca who pointed out that her ride is not 3.5 miles but actually 6.5 miles each way.

Correction noted and acknowledged!

Let's think about this for a second...........

“I am what I am because early in life I decided that I would please at least myself in all things.”

~ Edmond Rostand

My daughter Becca has taken to riding a bicycle to work.

The 3.5 miles from her place to the shop can be traveled almost exclusively on the County Park's bike trail.

There are many positives to her new form of transportation.

The exercise is good for her physically.

Fresh air in the morning and getting your heart going to start the day is always a plus.

Not to mention that a bicycle is more eco-friendly than her Ford Escape.

There is a down side however.

In the last 2 weeks she has fallen off of her bike twice, each time banging up the same knee.

While neither fall has caused any major damage, one has to wonder what could have happened.

Becca owns and runs a business that requires a good deal of physical activity.

She is on her feet all day.

She has to stand as she bathes and dries dogs.

She also walks dogs and has the responsibility of handling each one when they come into the shop and when they leave the shop.

Imagine if she had sprained,twisted or broken an ankle or leg or who knows what?

None of us are kids anymore.

There are consequences to our actions and choices.

When taking on new activities like bike riding , we have to be careful.

We have to proceed with caution learning the do's and don'ts.

I am not advocating going through life afraid to try anything new.

We just have to be careful.

We have jobs and responsibilities.

We have people who depend on us , whether we are the boss, owner or employee.

It's different if the activities you engage in have been part of your routine for a long period of time.

But when we are taking on new adventures,proceeding with caution is probably a good idea.

I am proud of my daughter's choice to add this to her routine.

I support her 100% in trying new things , especially when they have a huge upside to them.

2 falls i 2 weeks.

Like I said no major injury. No harm, no foul.

However ,she may want to rethink her plans to go skiing for the first time in her life for a while!

Sometimes it's D.I. Y.!

“Circumstances don’t make the man; they only reveal him to himself.”

~ Epictetus 

Sometimes it's D.I Y.

If you want (or need ) something done, do it yourself!

I have been asking to have the maintenance department attend to a few minor fixes on my bus for about 4 or 5 months.

Each time I ask, I am met with the same or similar response.

"Make a list and we'll see if we can get to it."

"We're kind of busy now but remind us in a few days".

"I'm not sure when we can get to it."

The last time I asked it was"if we can't get to it,just bring it to the mechanic".

I finally had enough of this.

On Thursday I decided that instead of parking after the morning run on Sunday, I would drive the bus back to my house and tackle these repairs to the best of my limited abilities.

I'm not talking about major body work here.

There was a piece of molding hanging off of the drivers side just below the roof line. It would flap in the wind as I drove and what was once about a 3" hanging piece had now grown too over a foot.

Then there was the trim brush that attaches to the bottom of the passenger door to the steps of the bus. It came off well over 2 months ago.

Next was the rubber flange that flaps from one side of the passenger door over the other side. The patrons on my bus use this as a handle as they climb in and naturally they have torn it away from the body of the bus.

The last thing was the rust on the bottom of the passenger doors. Years of dripping and subsequent neglect have eaten away at the paint and it is only a matter of time until the door frame rusts away.

So yesterday (Saturday) I made my way to Lowes (it's closer than Home Depot) and picked up what I believed I would need to fix all of this.

I needed a new drill any way so I bought one for myself.

Then the rest :

Gorilla Glue,

an Assortment of screws,a can of black Rustoleum spray paint and

a wire brush attachment for the drill.

Now everything has been fixed....good as not so new!

Not that any one other than myself cares about any of this. That's not the point.

I knew they needed to be attended to. I knew that if not taken care of I would eventually have had more major repairs .

Repairs that would have disabled the bus for who knows how long at a cost of who knows how much.

Like I said sometimes you just have to take matters into your on hands and D.I Y!

Do It Yourself!

And that's exactly what I did!

Shavua Tov!

G.S.D,!

“In life, you either have the results you want, or you have reasons to explain why you don't have them. If you have the results, you don't need the reasons.”

~ Robert White

Yesterday I mentioned that it was high time for me to start getting things back on track . That plan started with me making a much dreaded to-do list.

So right after I hit the send button on my daily email, I pulled out my note pad,turned to a clean fresh page and began writing.

At the top of the page I wrote the words "TO-DO!"

Continuing on I added the day and date and then my first entry :

#1- Call the sign guy.

#2....and then I stopped.

Why am I making a freaking list.....just pick up the phone and call the freaking sign guy!

So I did.

Earlier is the week, my mentor Darren Hardy had spoken about just this type of situation.

He called it the G.S. D. plan.

Get S#!t Done!

He shared a story about a friend of his Mark sparks, a very very successful entrepreneur,a billionaire several times over, who handles everything at what Darren calls Sparks Speed.

