Tag: observations

awareness, hustle

The List of Three

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One day she was asked to make a list of three. Unplanned assignment. Thought required. Time was limited for the response. The gut answered.

The list boiled down to three simple words. 

Commitment.

Consistency.

Prioritizing.

Each can be applied to life and self daily. Committing to self. Committing to goals. Consistently working on self. Consistently working towards goals. Prioritizing what is important to self. Prioritizing life to mesh with all of the above.

At times these three words can work for you. At times these words can work against you, if you let them. Perspective is important in life. Everyone has their own perspective or view. Sometimes we need to show others a new perspective to foster growth. Sometimes no effort is needed as your modeling of those three words show themselves in life. 

If you had a list of three words what would they be? Why would your gut spit those words out? What do they mean to you?

For her, it seems she is hyper-focused on her short term goals. These require commitment, consistency and prioritization daily. I do believe that is why her gut answered with these three words. However these words have depth. They go beyond her initial short term goals. Rather they are staples in her every day life. 

Sometimes she may get off track in life and need to refocus. Realign priorities. Recommit to something. Practice consistently doing what needs to be done to achieve a, b and c.

Life.

Words.

Actions.

In life she chooses words that have actions. She chooses actions that have meanings to her. She also take actions without hesitation. Sometimes she may stumble. Sometimes she may shine. Either way she is writing her story and living it each day. Some days you get an up front seat. Some days you don’t.

I am her. 

My action words for the purpose of this post are undoubtedly:

Commitment.

Consistency.

Prioritizing.

As I close out this post I can say each of these action words are helping me reach my next milestone. Where will your three words take you?

adventure

NYC By Day Part 1

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Just one day in NYC. Just one day. Less than 24 hours to cram it all in! It’s not my first time in the big city but first time cramming a bunch into one day sure is. So much fun on this day I thought I’d write a post but it will end up being multiple posts. Go figure.

The U.S. Open it is. That’s the main point of the trip. A duo trip on a whim. The duo turned into a trio. Then a foursome. United by a love for tennis. An adventure of a lifetime. A quick easy trip to squeeze into a work week. Why not?

The one and only Coco makes the women’s semi finals. Yes! I couldn’t be more excited to see the showdown live. The 48 hours prior to the semi finals was where the anticipation built. The outfit plans. The snack preparation. Hoping the flights were on time. Will the weather be good? So much anticipation. A short window of excitement on the horizon. Ready. Set. Go!

4 am alarm goes off. Normally I’d be mad but not today. Today I sprung up and rose quickly. Fun little carpool excursion to the airport and off we go on leg one of the adventure. The discount airline flight was surprisingly easy and we made it to the Big Apple without incident, but did have many giggles. And the approach views were just perfect as well. The Statue of Liberty was impressive from above.

Once on the ground we explored a bit. That included a stroll over the Brooklyn Bridge. A first for me. This was an amazing experience on a beautiful day. Helicopter tours overhead. Jet skis, boats, cars all bustling below. The sights. The sounds. The ambience was all spectacular. A moment of reflection think about the chaos of 9/11 and the mass exodus on that same bridge. What a feeling.

Next our exploration took us through Chinatown and Little Italy by foot. Great exercise but also a cultural experience. The smells. The businesses. The building styles. The signs on the windows and storefronts. The graffiti. The hustle and bustle of city life. The people. The languages. The lifestyle that is so different from my day to day. Observing folks pull their groceries home in a cart. The Amazon deliveries packed on carts to go city blocks from a hub parking spot. It’s an experience in itself just to be immersed in this part of city life. The outdoor markets had fish both dried and fresh out of the water. Oddly placed next to fruit sitting out in the heat of the day. Some bins without ice and on the floor of all places.

As our day began as the sun rose in the city there were so many experiences to share that I’ve opted to make this a series of posts. This way I can give you my 50 foot of NYC in 24 hours without missing a beat.

Stay tuned.

business, challenges

3 am Oh No

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The alarm was set for a hair past 3 am on a Tuesday. A 6 am meeting didn’t seem so early when I put it on the calendar. Then I had to calculate the drive the time. The get ready time. The wake time. The cushion time to build in. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck.

To say I was dreading the alarm clock was an understatement. However, I got up like a champ. Now I thought I was up and alert but clearly I wasn’t. My first uh oh was putting on my shoes. I had picked out black pants and silky striped shirt. I was matching my shoes to the stripe in the shirt. I had a plan. Then I sat down to put on the shoes and realized my pants were not just black. Rather the pants had a baby blue square-like check pattern. Holy cow. I would have absolutely not matched. In fact I would have clashed.

Good thing I had time to make a quick change and save myself some embarrassment.

Now I am off on the highway. Munching on my snack I packed, jamming to some music. Little did I know I would be listening to Pickle Jar Patrick! Why he is the up all night funny DJ that sounds like boundless energy coming through my car speakers. Why can’t I just bottle his energy through my speakers?

I pass through the major metropolitan downtown area on the highway. Several lanes normally packed to no end, yet they seem desolate at 3 am. What a difference a little time makes in a day. Normally I sleep through the quiet in suburbia but today I was on the road alone. Enjoying the scenery in a different light or should I say darkness.

