Today I was sent one of those silly emails asking all sorts of personal questions such as my favorite food, where I was born, and what my favorite day of the week is. Well my favorite day of the week is and has always been Friday. Friday's represent the end of one thing yet the birth of something better. What ends is the grueling work week whether you like your job or not. What begins is an opportunity to unwind, retool, and simply be yourself.
Friday morning I rose at 5:35am after a very satisfying 8 hours of sleep. It turns out that Mindy coaxing me to bed early worked wonders preparing me for a the weekend. After al, who wants to head into the weekend exhausted? Feeling back in the game, I pushed through my morning exercises like a man on a mission. I was done so early that even Ykraps wasn't quite ready for our morning walk. He wanted to wait a few minutes but I insisted we be out the door by 5:50am. Ultimately, I imposed my will.
"We walked so fast that time and youth at last ran out. We never stopped to think what our lives were all about.. And now, all that's is left is Yesterday when I was young." Holy crap! Where'd that come from? We were back inside where I quickly removed my coat., gloves, and hat. A glance at the stove top clock revealed 6:02am. Goal met!
I moved swiftly towards the cupboard housing our coffee mugs where I quickly grabbed two. I pulled all of the making for our fru-fru coffee out of the fridge and got busy. Once again, I delivered Mindy's to her bedside.
Back downstairs the house was quiet save for the "soundscapes" oozing softly from the stereo. Very nice! I read the Daily OM, some email, and then took to meditation. I recently changed my morning mantra in a effort to more easily quiet my mind. Admittedly, I have had some difficulty finding that peaceful space for the last couple of months. Talking to those that meditate, you'll likely hear countless ways to get there. No one way is best. Rather, it's whatever works for you. For me, simply repeating my ultimate goal - quiet ... mind - is working fabulously. In between those two words comes the calm. These cluttered thoughts that swirl endlessly in my mind are often based on fears or projections of a future event, or a repeat of something that occurred in the recent past that perhaps I wished had gone differently. In either case, it's such a waste of precious energy, and if nothing else, a day killer. Left alone, these thoughts will negatively shape my day and all of my encounters. On the other hand, finding that peace first thing in the morning has life altering potential. Each encounter from that point forward starts from a positive, peaceful, & happy beginning. It's that simple!
Onward! It was Friday so there was an extra skip in my giddyup. It was 6:30am. I prepared lunch for Mindy and I. And with a bit of a twist, I made Mindy sliced turkey over a bed of lettuce along with several chunks of cheese - my usual lunch. For myself, I packed the back half of my gyro sub leftover from Wednesday's dinner at the Big Fat Greek Cuisina. For breakfast I made the usual scrambled eggs with cut fruit. And when Jacoby came down he ordered his favorite - a toaster strudel. Bella is often hit or miss with breakfast. I don't recall her eating this morning. She did profess not wanting to spend the weekend with her daddy. instead, she insisted on staying home with us. She, somewhat matter of factly, told Mindy not to bother packing her overnight bag because she wasn't going. ... Really?
They left the house at their usual time - maybe a few minutes late. Like always, I headed for the shower. I was back downstairs doing final prep by 7:45am. I started & loaded the Trooper then returned to the house to grab my personal electronics and to play some guitar. I left for work at 7:55am.
Gas, I noticed, was down a few pennies passing by Thornton's. I didn't stop, though I do need to fill-up soon. I arrived to work shortly after 8am. I detected slightly warmer morning air as I made my way from the parking lot to the building. Indeed a warming trend is in our immediate future, albeit slight. On the fifth floor and into my center and ultimately my office, I unpacked my lunch and loaded it into my work fridge cooler. I grabbed my water pitcher then made my way to the ice machine and fridge. As I settled a my desk, I think I let out the audible sigh, Ahh - It's Friday!
Everyone was in a good mood and the work load was tame compared to most Friday's. The morning went by quick as I kept myself very busy. I left for a run at 12:50pm. The temperature was hovering around 28 degrees and the sun was shining. And there was the ever present NW breeze blowing at about 10 mph. I dressed accordingly, and once again used my zippers to regulate my body heat. I never did remove my gloves today. I enjoyed a very peaceful run - no trauma to mull over today. Nope, just peaceful thoughts!
After an exceptionally hot shower I was back at my desk with lunch in hand and ready to eat. I really enjoyed that gyro sub along with my salad and fruit. It was a nice change of pace. To further my relaxation, I let some music whirl on my hard drive. I listened to Jimmy Jenkins, Pink Floyd, & David Gilmour. I was determined to have a calm afternoon despite the air about me.
I talked with Mindy sometime between 3-4pm. She was at Applebee's with her teacher peeps I assumed having drinks and appetizers. She seemed to be in good spirits and mentioned feeling as good as she's felt all week. We were both looking forward to a quiet & kidless weekend.
I buttoned up my work week and headed out the office door at 5:30pm. I took special notice of the lengthening & lingering day light . That makes me happy! I pulled away choosing not to make any calls but instead to simply enjoy a peaceful drive home.