Do it now and get it done!

To-do lists are for procrastinators.

If it's important enough to need doing, get it done and get moving on to the next task.

And that is precisely what I did yesterday.

I picked up the phone and called my sign guy.

"Joe....it's David....can I come over and get that sign put on my car?'

"Great see you in 15 minutes!"

Boom .........done!

Next!

I the spent the next 3 hours using the G.S. D. method.

One task after another was handled.....without making a list.

As stuff popped into my head, I handled it. After I was done with that task it was on to another. If something came up that needed my attention in that moment, I handled it...in that moment. If it was something that could wait, I simply just left it alone.

I know, you're probably asking what if I forget to go back and do that thing I put off.

Simple....what if?

No big deal.

Life will go on.

In the meantime , the important stuff, I mean the really important stuff, is getting handled.

If it isn't important enough for me to remember to handle it well then maybe it's just not all that important in the first place.

By day's end I had managed to take care of a number of items ,including one BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) that had been looming for weeks.

G.S.D.

I Got S#!t Done!

That's what I call a good day!

Shabbat Shalom!

It's been a while!

“In life, you either have the results you want, or you have reasons to explain why you don't have them. If you have the results, you don't need the reasons.”

~ Robert White

It has been quite sometime since I have written a How Am I Doin' Friday email.

It feels good!

As I have pointed out earlier in the week, I am finally getting back into a routine,a routine which includes writing daily.

I have sorely missed this.

I would love to tell you that I am back to full speed ahead and have picked up right where I left off when life kind of went sideways on me. The fact of the matter is,the road to recovery is a long Journey.

Make that a long,slow, arduous Journey.

Here's what I know.

I know where I am today.

I know where I once was,

And I know where I want to go, at least in this moment.

I also know this will not happen in a day or a week or even a month.

I once heard that for every day you miss getting paid, it takes 2 days to recover.

Hopefully my road to recovery in regards to getting back on track will be more geometric and less arithmetic in it's progression.

I do know that it will take as long as it takes and that I am committed to making that happen.

I have a number of new things that I want to accomplish.

They will have to wait for the time being.

As I sit here , I am fully aware of the number of "things" that have been left undone ,unfinished or unaddressed.

Before any new projects get started, I must clean up the old ones and tie up all of the loose ends.

All good stuff!

This is where not having that person sitting in the chair of the empty desk in my office becomes abundantly obvious.

Some day....

For now, it's back to list making.

Although I am not a fan of to-do lists,sometimes they are the best means to achieving a goal.

It's a bit like grocery shopping.

Sometimes you really need that list to make sure you haven't forgotten something.

In the kitchen cabinets of my life, things have gotten a bit depleted.

The good news is that this has been a great week and I am already beginning to see positive changes.

As I said at the top of this message...it feels good!

And feeling good feels really good!

Shabbat Shalom!

The Empty Desk

“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.”

Carl Rogers

In my office sits a desk that has been unoccupied for just over 2 years now.

It is the desk that Becky my office admin had used for 12 years.

For the first year after she left when she had her first baby (making me a Grandboss ) I left it exactly as it was ,untouched ready for her return.

After a year,it became evident that her eventual return was not going to happen.

It was at that point that I rearranged my office,retaining the extra desk just in case.

As I said, it has now sat empty for over 2 years and while I have no immediate plans to fill the seat that goes with it,it has become perfectly clear to me that if I want to be the best me that I can be,that will have to change.

Not having that go to person has severely hampered me.

There are "things" that need doing that I just don't excel at and quite frankly have no need or desire to.

Oh sure, I could tackle these things,which would take time and effort that I could be spending on other things.Things that I DO excel at and that quite frankly make me who I am.

Becky is not coming back, that's obvious to me.

Nor am I looking for the next Becky...she was one of a kind.

Eventually, I will relent and begin the search for the next occupant of the empty desk.

I know that to be an inevitability.

Today is not that day.

However, the more I learn about myself and how I operate the more certain I am that that day is getting nearer and nearer.

A Blessing in Disguise!

“A true friend is one who overlooks your failures and tolerates your success.”

Doug Larson

After an utterly exhausting day yesterday,a good night's sleep was surely what was needed. My head hit the pillow at around 10 and I don't remember much after that. That is until about 2 a.m.

That's when I woke up and was pretty much done sleeping,at least for the next 3 hours. I did manage to get another hour of sleep in before getting up today and heading out to conquer the world again.

Surprisingly, I am full of energy today.

Not that the day didn't start off with a bit of a challenge.

On my way out the door this morning, I noticed that the box I asked Max to put in Susan's car was still sitting on the deck.

I started the Jeep and then went to retrieve the carton of shampoo so that Susan could take it to the shop.

When I went back to my car,I realized that I had slammed my door shut locking my keys and my belongings in my running vehicle.

