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We have all had days when you may be feeling really tired and worn out; your house may be a disaster area, your checking account is looking like Swiss cheese, the members of your family are impersonating the Adams family coming off a sugar high, etc…you ask yourself where is this train heading?

There are other days when you feel like everyone is an extraterrestrial being that came to earth just to confuse you…the wind blows east and then it blows west. At the end of the day you feel like sticking a fork into an electrical outlet because you have spent the entire day hosting peace summits or giving state of the union addresses and you decide it may be time to perform a life audit.

I realize that as we continue moving further into the Holiday season, it is imperative I turn inward and redirect my thoughts and intentions so that I can be better balanced and productive, while maintaining a positive attitude and good cheer. Here I will address some items of concern so that I can focus on banishing any negative energy regarding these issues.

SOCIAL MEDIA– while I am signed up for all social media accounts, I only use Facebook on a semi-regular basis. I will look for Birthdays the first 10 minutes at my desk while sipping on my cup of coffee. If someone should ask me about a post during the morning, I may…MAY…look for it during lunch. More often than not, however, I do not plug into FB until the last few minutes before I go to bed. Please do not take it personally if I not see, select a feeling or comment on a post…I am not glued in to technology 24/7.

While we are on the subject of FB, if I already have you on my friend list, I will not accept another friend request. As most of you know, this is how accounts are hacked. If you are legitimately setting up another account, you need to let me in person that your request is indeed coming from you before I will accept.

I do not have time at work to keep my LinkedIn account updated and when I am away from the work element, the last thing I want to do is anything office related.

I do not use my Twitter or Snapchat Accounts, simply because I have never taken the time to orient myself with them…or…remember my passwords.

I only remembered my Instagram password a few months back and updated photos…but very rarely do I visit that account.

Last but not least…I do not…NOR… will I ever participate in FB stories. Now, allow me to elaborate here a moment. I have yet to understand the attractor factor? What is the purpose of this feature…other than disappearing after 24 hours? You can achieve the same thing by deleting a post after 24 hours. Secondly, I do not need any reason to be further distracted with a media outlet within a media outlet. Finally…and most importantly, I will not participate in any media activity that validates a view of a photo/video. I have so much more I could elaborate on regarding this last reason, but the purpose here is to help negate negative energy…not fan the flames. In all fairness, each to his own…but do not continuously ask me if I saw your FB story because the answer will always be “NO”! This not only infringes on the privacy of the viewer but unless it is business related, I simply have no use for it.

CAREER: Most of us working citizens have been in the same boat since the start of the Covid pandemic. We have felt the effects of furloughs, unemployment, employment shortages, overworked/underpaid employees as a result, isolation, working from home, school closures, virtual learning, working parents twisting and flexing to the contours of the school day, lack of socialization = depression, vaccine/mask controversies, losing multiple leading team members at work due to work overload, etc. In my particular career, not only have I faced all of these dilemmas but we have faced record sales amidst carrying out, not only our duties, but multiple other duties, as well.

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT: When there is a perpendicular residential intersection with stop signs, the same rules as a four-way stop signs apply. Don’t think for one minute that if I have been at at stop sign before opposite traffic approaches, that I will somehow, out if the goodness of my heart, allow a less than educated driver cross traffic before me if the situation allows for both traffic merges. If you think you are above the educated drivers, I will pull out with live video and risk you hitting me….or stall in your lane to promote further delays due to your uneducated and disrespectful behavior! I have memorized the respectful drivers / vehicles from the disrespectful ones approaching from the opposite side of the main artery… Forewarned is Forearmed!

WINTER SEASON: The days are short, the nights are cold, moods are somber, we become sluggish, we eat more, exercise lacks luster, we succumb to the new folds of the couch or mattress while watching Ponzi schemes, breathing organisms hatching from their eggs and springing forth, current divides, lost road maps, etc. Additionally, Winter Season combined with the Holiday season effects people differently. It can be melancholy for those that have lost loved ones or don’t have the means to give like they would like to due to streamlined budgets.

I decided early on that I was not going to fall into the Winter doldrums this year. I vowed that I would not mold new permanent folds in the mattress or sofa …but instead, I would take the gloves off, write blogs again, offer supporting roles in life, read more books, complete at least one painting, get more rest, go out to see a few “must see” theater movies, listen to some favorite melodies, watch NEW Holiday movies (eliminate the re-runs to make more room for self care), make sweet nothings into sweet somethings, squeeze in all the outdoor activities I can manage on the weekends to makeup for being “in the dark” all week, take some PTO off during the Holiday Season, cook seasonal dishes instead of grabbing pizza on the go from the convenience store, attend Holiday gatherings… and don’t cling to the shore but go with the flow. This should be a time of refurbishing…not self destruction. Now that my grievances are out of the way, here are some samples of I what I hope to achieve more over last Winter:

Trim the fat – purge the clothes and household items that you have not worn or used since the Mayflower sailed the seas. Call the youngest version of you over to take what she may be interested in, since she shares your taste in all things. With any luck, perhaps she can wear or use something (in the bonfire pile) in her new apartment.

Going to seasonal Flea Markets with the oldest version of you, as she shares the same enthusiasm you once did, as she prepares to bring a tiny human into the world.

