Friday, July 6

     Good evening friends and guests of this inn of positivity and thanks.

You make my work here, enjoyable, especially when you leave your comments. I'm grateful for those of you who do.

      I had the unexpected gift of meeting with my oldest son, this afternoon.  I won't tell you that I'm partial to his name (but I am).   :)   We had a snatch of time together, but it was deeply satisfying. The weather was fantastic as we spoke outside. We met in the city of Fremont, where I grew up as a kid.

      I so enjoy his reports about marketing work he's doing for TRexGlobal.com.  A father could not be prouder about a son. I love how he's using his skills, zooming beyond the expectations of those he works for.

     I like hearing him share about his work and the impact he has there. Yesterday, he worked eighteen hours. Gosh.  He was back at work, today. I'm glad tonight he'll relax, spending time with friends.

     Regrettably, I had to leave, an appointment with a client was fast approaching. I left him with a song in my heart. It encourages me, seeing a son moving along a terrific path in his life. It's all a result of his hard work and God. I had nothing to do with it. All I do is step back, smiling at my son's good fortune. (I guess it's a bit obvious that I'm a proud father.)
My Gratitudes for Friday:
1.  It was great seeing my son, who shall remain nameless. Take a guess what it might be. You'd be right.  I like how we communicate and the companionship we share.
2.  We made tentative plans to go cycling next Thursday. It'll be the first time for us. I'll go easy on him. It's fun to have something to look forward to, anticipating a common adventure.
3.  I went to the movies today. I saw "For Greater Glory."
       I enjoyed it. Intense, but good. For more about it, click here. (I warn you about one problem with the linked review: Ebert must not be aware, that during the time period of this movie, the country in question was about 98% Catholic. This fact would answer his concern for the focus on this one denomination, in the film.)
      I was drawn into the drama of the film. I wept when I saw one scene.  I am grateful for the increased awareness of a part of history that I did not know.
4.  I enjoyed my time with those who saw a free movie with me, Vinny and Carl.  Emotional safety with healthy friends was a soothing antidote to the abuse I experienced from an angry man this week.
5.  I had a lot of demands today. I got everything done. Ya ay!  I like being effective and efficient.
6.  I'll meet with someone I mentor tomorrow morning, followed by getting together with friends.  I value connecting with others.  I don't get my healing in isolation.
7.  I hope to go for an hour, to an hour-and-a-half ride tomorrow, on my bicycle.
8.  I look forward to cycling forty miles on Sunday.
9.  I've made arrangements to possibly have a new riding buddy, starting next week.
10. I had no interactions today with someone who, for three days in a row, tried using emotional coercion on me, this week. (It didn't work---I did not budge from my values).
11. I'm thankful that I'm not externally referented. I like having my own standards, boundaries and autonomy.
12. I'm enjoying correspondence I'm having with a new friend. It's fun discovering more about another person, unraveling the mystery of who they are, as I also let them to get to know me better, too.
How About You? 
1. Who do you like visiting? Today, I delighted in my time with my oldest son. Earlier this week I spent time with my middle son.
2. What do you do, to unwind? Today I saw a flick and rode my bike. 

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello Innkeeper - thank you for sharing your day here at the Inn. the discipline you've developed to share your thoughts daily is awesome.

My first gratitude - I am grateful to have an Innkeeper who underscores how important goals setting is goals and the work necessary to achieve them. My goal is to visit the Inn three times per week - Tues-Thur-Sat and share 3 things I am grateful for. A seemingly daunting goal at the moment, but I am inspired by your efforts to do this daily and the results...here at the Gratitude Inn.

My second gratitude - I am grateful for the equipment I have that enables me to visit the Inn. My laptop "died" and had no immediate access to the internet. My family recommended different ways to resurrect my laptop and offered the financial support to accomplish this. This is my third gratitude - having a supportive and encouraging family that loves me and wants the best for me.

