Setting the Bar Low

I am trying to trick myself into believing today is a work day so I can put one of those big jobs behind me within my bookkeeping world. Is it working? The jury is still out.

Goals this weekend:

• work a day
• prepare a meat and vegetable meal another day
• coast a day

I am/was planning on taking a day trip to meet a friend but the need to torque my newly changed tires has put a damper on my desire to leave the city. Backing into a cement wall and hitting two curbs yesterday (one requiring a new tire, the second time seems to have left my newly changed tire unscathed) has heightened my desire to just leave the car parked for the duration.

I'm feeling a little accident prone and I haven't quite regained trust in my car after a minor repair instigated a domino effect of issues in the week that followed. I just want to stay home. That is all.

This is the highlight reel of my weekend goals:

Gourmet pizza - ultra large in size. Just pop in the oven and voila! A four course meal with no fuss, no muss, no delivery fee, no tip, no need to leave the house.

At the tail end of my accident prone day, I also picked up two bags of chips. 

What else could I possibly need?

Set your bar low. 

Do what it takes to make your day go easy on you.

And .. 

when the going gets tough, the tough eat chips.

The end.

The High Cost of Washing a Car

I had a simple goal today. While I was out running a few errands I would wash the car.

My favorite drive through car wash was lined up the length of the parking lot, so I decided I would take this opportunity to go to a hand wash bay where I would get some bonus Air Miles by using this car wash.

The first thing I did was run into a curb while I was maneuvering through the gas bar as I tried to find a parking spot. I eventually found a spot, bought some tokens, came back to the car to discover my tire was almost flat.

Change of plans.

I drove my crippled car to our friendly neighborhood mechanic and they checked out my tire. It is damaged beyond repair. The rim is okay. He recommended I wait until next fall when winter tires are on sale and replace two of my tires. They were kind enough to come here to pick up my summer tires, exchange my winter tires for summer ones and I was good to go.

I needed to swap my tires anyway but this curb biting incident will cost two winter tires in about six months. Time to budget for the expense.

I was feeling pretty fortunate all in all. I went to my second job and decided to wash the car on my way home.

I was feeling pretty good. My car wash tokens cost $6.98 so I was thinking this is what I should do all the time. All I had to do was back out of the stall and go home.

Crunch ...

Yep. I hit the wall. It was just a tap so I was optimistic that it wouldn't be noticeable. I was wrong.

I will never complain about the price of a drive through car wash again. 

Morning Musing

I heard a little scuffle behind the bathtub curtain this morning and this is what I found:

Dripping faucet = cat fountain

Cats in the tub = the need to vacuum the bathtub before bathing.

Little things that make me go hmmm.

Pivotal Moments

The ability to act and react to life is a skill I hope to hone and hold onto.

A recent set of events resulted in my sister changing course as she was on her way to one destination. On the highway already, once they were at the junction they turned right instead of continuing going straight. A few weekends later, they were on the highway to another destination to be present with family who had been touched with a tragedy.

I marveled at my sister's ability to act and react in the moment she was in and thought "I want to be just like her".

This is the sister who says "Yes!" to life and its invitations. I have often commented that if there is a time at the end of her days when she meets her maker and is asked if she has any regrets, her answer would be "No". From where I sit, she is living life the way it was intended to be lived.

I compare who I am and how I live to how my sister lives. I have had times when I lived life in a similar fashion. Having flexible employment makes all the difference in the world. When I worked full time outside my home, I abided by the limitations within my job. When I ran my daycare, I had numerous families depending on my reliability so my flexibility was nil. When I started working the jobs I have right now, the ability to bend and stretch my work hours as needed made all the difference in the world.

My role within my job has changed and my ability to take time off on a whim is next to nil. I miss the ability to be able to pivot on a dime. Act and react in the moment and go freely in the direction life points me toward.

The only thing for certain, is that nothing stays the same. "Be careful what you wish for" is a refrain that often runs through my mind. What I hope for will come. But at what cost?

Holding On

Winter made its presence known again yesterday.

A light, unaggressive snowfall left a dusting of snow in its wake.

Soon, paw prints in the snow will no longer tell the tale of what unseen presence is around us.

There is something to savor within every season.

As it is with life.

The only thing certain about today is that it will not be the same as yesterday. 

Every step we take is a step beyond where we were.

New days, new seasons, change are all part of our existence.

When those days are hard,

remind yourself you have survived 100% of those days so far.

Please keep going.

Spring is coming.

The sun will rise again tomorrow.

"Time is a wheel that is spinning

Always moving on

The moments you think last forever

You look up and one day they're gone

Gotta hold on, hold on, hmm"

~ Gold - SAILR

Gold

No words. Just listen. Let the next 3 minutes and 27 seconds wash through you and sweep you up in the lyrics and music that touched my soul today...

https://youtu.be/wAnbJXItpG8

It's Coming ...

It is April 1st

The days are getting longer

The temperatures are hovering around "zero"

And!!

The rabbits are starting to change color.

Spring is coming!