On these dates with your tiny humans, take note of any revolving likes / dislikes to aide with that special Christmas gift.

Make dates to see upcoming movie attractions, since the best movies tend to come out at the end of the year.

Start reading some of the books purchased earlier that have been collecting dust. This endeavor is difficult for me to accomplish during the longer days, as I will typically be outside until dark. My favorite book, thus far, is “The Good Daughter”. Although it is a dark story, based on real life experience, it will hold you captive with hidden secrets that are revealed towards the end.

Make a charm bracelet for the youngest tiny human, similar to one you made for yourself earlier in the year that she has admired.

Those that follow my blogs, know that I endured significant back issues this time last year. As a result, I was out of commission for the physical tasks that needed tending to before the end of the year.. Since my OCD was severely bruised from being unable to body clip the wooly mammoths, I set out to accomplish this heinous chore before Christmas this year.

Fortunately, this year I have been able to keep the horses in work to some degree. To further assist this goal, I had a willing participant to step in and help keep one of the herd ridden for me during the winter season. Another herd member that suffers from sweet itch has resumed turnout with the cooler temps, which eliminates the daily obligation to make certain he gets a fair dose of exercise. Now I have a doable rotation , during the short days, with the inmates.

I vowed I would splurge on one item for myself this season for health and wellness purposes. Therefore, I chose to purchase an @InfinitiKloud backup. This decision is well suited for this purpose, since I am encroaching on the two year expiration of my cell phone. If one has ever been caught in a situation where their phone “bites the dust” out of nowhere, then you know how your health and wellness are affected when the customer service representative tells you that you need a new phone and there is no way to retrieve your data. Oh, hell, let’s not sugar coat it…it is a freakin’ nightmare! This may be a good time to point out that (if you do not already know), phones are purposely programmed to crash and burn in two years, as a way for companies/service providers to make more money. Yes…I did not know this until I received insider intel. Now, I am prepared for the day when all my data vanishes with the life of the phone and is good for nothing more than a paper weight. HINT: what they will NOT tell you is that they CAN actually retrieve your data…but only if they know you have been made privy to that info.

Speaking of two year expirations, I also learned the hard way that my riding boots historically last two years before it is time to replace them. I am also encroaching on that mark, so I set aside this emergency fund before the above splurge. Never mind that your vehicles are long past due for servicing and your repair list is growing by the day. With any luck, maybe I can breathe enough life into the dinosaurs to sputter into the auto shop…but without boots that are held together with duct tape.

Plan for the unplanned. When your Dad calls to inform you that he ran into a deer the evening before and asks if he can borrow the suburban until he gets the Griswold wagon out of the shop. “Certainly…no problem…just let me clean it up a bit”. What he does not know is that it takes an entire day of PTO to clean the “Burb” inside and out to his expectations (according to your life-long experience). This means inspecting every inch, as he will be using every inch to tote his work tools and supplies with him to the rental properties each day. Thus, the reason he asked for the “Burb” instead of your truck. When he picks it up and thanks you, be sure to let him know it is overdue for a quarterly service. Thinking his response may be “no worries, I will take care of it”, he immediately notices that the “Burb” is also overdue for two new front tires. Really? I had not noticed since I was too busy getting the land cruiser ready for you to drive for an unspecified period of time…ugh!

For those that have children, I am a firm believer in the 8 rule gifts (see chart below). Now that the tiny humans are older, they still ask for stockings. To this day, they both tell me that they miss the stockings more than anything. Granted, I had more fun assembling the stockings than any other tradition for Christmas. For me, the stockings were always the most exciting thing about Christmas morning.

If the unexpected guest shows up at your door during the Holidays…joyfully greet them with open arms, invite them in and welcome them to The Ritz Carlton. You can do this…it is only for a transitional season…you can become a figment of one’s imagination the remainder of the year. Simply pray that the zoo is on their best behavior. If critters start chasing dust balls across the floor or chickens start falling from the sky, excuse them so that you make a forgotten but important meeting at work. You cannot afford to report whiplash or bodily harm to the insurance company at this juncture.

The one thing I have yet to accomplish is working in the yard and gardens. Due to my back injury last year, I was unable to tend to the annual tasks involving both agendas. As a result, it is now requiring a professional to get things back to “catch up” mode. Due to their popular demand, they are only able to work a few hours a week and are just now reaching 50% completion. I am trying not to consider this a setback…as long as there is no structural damage, the beast will still be there come Spring.

Speaking of structural damage, have the forethought to know that this professional may get the urge to turn the hose on (with the faulty spigot) to play with Bennie. Show them how you tweak it, in advance, so that further damage is not created. Otherwise, you will be paying an unexpected bill for repairs. More importantly, learn how to translate where the main shut-off valve is located (from your office) until the repairman can get there. “You know…over the deer traps and through the thickets you go.”

A day later, you discover the carpet in the Master “Cell” is wet. You call the same repairman back out to discover that the same outside spigot is now broken at the bottom of the stem inside the wall. When he asks you how badly you need that spigot, you calculate how long you can go with your riding boots held together with duct tape. Finally, you figure you still have 1 of 3 outside spigots that work, so you give him the “cut it” signal… until a later date.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Until we meet again…”it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart” -MAHATMA GANDHI