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| Now that it is raining, the hills nearby are beginning to look like this. |
Good early morning,
Usually I sneak this in before midnight. Not so, today. The day was full, joyful, filled with love and celebration.
How was your Saturday? Mine just concluded. We
celebrated the birthday of one of my sons.
My Gratitudes for Today:
1. It was my son Josiah's special day.
I'm proud having him as my son. I love his concern for others and the relationship he has with God. I'm thankful for the privilege of being a father. This son is a joy to have. I'm humbled and grateful for the lessons I've learned while fathering him.
2. Time spent with family.
A bicycle for the birthday person, we hunted for, before a celebratory downing of a pitcher of Margaritas at Juanita's. Mind you, Josiah didn't drink any, he chose a hot Mexican chocolate drink, instead. In the evening, like when my sons were kids, we cooked dinner together. Dessert was had at Fenton's Ice Cream Palace.
This place has been around for 117 years. There's always a line to get in, even at 11:00 p.m. After the whole crowd sang Happy Birthday to my son, Pablos Sr. and Jr. shared a Fenton's Special----I'll cycle a long ride later today, probably thirty miles, to burn it off.
I'm thankful for the laughter my sons and I shared.
3. I had lunch with friends---it's nice belonging to a community of friends.
4. I've been filing. The resultant order is adding tranquility to my life and nurtures my inner adult.
5. I bought a bell for my bike---can't wait to use it---it's LOUD and big. It will be helpful to use when threading my way through pedestrian traffic while riding along the shore.
6. I meet with two new clients later today, in the early evening. I like the work I do. It is satisfying, meets my need for autonomy---I'm my own boss; it offers variety and motivates me to continually research, something I love doing. Best of all, my profession enables me to continually grow. I never want to ossify characterologically.
7. I can't wait to watch my baseball team play the first game in the National League playoffs tomorrow. If they win four in this contest, they will go to the World Series.
8. I saw a dear friend this morning. It was great connecting with her. We're planning on working on a project together.
9. Today was an anniversary of another sort, too. This inn opened its doors seventeen months ago. So, it's still a baby. I appreciate your visits. I've grown as I've tended to this inn. Thank you for allowing me to serve you. I've made new friends while doing this gig.
How About You?
On weekends I usually invite my guest if they'd like to join me in inventorying the week just completed.
a. What was your high point for this past week? Mine was the time spent with my sons on Saturday. Nothing compares to the family. The young men I raised are wonderful, loving, kind, smart and industrious. Most importantly, they value their relationship with God.
Today, was a day of joy and celebration of life. I like the harmony, tranquility, affection and connection my sons and I shared.
b. What was your low point?
The Innkeeper Had a Big Time Tumble
My low point was concluding a fabulous eighteen mile (29 km) ride uphill with a crash that I did not see coming, two hundred yards from my destination. I rode that distance in 45 minutes---that's 24 mph (38.6 kph), using mountain bike tires, which slow me down, again, uphill.
This was my worst accident while cycling. My leg is in constant pain. I'm taking steps to remedy this. No, I'm not going to amputate my leg.
Being the gratitude guy, I'm thankful that I didn't break any bones. I didn't damage my head. I was touched by Julie, a young blonde who saw what happened and picked me up while I was tangled up with my bike, in pain and unable to get up.
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2 comments:
Dear Innkeeper,
Sorry to hear of your spill. Please take time and measures to heal. One good thing to do is icing the injured area. A good margarita can do wonders as well!
Great to hear of celebratory time with your son(s). We have four, and can totally relate to the joys and challenges they bring. I hope to make it to Fenton's with ours, one of these days!
This week my high point(s) were taking time to rest and exercise; most needed and refreshing after a very long, intense week. Even dabbling in something new for me; being a "couch potato," watching the 49ers lose and now watching the Giants play.
My low point was to forget the Friday morning seafood order of a very high end SF restaurant. I had worked 13 hours on Thursday, so was looking forward to a lighter day on Friday. I came out of the gym at 6PM to find an urgent email and text messages; "where are our live spot prawns?...they are on tonight's menu!" In a panic, I raced back to my company to miraculously find the dispatch office open at 6:30 PM (usually closed by 6PM) and someone to weight and prep the product. The restaurant opened for dinner at 5:30 PM and I arrived at 7:15PM. I have no idea how many orders they lost or did not lose during that time, but I will need to make financial and other amends to them this week, and work that out with our GM.
I was being very hard on myself afterword until i was reminded of healthy principles of "letting go," and not allowing myself to be "externally referenced." I remembered that I am powerless over this outcome, did my best under the circumstances, and needed to let it go. While it felt like one of the biggest mistakes I've made yet at this 2+ year job, I had to release the outcome to God, and move on.
After returning from SF, I went to a weekly gathering of friends, and shared my experience, and how I was trying to cope with self-criticism. I was reminded of a beautiful passage, relevant here..."Condemning my imperfections has never enhanced my appreciation of life, or helped me love myself more."
My end-of-week, Sunday night gratitudes are;
1. That we have in this Inn, a warm, cozy, roaring fireplace great-room gathering place filled with friends, fellow-travelers, and kindred souls to share our experience; challenges and successes, strength and hope.
2. That my Polish wife of 30+ years is in a joyful space tonight, singing, whistling, and enjoying the solace of doing her interior design work in her new office space. She is also happy to not have to prepare dinner, as our sons offered to treat us all to Papa John's Pizza!
3. The utter energy and enthusiasm my youngest son and friend exhibit splitting, cutting and stacking more firewood than we have ever had in advance of winter.
Well its back to the Giant's game for me. I hope they are winning!
To one and all, have a peaceful evening!
Dear Carl,
My, my, You wrote a book! Thank you, by the way, for sharing your highpoint and low point for last week. It helps me get better acquainted with you.
You and I have something in common. We support the same teams.
That's quite a bit of drama, your race to save the restaurant's need for prawns. Good for you, you forgave yourself, for a slip up. What we do is not a statement about us.
That's a good quote. Check out Sunday's evening post. The quotes there relate to your experience.
I appreciate you making the time to drop by and letting us know what is alive within you. Your comments add to the community we share here!
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