I'm back!

Sometimes I get started on something new, then life happens and I am drawn away for a while. At that point, I tend to stay away and not return. The last week has been crazy. I figure I worked about 70 hours. The State Survey team appeared for our survey, staff quit, 4 people moved in and a number of people called for information. All of these are good things, in one way or another. I needed to remind myself of that several times between crying jags. All in all, it was a topsy turvy week!

As for a list of the positives during the week, here are a few:

• Sunny days
• Tillamook's Marionberry Pie Ice Cream with a waffle cone
• Making people smile!
• Crazy cards from crazy sisters!
• Flowers from my husband
• Still loving my job (and still having my job!)

Commuting

My commute is 17.5 miles of country road. It is really nice to have a quiet time to work the day through my mind and not deal with a bunch of traffic. This morning as I was finishing the last few twists and turns, when a doe slowly stepped out to cross the road. She lifted her nose in the air and tentively stepped into the road and carefully made her way to the slope on the other side. There was no one coming behind me so I was able to slow to a crawl and watch as the doe silently made her way.

She seemed to dance as she walked. A ballerina slowly completing a series of coreographed moves across a stage as the other dancers faded into the background and swayed with the music much as the trees did in the breeze. I wanted to leave my car and my worries to join her in the dance and move only with the wind.

It only lasted a few moments, but it is a relaxation I can feel even at the end of the day.

Sometimes it's harder...

Today I spoke with my sister, Melanie, and mentioned that I needed to come up with something positive to write about today. After all, my goal is to find something positive in every day. Today it is a bit more difficult to find. Don't get me wrong--there are still many positive things about my day--but it was also a day of going in circles and not accomplishing a task. Yet, even as I write, I remember that I did cross the priorities off my list today. So, why am I whining. I still succeeded in several tasks, I listened to my staff and encouraged some, enjoyed dinner with my husband and still took the time to discover my hair is long enough to put up again. Therefore, by writing each day, I am stopping for a minute and thinking about the little things that make a positive life.

1. 90 degree days (Yes, that's a good thing!)
2. Puppies
3. Jeremiah 33:3
4. An incredible group of staff to work with!
5. Brothers with Birthdays (Happy Birthday, Dan!)

Good Things & Not So Good Things

Good Things:

1. Peanut M & Ms
2. Ice Cold Pepsi
3. Laughing at work
4. Driving with the windows down
5. Talking to my sisters

Not so Good Things:

1. Down Computer Networks
2. Drive Through Windows
3. All Company Retreats (Maybe it will be on the good things list, once it is over!)

Simple Weekends...

1. Hot, sunny summer days
2. A good book (even if I have read it several times!)
3. Walking the dog at dusk
4. Ice cream with marionberries (Oregon Blackberries)
5. Holding my husband's hand
6. Clean, fresh sheets

Here goes...

I spend so little time really sharing in the day to day of life that it is time to do so. So if you wonder what my life is really like, this is it. They say that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Howerver, in my realm, all work and no play makes for a very tired weekend. It is definately time to create a more exciting weekend by not working as many hours and sleeping the weekends away!