I arrived home around 5:45pm. The house was quiet, and the kids were gone. Mindy was milling around in the kitchen with a Friday smile on her face. We walked Ykraps together all while talking about the silly '40 question' email she sent me earlier in the day. She never guessed me to reply, but I did. Back at home we briefly discussed our timing for Barleys as well as a few other logistics for our coming trip. Mindy's very good about taking care of details, which relieves me of further stress. I like that!
She asked if I wanted a beer. I did not. Instead, I requested some coffee, which was leftover from this morning, but still warm in our new stainless steel carafe. It hit the spot! After enjoying the coffee I did a little reading while Mindy primped for an evening out. I read until 7:15pm when I headed upstairs to do some quick primping of my own. We left for Barleys just after 7:30pm.
We arrived at Barleys to find a full lot, which doesn't always equate to a full bar. But tonight the bar was packed, and packed with lots of unfamiliar faces. We did, however, encounter our friend Steve sitting at his usual corner seat. We talked with him for quite a while and ended up making some new friends, although I can't readily recall their names. I do remember that he graduated from OSU, lived in Seattle, moved back to CMH, and was heading to Vegas for a Super Bowl party next week. We had lots of speaking points.
Just as they left and sacrificed their seats, Bob arrived, but without Mary Ann. We're beginning to wonder if she left him. I mean, we haven't seen her in weeks. Even though he speaks as if she's still around, he could just be fooling us. Truthfully, she was at work. Her hours have changed and I think she works until 9pm. Ahh the life of a pharmacist! She sells pills down by the seashore.
As the evening wore on, familiar faces began to surface. Later, Josh, Rick, Rebecca, and Dan showed up, and so did Thad and Monica. Monica shared a little of her family heritage - being Latvian - as well as a funny story about her dad giving his car to a couple of teenage Latvian girls selling books in their neighborhood. Thad and I got a huge laugh at Mindy's expense when she suggested that he might want to read this success story about an artist/illustrator to his high school art students. In fact, just thinking about it now is making me chuckle!
We hadn't seen Jan, the railroad dude in quite some time. He stopped in along with another railroad dude named Tim, who was a Barleys first timer (they didn't know each other and didn't come together). He just moved here from Georgia. I ate a quesadilla and Mindy had a southwestern salad. Over the course of the evening,I had four beers - mostly IPA's. Mindy had two glasses of wine. Brother Tommy was supposed to show but didn't. We discussed some details surrounding our ski trip with Bob, and we ended up leaving at the same time. By the time we left only one patron remained, Tim, our new friend from Georgia.
We headed home and quickly got ourselves ready for bed. Good night waxing gibbous moon!
Today I was sent one of those silly emails asking all sorts of personal questions such as my favorite food, where I was born, and what my favorite day of the week is. Well my favorite day of the week is and has always been Friday. Friday's represent the end of one thing yet the birth of something better. What ends is the grueling work week whether you like your job or not. What begins is an opportunity to unwind, retool, and simply be yourself.
Friday morning I rose at 5:35am after a very satisfying 8 hours of sleep. It turns out that Mindy coaxing me to bed early worked wonders preparing me for a the weekend. After al, who wants to head into the weekend exhausted? Feeling back in the game, I pushed through my morning exercises like a man on a mission. I was done so early that even Ykraps wasn't quite ready for our morning walk. He wanted to wait a few minutes but I insisted we be out the door by 5:50am. Ultimately, I imposed my will.
"We walked so fast that time and youth at last ran out. We never stopped to think what our lives were all about.. And now, all that's is left is Yesterday when I was young." Holy crap! Where'd that come from? We were back inside where I quickly removed my coat., gloves, and hat. A glance at the stove top clock revealed 6:02am. Goal met!
I moved swiftly towards the cupboard housing our coffee mugs where I quickly grabbed two. I pulled all of the making for our fru-fru coffee out of the fridge and got busy. Once again, I delivered Mindy's to her bedside.
Back downstairs the house was quiet save for the "soundscapes" oozing softly from the stereo. Very nice! I read the Daily OM, some email, and then took to meditation. I recently changed my morning mantra in a effort to more easily quiet my mind. Admittedly, I have had some difficulty finding that peaceful space for the last couple of months. Talking to those that meditate, you'll likely hear countless ways to get there. No one way is best. Rather, it's whatever works for you. For me, simply repeating my ultimate goal - quiet ... mind - is working fabulously. In between those two words comes the calm. These cluttered thoughts that swirl endlessly in my mind are often based on fears or projections of a future event, or a repeat of something that occurred in the recent past that perhaps I wished had gone differently. In either case, it's such a waste of precious energy, and if nothing else, a day killer. Left alone, these thoughts will negatively shape my day and all of my encounters. On the other hand, finding that peace first thing in the morning has life altering potential. Each encounter from that point forward starts from a positive, peaceful, & happy beginning. It's that simple!
