I like this song.

Daily drudge

The day started out pretty slow. I woke up early and was able to take a short walk before getting mom up. I had a shower and shaved and then spent some time on the net (email, facebook, etc) and then got mom up for her morning routine. She was in a good mood today, eyes open , looking around, talking. Coffee and juice were enjoyable, no fuss, no fight.

I decided to read more in Sande's _Peacemaker_; this is a really good book and I'd like to get through it. I had plans to have the oil changed in my car and run some errands, but Tonya called about 8:30 to say that she would be late because of some problems at her child's school. Carol got to the house around 10:30 (I read Sande's book and took some notes while I was waiting).

Once we got mom settled I took off to take care of errands. First stop was Red's hardware for an extra key for Cory and a padlock for the back door. Then I went to the tax office, but it wasn't there any more. They had closed this office and the nearest open office was in South Pasadena, past the beltway, so I decided to head up to UH to see if I could talk to Felix about a job, but he wasn't there. It looked like a water haul for the day, but I decided to take a run out to the tax office to see if I could get my registration problems fixed. It's a pretty good drive from the UH to Spencer Highway past Red Bluff, but I finally made it out there.

The line at the tax office wasn't very long and, when I got to the front I explained that I had waited late to mail in my registration fees and that, although I had a copy of the canceled check that was deposited on the first, I still didn't have my registration sticker. The lady at the office was understanding and really nice. She printed out another copy of the registration sticker and didn't charge me anything for it - just asked that I bring the other one back to the office if I received it in the mail. I left there feeling as though I'd finally accomplished something.

I was headed to Starbucks on Spencer to grab some Caramel Macciato and a blueberry muffin when I decided to drop in at Schlotzky's and try out their wi-fi. I ordered a turkey sandwich plate and sat down to tune in to the internet but I never could get connected. Needless to say, I was somewhat disappointed. Just FYI, if you're in Pasadena, don't stop at the Scholtzky's on Spencer if you expect to connect to the internet. I took some pictures so you'll recognize the place if I can get them to download to this computer. The sandwich was really good, though.

I drove on over to the library to record all this stuff. I've got to make some adjustments to my day-planner and then I'll head home to work on the back door.

Quitting

I'm sitting at Starbucks, learning to make use of the wireless internet available at different places. I quit my job effective last Friday and I quit smoking effective Friday night at 10 PM, so now I have to find ways to occupy my time and to save money. If I disconnect my internet at home, I can use the wi-fi available at a lot of places around town: the library, starbucks, schlotzky's, etc. I'm looking for other places that are available.

The library is comfortable and fairly quiet. Starbucks is cold, I'm sitting right under an AC vent and it's blowing full blast. It's so cold I'm shivering. The smart thing to do would be to move to another spot, but I don't want to inconvenience anyone.

Ah, that's better. Now the AC vent is only blowing on my left elbow.

After I quit smoking I spent most of the first three days at home. I could lay down and go to sleep if the cravings got really hard. It was a holiday weekend anyway, so I really needed to stay at home and look after Mom & Dad. I have some more freedom today because we have caregivers at the house with them.

I really need to develop a plan for my days. The Franklin-Covey planner on this computer should help with that but, as usual, I'm putting things off. I need to develop a mission statement and work on some goals and roles and values.

Too cold in here. must move on!

happiness & fulfillment

I'm working through some questions that are supposed to help me formulate a mission statement for my life and I'm stumped by the very first question:
What are my greatest moments of happiness and fulfillment???????
I'm trying and I can't think of any moments of happiness and fulfillment. I look around and I'm happy when my kids and grand-kids are doing okay. I've been happy at work, but not lately. I don't feel fulfilled because I don't really think I'm doing what God wants me to do. All of this says to me that I really need to make some changes in my life. I need to find the things that provide happiness and fulfillment: those things that God desires for me and that glorify God.
So, how do I answer the question? It seems that the question simply generates more questions. Maybe that's the purpose of a good question. Josh Hunt says good questions generate discussion, but I'm not looking for a teaching tool here, I'm looking for direction for my life - where am I headed? - what fulfills me? - what makes me happy? - what do I want to accomplish? I seem to be stuck here and this is when I would normally step outside for a cigarette to get my thoughts in order, but I've quit smoking now, so what do I do when I'm stuck. What a mess!
God - I need Your help here. I need You to show me the direction You want me to go. Do I write? Do I look for a part-time job? Help me to define my roles in life and to maximize those roles while glorifying You. Lets work through this:
Roles-
Christian
As a Christian I should glorify God and strive to be more like Jesus. I should live my life in such a way that God's love overflows into the world and causes the world to desire to have the love of God in their lives.
Father
As a father I need to provide a godly example to my children. It is my responsibility to pray for their well-being and for their continued growth toward a more Christlike life. Since all my children are adults, I need to support them when they walk a righteous path and gently restore them when they stray from that path. I should not behave in a way that exasperates my children but should teach them with gentleness.
Son
As a son it is my responsibility to honor my parents. I have the rare opportunity to care for my parents in their old age. I must treat them with respect and do all in my power to maintain their dignity.
Employee?
My responsibility to my employer is to provide the work they desire and to work as if laboring for Christ.

Maybe I can change the question and make a little progress -
What do I believe would cause me the greatest happiness and fulfillment?