Heading towards the home stretch

 “I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.”

Martha Washington

Day 15.

To be honest, it feels a lot longer.

I am sitting here alone in the office .

Alone, for the first time in a long time.

I am expecting the contractor to lay the flooring today.

He's late.

I'll give him a few before trying to track him down.

Outside it is already over 90 degrees and it is expected to heat up possibly into the triple digits.

My day will also heat up quickly.

a zoom call at 10:30.

My handy man is expected later in the day.

A scheduling meeting with the G.C.

and a whole bunch of follow ups.

These few truly quiet minutes are a blessing.

I have my coffee, my leftover half sandwich from lunch 2 days ago and quiet.

It's a little piece of peacefulness.

I put some money into the bank, which I believe will cover us through our opening.

For a brief moment in time, life is not only god, life feels good as well.

I think I'll end here,

finish my coffee before I have to heat things up for the day.

Have an awesome day!

Not So Grand Opening

"Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought."

Jonathan Swift

 It seems that our scheduled Grand Opening Event slated for July 18th is going to get pushed back.

It's not that we won't open by then.

Heck no.

We are actually on course to finish up and open up just as we had planned.

By a consensus of opinions for those who have a say in such matters (Becca and myself), we have decided to open soft for a few weeks.

This will allow us to transition easily and iron out any glitches and bumps in the road that we may (read will) encounter.

The last thing we want to be is ill or unprepared.

I imagine that early September, after the labor Day weekend and being mindful of the Jewish Holidays, will be a good time.

Maybe something like September 12th.

TBD!

Even though very little is getting done here today, things are moving along smoothly.

Lots of cleaning today.

The new bathrooms are finished and will get their inaugural deep clean.

The window cleaners will be in to do the inside windows of The Petcare Market so we can start putting up shelving on Thursday.

The floors in The Petcare Market have already been cleared and swept this morning in advance of the flooring install starting. tomorrow morning.

Thursday and Friday the electricians will invade to install 32 light fixtures and close up all of the outlet boxes and install the emergency and exit lights.

Like I said, not much happening today , however right on track.

I don't do giddy.

It's not my style.

However, this is starting to shape up which is kind of cool!

Day 14

(can you believe it?)

After 25 Years

 I guess one could call this an end of an era.

Today is move my office day. After 25 years, Susan can now have the entire family room back.

While I have had other offices as well over the last quarter century, I have always maintained a home office as well.

I got my first computer in this office, way back in 1999 (I think?).

This will be the last time I write to you from home, at least for the foreseeable future.

I've begun the task of sorting through what will move later today and what will ultimately end up in the trash.

This is a very binary process, no maybe I'll need it someday pile.

In or out, period!

I probably am more apprehensive than exited.

I like my comfort zones and this little corner of the world has been my greatest one for a very long time.

Over the years, it has moved from one side of the room to the other, either the northwest or northeast.

Always the same basic configuration.

At one point, when we gave up the Teaneck office, it was much larger, housing 2 desks and multiple file cabinets.

My home office has even served as a warehouse and shipping and distribution center at times.

During those years , it has also been the home for up to as many as 21 animals at once.

We've managed to cut that down significantly over the years.

Now it will be just a family room.

With the girls no longer living here and the repurposing of a bedroom that Max now uses as his "mancave", and without my office, this living space that was something akin to the common space of a frat house, will take on a whole new feeling.

A new era indeed.

Or maybe just another new opportunity

Shavua Tov!

Day 13

The Calendar Challenge

 "Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this."

Henry Ford

Today's quote for the day happens to very relevant to my life right now.

Every day there are new challenges.

Every day they get handled.

Cooley, calmly and without much fanfare.

And I truly am the better for it.

One of the biggest challenges ahead of us at this point is the calendar.

It is a what it is.

Our Grand Opening is slated for July 18th.

That's 22 days from now.

On paper, this is more than attainable.

Paper doesn't count for much, if at all.

The biggest question mark in all of this will be inspections.

Monday is rough plumbing.

The challenge here is the plumbing inspector is only available Mondays and Thursdays.

Once we pass rough plumbing Monday, we will have to hustle to get the rest of the plumbing work done for Thursday .

Monday is a holiday so if we miss this Thursday we lose a week.

I expected the electrician today.

Expectations not met!

Although he has passed rough, he also needs to get final before we can call for our certificate of occupancy inspections.

We need that COO by Friday July 9th in order to move in that weekend and be ready for business in The Grooming Shoppe by Tuesday the 13th,5 days ahead of our scheduled grand opening.

No panic.

No pressure.

Just nose to the grind stone.

Us vs. The Calendar.

Stay tuned!