As if I thought my morning would continue peacefully I was wrong. My go to Starbucks wasn’t opening until 6 am so I was going to go without my rocket fuel for this morning. I opted to pull into the gas station for a leg stretch and a quick map check. Oh my car needs a software update. I have a few extra minutes, let me do that…

Little did I know it takes a little longer than I anticipated and my car is well let’s just say dead in the water while I waited. The minutes seem like hours. Over 20 minutes and I should have been thinking how long it would take when the console message said I could exit the car. My brain just wasn’t awake yet. All the preparation to get to where I needed to be on time seemed like a waste because my sleepyhead self said yes to a software upgrade mid trip. Who does that? 

Thank you Jesus. The upgrade completed and I could continue to my destination. Oh wait, a new feature in my car is discovered. Flashing lights under my rear view mirror and an odd alarm. I can’t make this up. I had to stop my in tracks to figure out how to solve my problem. I shut off the car. Waited and started again. Thankfully the alarm subsided and I was on the way, again.

With moments to spare, I arrived. A little flustered, but ready to put on my business smile to slay the day. Next time I’ll think twice before meeting at 6 am. I am just too old for these early morning encounters without coffee.

adventure

Hike Inn

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How far will you go to stay somewhere truly unique?

What if fitness is part of the admission fee? Could you pay it? Would you?

The Len Foote Hike Inn is one of 9 backcountry inns in the US. It’s only reachable (for guests) by a 5 mile hike near the start of the Appalachian Trail. After having it on my adventure list for years, my youngest daughter and I finally made the trek earlier this spring.

How remote is the Hike Inn? It’s a little bit of roughing it, but not too bad. You have a room with mattresses, clean sheets and blankets. Two hot meals are prepared for you each day, served family style, with an option for a third trail lunch. There are dorm-style shared hot showers and composting toilets that don’t smell bad (but do come with a draft!) There are rocking chairs, board games, and books about the outdoors galore. There is peace.

When you are at the Inn, you’re encouraged to stay off of your phone, aside from taking photos. There is cell service (all the way up the trail, too!) But really, the atmosphere invites you to connect with nature and other people.

My daughter brought up fond memories of going to camp as we sat on our bunk beds. When the dinner bell rang, we joined the long table and sat next to two volunteers. An older couple, they served food, cleared plates, and gregariously talked about their commitment to volunteering at the Inn. They come up for a weekend every few months. For a couple of hours of work, you get a free stay at the Inn and a shirt.

The stay with my daughter was memorable. Relaxing. She beat me at board games. She paced me up the trail. We talked and talked and talked some more. It may have been the most we’ve talked since my days of driving her to high school or traveling together for club lacrosse. It’s amazing what long stretches of uninterrupted time together can do. The words and insights just keep spilling out. It turned out to be a rainy and cold weekend, so the sad part was missing the sunrise. Something to look forward to next time.

It didn’t take me long to join the volunteer corps at the Inn. It took many months to actually find a day when my schedule allowed me to go. Sadly, I didn’t have my girl along this time. She was already away at college. Although still beautiful, the hike is much longer when you do it alone! Yes, of course it is the same length, but I missed her company. My room was bigger and had a fan (which was desperately needed on the hot weekend I chose.) I also had power in my room and my own bathroom and shower, which was awesome.

I got a shirt and the chance to work with the cook and other employees. This turned out to be more fun than I thought it might. Setting tables, serving food, doing dishes, putting things away…after years in a restaurant, it all felt easy and not taxing. Unlike the weekend with my daughter, there were no children this weekend at the Inn. There was one group of 12 moms on a girls weekend, then a few other smaller groups of friends. It was quite easy and relaxing.

The Inn is a special place. My youngest and I have talked about trying to hike to all the backcountry inns in the US. But for just a quick getaway, this one is just far enough away to restore and renew me.

challenges

Have To, Get To

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Lately, life has seemed pretty annoying in quite a few regards. Boring and trivial tasks pile up. Things I don’t enjoy or find satisfying are playing a bigger role in my work life. People don’t come through on what they said they would do. Frustrations at every turn. This really impacts my mood and mental state.

When I can get myself to step back and be aware of it, I try to flip my mindset from “have to” to “get to.”

When clerical tasks get piled on a work, instead of thinking “I have to do all these hours of mindless work,” I tell myself that I get to support teachers and make their days better, which is a part of my job that I value.

When a friend doesn’t come through for me, instead of feeling angry that I have to go it alone, I remind myself that I get to find out how strong I am on my own.

When the administrative muck of life comes calling, and car repairs, insurance plans, routine health visits, and phone calls make up so much of my to do list, instead of thinking I have to handle all this boring, time-sucking mess, I convince myself that I get to take care of things like this because I have a full, robust life that shouldn’t be undermined by my laziness and resistance. Sometimes my little mental flip-flop works. But, sometimes it doesn’t.

A big part of our theme at work this year is doing more things that bring you joy. Unfortunately, there just really aren’t that many. Changing my mind to try to cope and make the annoying stuff meaningful or at least relevant is my coping strategy right now. Sometimes the main thing you can change is your mind. Most of the time, you can’t change things or people. You can change your reaction to it. Release situations and people from expectations. Change your “have tos” to “get tos” and see if your outlook improves.