Onward! It was Friday so there was an extra skip in my giddyup. It was 6:30am. I prepared lunch for Mindy and I. And with a bit of a twist, I made Mindy sliced turkey over a bed of lettuce along with several chunks of cheese - my usual lunch. For myself, I packed the back half of my gyro sub leftover from Wednesday's dinner at the Big Fat Greek Cuisina. For breakfast I made the usual scrambled eggs with cut fruit. And when Jacoby came down he ordered his favorite - a toaster strudel. Bella is often hit or miss with breakfast. I don't recall her eating this morning. She did profess not wanting to spend the weekend with her daddy. instead, she insisted on staying home with us. She, somewhat matter of factly, told Mindy not to bother packing her overnight bag because she wasn't going. ... Really?
They left the house at their usual time - maybe a few minutes late. Like always, I headed for the shower. I was back downstairs doing final prep by 7:45am. I started & loaded the Trooper then returned to the house to grab my personal electronics and to play some guitar. I left for work at 7:55am.
Gas, I noticed, was down a few pennies passing by Thornton's. I didn't stop, though I do need to fill-up soon. I arrived to work shortly after 8am. I detected slightly warmer morning air as I made my way from the parking lot to the building. Indeed a warming trend is in our immediate future, albeit slight. On the fifth floor and into my center and ultimately my office, I unpacked my lunch and loaded it into my work fridge cooler. I grabbed my water pitcher then made my way to the ice machine and fridge. As I settled a my desk, I think I let out the audible sigh, Ahh - It's Friday!
Everyone was in a good mood and the work load was tame compared to most Friday's. The morning went by quick as I kept myself very busy. I left for a run at 12:50pm. The temperature was hovering around 28 degrees and the sun was shining. And there was the ever present NW breeze blowing at about 10 mph. I dressed accordingly, and once again used my zippers to regulate my body heat. I never did remove my gloves today. I enjoyed a very peaceful run - no trauma to mull over today. Nope, just peaceful thoughts!
After an exceptionally hot shower I was back at my desk with lunch in hand and ready to eat. I really enjoyed that gyro sub along with my salad and fruit. It was a nice change of pace. To further my relaxation, I let some music whirl on my hard drive. I listened to Jimmy Jenkins, Pink Floyd, & David Gilmour. I was determined to have a calm afternoon despite the air about me.
I talked with Mindy sometime between 3-4pm. She was at Applebee's with her teacher peeps I assumed having drinks and appetizers. She seemed to be in good spirits and mentioned feeling as good as she's felt all week. We were both looking forward to a quiet & kidless weekend.
I buttoned up my work week and headed out the office door at 5:30pm. I took special notice of the lengthening & lingering day light . That makes me happy! I pulled away choosing not to make any calls but instead to simply enjoy a peaceful drive home.
I arrived home around 5:45pm. The house was quiet, and the kids were gone. Mindy was milling around in the kitchen with a Friday smile on her face. We walked Ykraps together all while talking about the silly '40 question' email she sent me earlier in the day. She never guessed me to reply, but I did. Back at home we briefly discussed our timing for Barleys as well as a few other logistics for our coming trip. Mindy's very good about taking care of details, which relieves me of further stress. I like that!
She asked if I wanted a beer. I did not. Instead, I requested some coffee, which was leftover from this morning, but still warm in our new stainless steel carafe. It hit the spot! After enjoying the coffee I did a little reading while Mindy primped for an evening out. I read until 7:15pm when I headed upstairs to do some quick primping of my own. We left for Barleys just after 7:30pm.
We arrived at Barleys to find a full lot, which doesn't always equate to a full bar. But tonight the bar was packed, and packed with lots of unfamiliar faces. We did, however, encounter our friend Steve sitting at his usual corner seat. We talked with him for quite a while and ended up making some new friends, although I can't readily recall their names. I do remember that he graduated from OSU, lived in Seattle, moved back to CMH, and was heading to Vegas for a Super Bowl party next week. We had lots of speaking points.
Just as they left and sacrificed their seats, Bob arrived, but without Mary Ann. We're beginning to wonder if she left him. I mean, we haven't seen her in weeks. Even though he speaks as if she's still around, he could just be fooling us. Truthfully, she was at work. Her hours have changed and I think she works until 9pm. Ahh the life of a pharmacist! She sells pills down by the seashore.
As the evening wore on, familiar faces began to surface. Later, Josh, Rick, Rebecca, and Dan showed up, and so did Thad and Monica. Monica shared a little of her family heritage - being Latvian - as well as a funny story about her dad giving his car to a couple of teenage Latvian girls selling books in their neighborhood. Thad and I got a huge laugh at Mindy's expense when she suggested that he might want to read this success story about an artist/illustrator to his high school art students. In fact, just thinking about it now is making me chuckle!
We hadn't seen Jan, the railroad dude in quite some time. He stopped in along with another railroad dude named Tim, who was a Barleys first timer (they didn't know each other and didn't come together). He just moved here from Georgia. I ate a quesadilla and Mindy had a southwestern salad. Over the course of the evening,I had four beers - mostly IPA's. Mindy had two glasses of wine. Brother Tommy was supposed to show but didn't. We discussed some details surrounding our ski trip with Bob, and we ended up leaving at the same time. By the time we left only one patron remained, Tim, our new friend from Georgia.
We headed home and quickly got ourselves ready for bed. Good night waxing gibbous moon!
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