Day 12

A Better Day

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do."

Eleanor Roosevelt

 Today was a better day. I could probably say a much better day, even though I don't feel anywhere near 100%.

In the grand scheme of things, I was able to be a whole lot more productive, even while being mindful of how much energy I was expending.

Hopefully a good night's sleep tonight will continue to inch me towards some sot of normalcy.

One thing that I know will help my daily routine is the upcoming move of my office from our family room to the new shop.

A little weird.

It will be the first time since 1996 that I won't have a home office.

Everything is moving out, files ,desk , computer and anything else that is in my little workspace.

My daily early morning routine on I get dressed is to memorialize my weight, open my computer, check bank balances, check emails, check text messages and check Facebook for birthdays.

Now, other than the weight thing and texts, everything else will have to wait until I get to the office.

Like I said, a little weird.

The upside is that I will now have access to my emails and computer for the better part of my day.

Another plus is I will no longer be tempted to check emails after the work day has ended (as if the work day really ever ends).

Once I leave the office, I will be forced to leave my work behind. At least that part of my work that has anything to do with a computer.

This will be a dramatic change in my life.

It will be interesting to see how that works out for me.

Again, it's going to be a little weird.

But hey, I kind of like weird!

Shabbat Shalom on Day 11.

Another rough one

"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

This has been another rough day.

Not complaining, just informing.

I must have slept in a bad position and woke to a numb arm, which has not gotten much better all day.

It's been kind of obnoxious.

It was a day of sitting around waiting on others.

The tech from the water authority was scheduled for between 8-noon.

He finally arrived at 4:20.

This was how my whole day went, a day when once again I left the house before 8 and got home well into the Double Jeopardy round .

Were it not for this 100 day commitment, I would be in bed with hopes of waking to a better day n the morning.

As a matter of fact, I'm just going to call it quits for the night.

A good night's rest may be just what I need.

Let's cat up tomorrow.

Good night on day 9!

 

Dollars and Sense

"If you want to know your past, look into your present conditions. If you want to know your future, look into your present actions."

Chinese Proverb

 Opening the new business has been unlike any other undertaking I have been a part of. The costs associated with this project are completely out of the realm of how I normally operate. The dollars are so much greater.

Checks are being written in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Contractors, engineers, lawyers, deposits, signage.

The money is a bit mind boggling.

After the big checks, there are many many others that are flying out the door.

A couple of bathing tubs...$5K.

Flooring...another $5k.

Permits....another $3k.

Light fixtures......$3k.

A couple of doors $2k.

These are just a few of these intermediary expenses.

Then there are dozens that are "just another thousand".

3 hose kits...a grand.

3 hair traps....another grand.

How about $700 for light bulbs!

All of this before we start bring in the inventory for the new store (don't even ask!).

It's been crazy.

Crazy , however, just the cost of starting a business.

Now that the bulk of these dollars have been spent or at least budgeted, it's time to deal with the lesser unaccounted for dollars.

During this entire process, I have been relatively responsible, making financial decisions that at the time seemed the most reasonable expense to an immediate resolution.

The dollars being spent made sense.

Now as some addons are popping up, I find myself having to make choices that are more fiscally responsible.

I am not bemoaning what was spent earlier on.

However, as the bank account dwindles and the need to get the doors open intensifies, I need to employ more common sense on how I spend my dollars and cents.

All in all, it's been amazing experience.

In just a few short weeks, we'll be ready to open.

It's getting nearer to getting excited time.

Pretty Cool!

Day 8.

It would have been really easy..............

"The years in your life are less important than the life in your years."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

 It would have been really easy to not write to you today.

I left the house before 8 a.m. and didn't come home until over 12 hours later.

All I wanted to do is get out of my clothes and get to bed.

My neck, shoulder, back, heck my whole body is just achy and tired.

I certainly didn't need any more of an excuse and I am sure that in my next email, a well worded mea culpa would have sufficed.

Even the good Lord himself rested on the 7th day.

A week into my 100 day commitment, that option was completely unacceptable to me.

It was a long day.

This will be a short note.

The tired feeling will go away.

The satisfaction of staying committed is irreplaceable.

Have a good night.

Day 7

Just Slow Down

 “Be resolute in your goals, but flexible in your tactics. There are times that call for repetition and perseverance; and there are times that require new ways of thinking and doing. The challenge is knowing one from the other.”

Jonathan Lockwood Huie

It is really gross outside today.

When the temperature and the humidity are both 90 plus, it's a problem!

The thermometer says 92 degrees. Real feel says 97.

David says gross!

So what do I do about that.

Simple.

Just slow down.

I should probably take a lesson from my dogs.