This inspires my fourth gratitude - I am grateful to God and the grace and blessings given to me during this time of sharing. All gifts flow from Grace - and I have it in abundance with friends, family and opportunities.

I like to visit my family and friends - whether via text, phone, email or in person (which is best). Sometimes planned, sometime via serendipity. I was buying special bread for my wife and Whole Foods when I encountered a friend that I hadn't seen in months, and had no other way to contact her. She was doing well working in real estate, a field she enjoys. I'm always thankful when I see friends and family - and excited too.

I like to swim and walk our elderly dogs to unwind. I also like to play the fiddle, although I haven't done much of that of late. However, I pulled the fiddle out to make it accessible to me, so now it's waiting for my next visit - which will be before my next visit to the Inn.

Thank you for creating this space to visit and share! Hope you, dear Innkeeper, and all your visitors have a fabulous weekend! All the best on your bike ride...
Lowry

Pablo said...

Lowry,

Good to see you back. I appreciate the effort you make to drop by. You must be encouraged, having family that roots for you.

It is always nice hearing someone giving thanks for God. Our spiritual selves is often overlooked.

I appreciate the personal touch of your gratitudes. I value your sensitivity. I do look forward to cycling today!

Carl H said...

Hello Pablo,

Thank you for sharing your rich day with us.

I like to visit my (89 year old) Mom to prepare her lunch every Saturday in Walnut Creek.

To unwind; swimming laps at the gym, and relaxing in the jacuzzi and steam room. A good film with friends and family, a good book on real-life, 8,000 meter peak mountaineering, and getting back into cycling soon. Being at a Pacific Ocean beach in California in the fog or sunshine; especially at dusk.

Today I am grateful for;

1. Being invited to an appreciation pot-luck dinner for my former boss in a colleagues home, as the only American guests among an all Japanese gathering. I'm also grateful they spoke English almost exclusively, as a courtesy to my wife and me.

2. Our youngest son's safe return from his Virginia to California, post graduation 4,200 mile road trip with friends; that he could sit down with us for a much appreciated home-cooked meal and tell us about trying to fry steaks, pan full of rain water, in a sudden hail storm, while camping in New Mexico!

3. For a sermon quote this morning that struck me as quite relevant today; "Money often costs too much." Ralph Waldo Emerson. She added to this with; "Knowledge often boasts too much," and "Power often corrupts too much." How true these are today in our modern, developed, Western world.

I hope your knee heals well and soon from your recent bike spill.

Have a serene Sunday evening and a week rich in healing, fellowship and adventure.

Pablo said...

Carl,

It's always nice when you drop by! I appreciate how you answer the questions I pose. Thank you, for adding to the community we share here, when you do.

I love the way you unwind. Those sound like wonderful ways to decompress.

I bet you are glad your youngest son is home. He's lucky there wasn't any lightning.

Thank you for mentioning my knee. It's acting up: locking up on me, from time-to-time. It's been five days since I did a faceplant on the street, slamming my right knee into the pavement.

It's been awhile since I've been injured---maybe high school. Cycling has its dangers, but it is worth it. Thanks for your concern!

Quotes from the Posts

"I'm mindful that our thoughts affect the words we use, our words influence our actions, our actions shape our character and our character determines our destiny."

From "My Character Determines My Destiny." To read it, please click here.

"Progress not perfection, is better than no progress at all, especially when we're trying to rid ourselves from unwelcome dragons that dwell within the closets of our soul."

From, "Still Learning" which, within four days, became the most popular post
written. To read it, please click here.

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its trouble, but it does empty today of its strength"
From the post: "Life Is Not a Correspondence Program." Click here to read it.

"Even though we cannot control our circumstances, we can control how we choose to respond to them."

From, "Handling Stress and Dealing With an Emotional Bully."Click here to read this post.

"Nope, being busy isn't exciting. Boring is good. Because boring is not boring; boring is being healthy, living a balanced life that has serenity"

From: "Do You Know What It Means If You Are Too Busy?" For more, please click here.

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