No I don't have a spare key.

No I don't have AAA.

And yes, I was going to be late to work!

I grabbed my wife's keys ,basically stole her car and barked a set of instructions at her as to how to handle the situation and then I was off.

Within the hour, she had things well under control and life had returned to normal.

Somehow I managed to still be pulling my bus out of the lot at exactly the same time that I normally do and all was back on track.

So how is all of this a blessing of some sort?

I'll tell you.

It has brought me full circle to this month's word of the month.....FOCUS!

It has been weeks,no months since life has been normal" around here.

It seems that since at least mid-June,there has been some sort of disruption to my routine, a routine which always includes moving forward.

It is not as if I have been lazy or taking it easy.

Quite the contrary.

I have been at times completely inundated or overwhelmed.

But mostly ,I have been distracted.

This is the first full week, where my schedule is clearly back on track.

Things are seemingly back in order. And I am once again able to begin the process of being focused.

Sometimes it takes a good beat down and then a really good shake up to wake up.

Realistically, I know that after the extended period of time that my routine has been disrupted it will take a while to feel completely in alignment again.

I also know that the fruits of my labors will not show any tangible results for weeks to come.

I'm okay with that.

It just feels good getting back into a rhythm that is familiar to me.

Here's my frustration................

"It is what you do with what you know that will determine the life you lead."

~ Darren Hardy 

So it's just about 7:30 in the evening. Susan should be home from work shortly. I got home about 30 minutes ago.

I left for work this morning at 7 as I normally do. after my morning run, I had just enough time to get to the supermarket,put away the groceries,start dinner ,check emails and handle some "business" and grab a quick lunch before heading back out for the second half of mt driving schedule.

Susan was in the shop by 8 this morning. The last dog left at a little after 7. Susan then drove Becca across town to her place and is en route home.

It was a long day for both of us. This is not an uncommon occurrence.

We both work hard and put in long days. My frustration? shouldn't we have more to show for our efforts?

Shouldn't it be easier to make ends meet?

I'm not looking for a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

I am hoping for something that feels more fair.

It's not like we're just starting out in life.

It's not as if we haven't been at this for our entire adult lives.

True for both of us,we are experiencing new chapters in our story, another starting over if you will.

Still, there are times,like right at this moment, when I find myself frustrated .

I suppose more for Susan than for myself.

I actually like long days.

I like leaving in and coming home in the dark.

Strangely enough, this is part of my core values.

I just believe that there should be more reward connected to the effort. I also would prefer that my bride not have to work at this quite so hard.

I don't think that's too much to ask for.

It makes me wonder what I'm doing wrong.

I hate being there.

It's the path that takes me from frustrated to sad.

And that's a path I don't want to head down today.

There's no place like home!

“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”

-Confucius

We're back home from our overnight in the woods of Pennsylvania.

The wedding was lovely...a bit chilly ,but lovely none the less.

The setting was unlike any wedding I have ever been at,deep in the woods of the Pocono Mountains.

The entire affair was outdoors.

There was a barn(not heated) and a couple of roofed pavilions (again not heated).

There was a bathroom (Yep, you guessed right....not heated) and a building where the buffet was laid out (guess...!).

Everything was spectacularly beautiful,surrounded by a perfectly chilly Autumn evening.

The bride glowed.

The groom was handsome.

And they shared with all of us that which they enjoy most in life, their love for each other, their friends and family and being outdoors in the woods.

The wedding was at 4:30 , just as the Sun started to set.

Every now and again, beams of light broke through the trees during the ceremony casting a radiating aura over the couple.

It was at times magical.

The buses were scheduled to take us back to the hotel (about 20 minutes away) at 10. We departed late, eventually return at just about 11 o'clock.

Susan and I opted to skip the after party, leaving that for the younger crowd.

We said our good-nights and headed back to our room for the evening.

The last time I saw the clock ,it was just after midnight.

It was nice to get away.

It was wonderful being with family.

It had been a wonderful event.

I am so glad we were a part of it.

And maybe just as happy to be home!

Shavua Tov!

Over the river and through the woods...............

“When your career is personally gratifying, motivation comes from within you.”

~ Dr Michael Broder

On this dreary overcast morning in mid October we are off to the woods of Pennsylvania.

No we are not going apple picking or on a hayride. We are not spending the day in a corn maze. Nor are we heading out to enjoy the Fall foliage.

We are actually attending a wedding being held in the great outdoors.

47 rainy degrees with ominous grey skies.

How inspiring!

Seriously, it's an exciting day for all and we have been looking forward to our nephew Glenn's wedding for quite sometime.

It's been quite a while since I have shut everything down as I am for this wedding.

The Grooming Shoppe is closed.

I have taken the day off tomorrow so we can travel home at our own pace.