The two of them have been comfortably sleeping in our family room all day long.

It's the one room on the ground floor of our house that is airconditioned.

Dolly has basically been in the same spot on the couch for about 6 hours, minus one quick trip to the back yard.

Mohgli has moved to 3 different spots on the floor, each within a foot of the others. He opted out of the back yard adventure.

There will be plenty of time tomorrow to bark at passers by and howl at the mailman.

Today. it's just too hot.

Today they have opted to just slow down.

There world's won't collapse because they took it easy today.

They can chase the damn rabbits out of the yard tomorrow.

All barking, baying and howling can be paused for 24 hours.

The oppressive heat will go away and they can return to their normal activities tomorrow.

Today, is just a slow down day for them.

And for me as well.

Good way to spend Day 6!

Sunday June 20th

"In matters of principle, stand like a rock."

Thomas Jefferson 

Sunday June 20th.

A day with a double celebration.

Today is of course, Fathers Day.

I consider myself truly blessed that Fathers Day isn't a really big deal in my life, mostly because I seem to celebrate every day as Fathers Day.

I'm very lucky in that I hear from my kids in one way or another almost every single day.

Actually, today was supposed to be a day where I wasn't going to see them at all.

Susan and I were scheduled to go visit her mom which is usually an all day affair given that she is 100 miles away from where we live.

Those plans changed at the last minute which kind of left the day wide open with nothing to do (which was fine with me).

When my kids found out we would be available, an impromptu family dinner filled the void. So once Sara gets out of work, we can celebrate the day together.(Unfortunately sans Patrick, he's working nights)

Any time we can get together makes my life perfect.

In that way I am a very lucky man.

Also on the calendar for today is the start of Summer.

The summer solstice, rings in at 5:44 p.m. EDT on June 20 this year. Astronomically, the sun will be directly overhead of the Tropic of Cancer at that time.

Admittedly, Summer is my least favorite season of the year. It's hot, humid, muggy and the sun is brutally oppressive.

Personally, I find nothing redeeming about this time of year.

Give me a good Autumn day in the low 50's and I am in my glory.

This heat is for the birds!

Sunday June 20th.....just another Sunday?

No, I don't think so.

As I said, anytime I can spend even part of my day with my family is a very special day in my eyes.

Day 5!

What's Next................

 “The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this:

Decide what you want.”

Ben Stein

What's next?

Right now, there is no what's next.

The twofold mission for the next few months will be a) to get the new shop up and running and b) make sure that financially we don't fall behind now that I am unemployed.

I am not concerned about either of these.

I know what needs to be done (Okay, famous last words!)

Seriously, I have a plan and a vision and the commitment to make this happen.

That's a formula for success that I can deal with.

While the plan is not immutable and is always open to adjustments and the vision has much more potential than I imagine, the inevitable goal of success is never a question.

There is however an uneasiness beginning to germinate someplace deep in the recesses of my thoughts.

I am pretty much a "go along get along" kind of person.

I like going about my business and for the most part I stay out of other's affairs.

Live and let live.

I am not out to start a revolution, overturn society or establish a new world order.

Yes, I hope that along the way, I can do my part to make a difference and leave the world a slightly better place than when I first got here.

For the most part I will leave you to live your life and I hope that you will afford me the same courtesy.

Lately however, this way of being seems to becoming under scrutiny if not under an all out attack.

Our town now has a "Quality of Life" inspector, which can only make me imagine that we have a Quality of Life department.

Sounds way too Big Brother for me and in my brief exposure to them it is.

I also just had a visit from the town's health department.

Seems the neighbor directly behind me is terrified that my dogs will escape the yard and maul her to death.

I've lived in this house for 39 years. My dogs got out of the yard once, about 30 years ago. Different dogs, different neighbor and trust me the hole in the fence was fixed immediately.

Traffic has always been an issue in our town. Boasting no less than 5 malls and countless shopping centers, Paramus' population on any given Staurday grows 100 fold.

We've never had a Main Street , so that " hometown" experience was never anything part of our daily life.

Suburbia is becoming less sub and more urban.

As this continues, I fear that my humble abode will no longer be the oasis that I hoped that it would be.

My fortress of solitude will no longer be that Eden where I find peace and tranquility.

Today, my focus is The Petcare Market and making ends meet.

There will come a time however, where my attentions will be diverted and I will have to address what's next.

Day 4 of plenty more!

I need a break!

 "You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 3.

1 a.m.

So why is it that I'm writing so early?

Well for an unemployed guy I seem to be extraordinarily busy.

My plans for the day include heading out early today (about 6:30) to pick up a couple of day laborers to help me unload the 40' container we have in the parking lot storing all of the fixtures that we bought way back in December.

