What's Next....
"What is true by lamplight is not always true by sunlight."
-Joseph Joubert
I spoke with my cousin Maria recently, and she mentioned that I hadn't written anything about going to the barber shop in awhile. It's true. Jerome has moved on to a different barber shop, so I am no longer privy to his outrageous stories of love, lust, and barbering. Lazaro did recently turn me on to a new product that has changed my grooming world completely: pre-shave oil. It makes a dramatic difference in the ease and quality of shaving. It's semi-miraculous.
A few days ago I had some thoughts about the inordinate amount of enjoyment I get out of a glass of Scotch whisky, a hair cut, a great shave, etc. For the most part my life is pretty routine: I wake up, go to work, get a workout in, go to bed. There isn't a whole lot of wild stuff going on in my dad-to-day life. I think on a subconscious level I have recognized this, and I try to make the ordinary day-to-day activities special.
For example, when I know I have to shave in the morning I get up an extra fifteen minutes early. I shower, let the steam open up my pores, and apply my beloved pre-shave oil. I'll wait a few minutes for the oil to settle, break out the peppermint shaving cream, and slowly begin to shave with the grain of my face. Then I go back once more, only this time shaving against the grain. I let my face dry out a touch, then I'll go over my face again with an electric razor. Yes, it does take me about fifteen minutes to shave, but I feel great the rest of the day.
I have seen such behavior in other family members, but applied to different things. The infamous Aunt Shelly spent over half a day making Christmas Dinner. Prior to the actual preparation, she spent a few weeks researching recipes and at least two days gathering all the various produce and other items that went into the assortment of dishes. I wonder how many people at Christmas realized the amount of care that went into the preparation of that meal. I know I did. In my bizarre little world, I could clearly see that she wanted this annual event to be something outside of the ordinary, and repetitive and poured herself into the process and the preparation. And that is exactly why I am returning to her house for Christmas this year.
When I last wrote, I mentioned the exhaustion that had set into my bones from this most recent wave of work. I took the past few days to reward/abuse myself to recognize the effort, and repay my mind/body/spirit for all that it has endured. I ate enough for three people on Friday night, then backed it up for a lumberjack's breakfast on Saturday morning; I connived Coach Kevin into giving me a swim lesson on Saturday and Sunday; I slept late over the weekend and even threw in a nap on Saturday--after the massive breakfast. My mind is pretty clear right now, and I can see how I would like the next few months to unfold.
With work I conceded mid 2007 that "things will never change." Due to the nature of my job, I will always be very busy. It's an unavoidable fact. What makes this kind of cool is that I work with some really interesting people who make the time pass by pretty easily. I have a list of "Kaizen Notes" for my boss related to the process that we just went through; I'll present them to him either tomorrow or Tuesday, and get his opinion. There are plenty of things to learn over the next few weeks and plenty of project to complete, but at least my head is in the right space.
The half marathon I will be competing in is slated for the middle of January. I haven't signed up for the race and need to knock that out tomorrow. To date, I have never felt like I have appropriately prepared for a half marathon. My main thought at this time is that I need to be extremely diligent with my day-to-day training in November and December both. My base is coming along nicely, but I need to be unrelenting in the daily execution. As such, my plan is to run Monday through Thursday, and use the weekend for swimming and "active recovery."
I wish I had some monumental insight into the upcoming weeks and months, and what they hold. I would submit that I am on a "plateau" right now, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. For this next stretch I will continue to do my "routine" but try to put as much care and presence into what I do each day. The results should take care of themselves.
Namaste
-Joseph Joubert
I spoke with my cousin Maria recently, and she mentioned that I hadn't written anything about going to the barber shop in awhile. It's true. Jerome has moved on to a different barber shop, so I am no longer privy to his outrageous stories of love, lust, and barbering. Lazaro did recently turn me on to a new product that has changed my grooming world completely: pre-shave oil. It makes a dramatic difference in the ease and quality of shaving. It's semi-miraculous.
A few days ago I had some thoughts about the inordinate amount of enjoyment I get out of a glass of Scotch whisky, a hair cut, a great shave, etc. For the most part my life is pretty routine: I wake up, go to work, get a workout in, go to bed. There isn't a whole lot of wild stuff going on in my dad-to-day life. I think on a subconscious level I have recognized this, and I try to make the ordinary day-to-day activities special.
For example, when I know I have to shave in the morning I get up an extra fifteen minutes early. I shower, let the steam open up my pores, and apply my beloved pre-shave oil. I'll wait a few minutes for the oil to settle, break out the peppermint shaving cream, and slowly begin to shave with the grain of my face. Then I go back once more, only this time shaving against the grain. I let my face dry out a touch, then I'll go over my face again with an electric razor. Yes, it does take me about fifteen minutes to shave, but I feel great the rest of the day.
I have seen such behavior in other family members, but applied to different things. The infamous Aunt Shelly spent over half a day making Christmas Dinner. Prior to the actual preparation, she spent a few weeks researching recipes and at least two days gathering all the various produce and other items that went into the assortment of dishes. I wonder how many people at Christmas realized the amount of care that went into the preparation of that meal. I know I did. In my bizarre little world, I could clearly see that she wanted this annual event to be something outside of the ordinary, and repetitive and poured herself into the process and the preparation. And that is exactly why I am returning to her house for Christmas this year.
When I last wrote, I mentioned the exhaustion that had set into my bones from this most recent wave of work. I took the past few days to reward/abuse myself to recognize the effort, and repay my mind/body/spirit for all that it has endured. I ate enough for three people on Friday night, then backed it up for a lumberjack's breakfast on Saturday morning; I connived Coach Kevin into giving me a swim lesson on Saturday and Sunday; I slept late over the weekend and even threw in a nap on Saturday--after the massive breakfast. My mind is pretty clear right now, and I can see how I would like the next few months to unfold.
With work I conceded mid 2007 that "things will never change." Due to the nature of my job, I will always be very busy. It's an unavoidable fact. What makes this kind of cool is that I work with some really interesting people who make the time pass by pretty easily. I have a list of "Kaizen Notes" for my boss related to the process that we just went through; I'll present them to him either tomorrow or Tuesday, and get his opinion. There are plenty of things to learn over the next few weeks and plenty of project to complete, but at least my head is in the right space.
The half marathon I will be competing in is slated for the middle of January. I haven't signed up for the race and need to knock that out tomorrow. To date, I have never felt like I have appropriately prepared for a half marathon. My main thought at this time is that I need to be extremely diligent with my day-to-day training in November and December both. My base is coming along nicely, but I need to be unrelenting in the daily execution. As such, my plan is to run Monday through Thursday, and use the weekend for swimming and "active recovery."
I wish I had some monumental insight into the upcoming weeks and months, and what they hold. I would submit that I am on a "plateau" right now, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. For this next stretch I will continue to do my "routine" but try to put as much care and presence into what I do each day. The results should take care of themselves.
Namaste
posted by Zen_Accountant at 3:39 PM
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