Mind

  • Mind

    Diversity, Not Just for Humans

    Lately, we have seen so much about being accepting and inclusive to people of all types and how this is needed in our world.  Each of us brings something unique to this world and by excluding people we can miss out on some really great things.  But diversity cannot and should not be limited to just people.  Think about investing, would you really want to put all of your savings in just one company?  No, you pick some stocks and also invest in some real estate.  But why in this world where we are touting the benefits of diversity, are we overlooking other areas such as our energy production? For…

  • Mind

    Packing List System

    I am the type of person that likes to have systems in place to make things easier.  Years ago I realized every time my family would plan a trip I would write out a list of everything we would need to pack so I could make sure we didn’t forget to pack anything.  I don’t know how many times I wrote out these lists before I realized they were basically the same, with some exceptions depending on where we were going so why did I keep rewriting the same list?  I moved my list into tables in word documents and created different ones as needed.  We have a general packing…

  • Body,  Mind,  Soul

    Getting Out, Our Ski Adventure

    As I have mentioned in previous blog posts Covid has really left me feeling unproductive and trapped at home.  Every winter for at least the last 4 years my family has gone for a weekend ski trip.  This year it was not looking like it would happen but I kept thinking I needed to get us out of the house and do something.  I checked the state website and found I could travel to our bordering states without the need to quarantine when I returned, I confirmed this was acceptable with my employer and started planning our trip. My girls wanted to try snowboarding this year and the usual resort…

  • Mind,  Soul

    Emergency Stop Button Update

    When I wrote the original post in January 2020, who knew the Covid-19 pandemic was on the way.  Due to Covid, I effectively received my emergency stop.  I had taken some vacation days when I was called to come into work to finish up some things before we started working for home for what I thought would be about two weeks.  At first, I was gung ho about working from home tackling paperwork projects that often took a back seat to preparing labs.  I started actually taking my lunch breaks, something I did not do when at work.  The introvert in me was more than happy to be sequestered away…

  • Mind

    Season of Laziness

    Have you ever been in one of those moods where you don’t feel like doing anything?  Lately, that is where I am.  Now mind you I do go to work five days a week, I cook dinner about five times a week, the house is relatively clean and I get most of my training days completed but after that nothing.  I sit on the couch and veg while playing computer games on my phone and watching television.  I look over at the pile of books I have started reading thinking if I just picked one up I would be far more productive with my time, but they are just out…

  • Body,  Mind

    2020 Running Year in Review

    As with many people as the year comes to a close I look back on the year to see what I accomplished and set goals for the upcoming year.  Since this is the first time I am doing this on my blog I feel the need to catch you up.  I have always enjoyed running and yet when I was younger never participated in any running sports, although there was one field day in sixth grade where I was selected to run for my class.  I couldn’t tell you the distance, maybe a quarter of a mile tops.  I ran my hardest, and at the end I remember it being…

  • Body,  Mind

    Snow Skiing

    As I have mentioned in other posts, I feel I am a late bloomer when it comes to taking on adventure and trying new things. An example is skiing.  The first time I finally went skiing I was in my late 20’s.  When I was younger my Dad talked about taking us but we never got around to it.  In junior high and high school there were yearly day trips but that was something my family could not afford.  In college one of my favorite professors, Dr. McGrellis was the ski club advisor. If I joined I could go for free by fundraising, a week in Vermont sounded wonderful but…

  • Mind

    Charlie Daniels

    At the end of last school year my middle daughter needed to interview someone for her music class.  Being stuck at home with little options there I was.  We talked about music I like and the few concerts I have attended and then the question that really started my thinking was who is one artist you want to see in concert that you haven’t.  Charlie Daniels came to mind immediately.  I wanted to see him in concert since I was about nine years old. Logistics, timing and money prevented me from attending concerts when I was younger.  Over the years I attended a few concerts that were held at small…

  • Mind,  Soul

    Friendship

    I always felt that I do not easily make friends.  Sure there were days on the playground when you were invited to play with a group and I remember having an epic day but lasting friendships did not result.  Over the years I connected with a person or two and developed some close relationships that always ended due to typical childhood drama and my lack of healthy relationships to mirror.  There were a couple of friendships that dissolved due to moving but looking back they probably would have self-destructed eventually.  So now that I am growing up I realize that I was always too giving to friendships for fear that…

  • Mind

    Goodbye To-Do-List

    With our recent change in our daily life activities I have been struggling with my lack of productivity. As a person who is usually on the go working on tasks and chores that need tending to, not being productive is difficult for me.  I have been mentally beating myself up that I am not using my new found home time as productively as I could. In an effort to get back in the groove, last week I made a huge to-do-list of all of the projects around the house I need to do and want to do. I thought this would motivate me into action, on the contrary I feel…