This will be the third time moving these, hopefully the last!

By the time I get home tonight I can pretty much count on being way to tired to write.

Given that I have made this commitment to writing every day for 100 days, now seems to be as good a time as any.

Commitment-------doing today what one said they would do after the mood in which they said it has left them.

Trust me at 1 a.m., I'm in the mood to sleep, not write!

I am looking forward to Saturday.

For the last few weeks, when Friday would roll around, I would find myself stressing out over the concept of having to get up and go back to work on Monday morning.

This was a sure sign that I was no longer enjoying what it was I was doing.

I have a funny feeling this weekend will be a lot different.

My plans for Saturday include nothing more than writing to you and baby sitting Becca's dog Robot.

I can certainly use the downtime.

I'm kind of looking forward to it.

Not too much of it.

I'm pretty sure one day will be more than enough!

As always....my Friday sign off......

Shabbat Shalom!

I Am Not Retiring!

"What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world, remains and is immortal."

Albert Pine

 Tuesday afternoon at just about 4 o'clock, I parked my bus for the last time.

What began as a 10 hour a week part time job 4 1/2 years ago was over.

In that brief period of time, the job grew and by the time the quarantine came, driving had become "my job".

That does seem to minimize what I have been doing for the last few years ,driving a bus. To be fair to myself, I brought a whole lot more with me than just my CDL.

The highlight of these last years culminated in what we did during the shutdown.

The Senior community that we served needed help, so we began delivering fresh meals on a daily basis, Monday -Friday. That program which we started last March, has grown and is bigger today and serving more of our seniors than during the quarantine itself.

It felt good being more than just a part of that.

Now, some 15,000 plus meals later, it's time for me to move on.

It's time for the next challenge, my next opportunity to add to The Dash.

When I walked into my house Tuesday afternoon, Susan had bought me a card and some balloons emblazoned with the words Happy Retirement!

While the gesture was nice and the sentiment very thoughtful, let me be perfectly clear, I Am Not Retiring!

Retirement to me is the beginning of the end of The Dash.

My Dash is not long enough, not bold enough, not significant enough yet!

My immediate plans are to put all of my energies into getting the new location for The Grooming Shoppe up and running.

The Grooming Shoppe along with the new entity, The Petcare Market, has become a much bigger undertaking than what we had envisioned 2 years ago.

That's a good thing!

You know the old adage, Go Big or Go Home!

(We're going BIG!).

Retirement?

That's a word that just isn't part of my vocabulary.

I'll keep you updated on our progress.

Looking forward to our July 18th Grand Opening Adoption Event!

The only other plans I had for LABD (Life after Bus Driving) was to write again.

Day 2 of the next 100 days!

There ya go!

The Dash

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. "

Lao Tzu

 June 13th,2013.

That was the day I chose to do something about the life I was living.

At that time, the elephant in the room (no pun intended) was my weight.

At 380 plus pounds, I had to do something.

It wasn't going to be easy.

I wasn't going to be able to shed 200 pounds over night.

I did however have to take a first step.

That first step was to find a dietary plan and commit to sticking to it for 100 days.

I had no other goal than to get through 100 days.

To help myself in that endeavor, I knew I would need support.

My plan was to email a new friend daily asking them to accompany me on this 100 day journey. At the end of day 100, I would hopefully have lost some weight as well as building up a 100 supporters along the way.

That was 8 years and 3 days ago.

During that time, there were a lot of these daily emails.

And a lot of friends who read them!

It turned out that I loved to write. I looked forward to that quiet time every day when I could just put some of my thoughts out there.

Writing was special for me.

During the shutdown and quarantine, that all changed for me.

Like many others, I didn't react well to what was happening around me. Angry doesn't begin to describe what I was feeling.

So I stopped writing.

I began to feel very empty.

Day by day, that emptiness grew.

Was this going to be what my life was about?

The same "nothing" every day until ,well until the end?

Very depressing!

That's when I remembered The Dash.

I've written about The Dash in the past.

When you look at a gravestone it tells you the person's name, the date they were born and the date that they died.

In between those dates you always find The Dash.

The Dash is everything that happens between those two dates.

The Dash is the story of a person's life.

Once again, I find myself at another crossroad of life.

It's at these crossroads were we get to make a choice.

Just standing at this intersection will get you no where.

The past is in my rearview mirror.

Been there, done that, no going back.

Right turn, left turn or straight ahead?

It doesn't matter.

Just pick a direction and head on down the road.

Did you ever notice in the middle of the road you find dashes?

Pick a direction and follow The Dash!

Day 1 of the next 100 days!