Free Day

I was careful not to over sleep again today. I wouldn’t want to develop an unattractive pattern of laziness. With that in mind, I rose this morning at 5:35am and after addressing a few personal things, I was choking down my daily multi-vitamin by 5:40am. Several sit-ups and push-ups later, I was out the door with Ykraps in tow. Our morning walk was uneventful and even cut a little short. I just didn’t see any reason to do the full monte’ today. Still, he managed to evacuate himself liberally about the neighborhood landscape. His DNA will live long after his mass of life is gone. Each bush, tree, and sign post will have a little of his influence onboard. The morning coffee after the walk, as I have spoke of before, is one of the most anticipated moments of my day. Is it like that for any of you? I simply can’t wait to have that first cup in my hands with all the fixins’. Today was no different. The day’s flavor was Chocolate Silk with half and half, whipped cream, caramel topping, and a sprinkle or two of cinnamon. Very good! And just like always, I dimmed the lights, lit a candle, and went about my morning meditation. I was able to fully relax and forget about life’s little issues. Soon I found myself having more coffee and writing my honey a good morning email. I had little time to spare playing on the computer though, so I went directly to the kitchen where I went about making my lunch and breakfast like a man with a plan. After breakfast, a shower, and grooming, I was ready for a days work. But before I left I ripped off a few licks on the guitar which always puts my head in the right place before my morning drive. I arrived at work with plenty of time to spare. I was having a team meeting this morning so my first priority was making sure everything was a go. It was. The meeting was both fun and successful. I love listening to what my team members have to say and always am amazed with how they perceive things often differently than I. Before my run I gave brother Tommy a call to see how he was doing and to confirm what Glenn had communicated about his reported trip to Portland the same time that Mindy and I were considering. It turned out that he was close to pulling the trigger on his trip for President’s Day weekend, just like us. I told him to send me his itinerary once he had it. He was determined to fly with American through Houston or Dallas because he has an American airlines voucher that was given to him as a courtesy gift after a lengthy delay on his trip to the Caribbean last summer. Seldom is American the cheapest flight, and certainly never the shortest given the guarantee of flying through Texas. Soon it was lunchtime, time for a run. The temperature was in the low 40’s but a couple of people warned me that there was a cold stiff wind blowing out of the southwest. There was. To combat the cold, I threw on the extra layer I’ve been habitually carrying all winter. The run went well and I didn’t over heat. Although, with my back against the wind, I was beginning to roast. The afternoon went quick. Before I knew it I was wrapping up and heading home. I managed my way out of the office by 5:10pm. I stopped at Kroger to pick-up some frosting for brownies which I committed to making for our monthly potluck at work Wednesday. Even with the stop, I was home by 5:36pm. I immediately kicked into chore mode and worked to whip them out prior to the clock striking 6:00pm. I had in my grasp a free night and didn't want to waste a minute! My plan was simple: do some painting, reading, and guitar all before 10:00pm. If I were successful, I would be in bed before 10:00pm. By 6:15pm I was set and painting. And except for a very short break, I worked till 8:30pm when I decided it best to call it a night relative to painting. For the next half hour I talked with Mindy and played guitar. I didn't quite meet my 10:00pm drop dead goal but retired to my reading chair at 10:30pm with the sole intention of using reading as a vehicle to launch me into a relaxing slumber. It worked!