Other than getting the oil changed and clearing my desk and emails, I left nothing pen on my to do list for the day.

Monday morning will be here soon enough.

For now,it's time with family and time to relax.

I think I will even let Becca drive and just sit back and enjoy the ride!

Shabbat Shalom!

For anyone with pets!

"Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms."

- George Eliot

My designer and long time friend Tina Basile has launched a new business. She is an extraordinary artist whose career has spanned many genres from greeting cards to face painting and everything in between.

Her latest en devour is pet portraits.It is nothing less than eerily weird that she reached out to me this week.

Yesterday was exactly one year since we had to put Loki down.

I am reliving that painful time once again as we are now dealing with Bentley and his final weeks with us. His cancer is progressing fairly rapidly and while nothing is imminent,the outcome is inevitable.

Personally, I am not a collector of things.

I don't keep photo albums.

I don't and never have carried pictures of my kids in my wallet.

Trophies and keepsakes are not my thing.

Tina's portraits are different.

Max made mention the other day that over his lifetime we have had 7 dogs (I think that's correct.).

It would have been nice to have had portraits done by Tina of each of them. I suppose if I dig through Susan's photo collection I might be able to find pictures of them all for Tina to work from.

I am sure that others in my family would appreciate them.

I decided to share this with you today.

Maybe you have a pet that you want to remember in this way.

Maybe you have a family member or a friend whose heart has the same emptiness that mine does.

Maybe a keepsake like this would help to ease that pain and grieving.

If so, you may just want to reach out to Tina.

Here is a link to her website: https://petarttreasures.wixsite.com/tina

I never use my writing to promote a cause or a business.

Somehow this feels different.

This feels more like a path to healing .

I hope it helps some one.

Shabbat Shalom

I just can't seem to get out of my own way!

"Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceitfully. Shun evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it."

~ Psalm 34:14-15

Today is Wednesday.

I have not written since Sunday.

Why you ask?

Great question!

It's the same one I am asking myself.

I start each day fully intending to write at some point .

Then, as if by magic, I turn around and find that my free time and energy have all but vanished.

I can find a billion excuses or reasons, however in the end it boils down to me committing to and focusing on sitting down and writing.

Take this morning for instance.

I new I wanted to write to you.

I made a plan that as son as I got home from my morning bus run, I would make sure to write.

I got home , grabbed a cup of coffee, gave the dogs a snack (Bentley's meds make him ferociously hungry) and then decided to turn left over chicken into chicken salad for lunches for both Max and Susan tomorrow...(It's a really good lunch!)

I sat down at my computer,cleaned up my inbox and got set to write to you.

But first I had to handle a customer's request.

Then I had to follow up on an order for another customer.

Then I had to send a note to a vendor.

Oh yeah, I forgot to check out another vendor's new website.

Okay now I can start writing.

Right after I follow up with a new potential customer I have been trying to get in contact with.

Of course he wasn't available so I had to relay that to my sales person so that he could follow up as well.

I must ,get started on applications to school districts for my adult education course I want to offer in the Spring.....Okay did that!

Now It's just after noon time . I need to eat something before heading back for my afternoon run.

I was just about to go prepare lunch when I chose to write to you instead.

Lunch can wait.

Writing can't!

What was the word of the month for October..............right FOCUS!

Remember David.............FOCUS!

Sunday..........Fun Day!

“To achieve more and better results, more resourcefulness is as important as more resources.”

~ Tony Alessandra

Sunday...Fun Day!

Well maybe not so much.

It's so humid that it's uncomfortable outside.

It's just after Noon here, and the temperature is in the mid 70's on its way to the low 80's.

The humidity is like 110%.

Everything is damp.

The air is muggy and moving about feels snail like.

My body has been achy for the last 2 days (I am sure the moisture in the air is doing wonders for my arthritis!).

Suffice it to say,it doesn't feel like fun.

Susan is on her way to her weekly visit with her parents,who are now living in a nursing home.

They were moved from assisted living earlier this week.

She has an added side trip of stopping at their former residence and meeting up with her sister in law to pack up the rooms that her parents previously occupied.

Like I said...Fun,fun and more fun!

I spent the better part of the day yesterday cleaning out my shed, a job which I never got to in the Spring time.

It looked great by days end.

Unfortunately my 6 x 8 shed is not nearly big enough for my 10 x 12 garbage!

I will have to devote what free time I have today to figuring out just where and how I am going t store the rest of what needs to be put away.

Yes , another shed would be a great idea, except that I already have 3 in my yard.

(Don't even ask about the other 2!).

By 3:30 I must be back at the center for my afternoon run which leaves me just about 3 hours to get my yard work done.

I will however save the really fun stuff, planting, mulching and cleaning up dog poop for tomorrow.

Like I said,calling Sunday Fun Day just doesn't seem appropriate this week!

Shavua Tov!