Found a pine-cone flower in the backyard | Deodorant lasted 7.5 months…
Highlights: A good 2nd day on the path to reviving atomic habits that have waned. The 'SAD' light is waking me naturally, and the dogs see that I'm out of bed and feeding them promptly. My routine has had to adapt to Jen's absence and their persistence, but it's a minor shift in the sequence of events. They're getting used to the routine now: a brief backyard bathroom stop (for them, following my inside visit and weigh-in first), then their breakfast. That's now become as habitual as can be. Once fed, I'm working in my am routines, including a ~10 min meditation before walking Scottie and occasionally lucky for a short follow-up, but he's still sketchy. I've found a few podcasts, and I've been trying to ensure things are set up to have them avail on my watch so I can leave the phone at home, but it's not as automatic as I'd like it to be. Whatever. 1st a world issue, right? And the watch streams podcasts over cellular, so I have options. Work was good, and the podcast I listened to this am (below) was inspirational. Inspiration is surfacing a lot for me, either out of wanting or good circumstances. On the walk this AM, I witnessed a father walking his young son to school, likely to Alta Vista, as I did my kids some 10+ years ago. The kid was chattering away, and it reminded me of so many walks or drives with Tommy constantly asking questions about anything and everything. It made me remember that even with so much conflict and tension, I love him and did do the best I could under the circumstances to be the best parent I could. I do wish I could do it over; I'd change a lot, for sure, about his home and environment and influences and modeling. If my dad were alive today, he would likely say the same as his father. Hindsight is timeless. While looking back might not change the past, it can inform the present and influence the future. So it was with that in mind that I bailed on a chance to see the Doobie Bros play cards with the Big Dogs & then I went to watch Tommy's 1st swim match. Only the response I got when I arrived and surprised him indicated a mix of sincere gratitude and apprehension. I recognized it immediately as I had experienced the same when my father would be present at competitions. It could be complicated and intimidating, and distracting. I told him directly, with a smile, I would understand if he wanted me to come another time, and he kindly relayed as much. I talked to Jen briefly earlier today and Lauren a couple of times. I even sent Lauren a podcast I was listening to that I thought would help her and her roommate work out some differences in their understanding. This week I finally hit bottom on the speed stick test I initiated on 2/2/22. 7.5+ months later, with consistent daily use, it finally ran out. How'd I make it last that long, you ask? Simple. It occurred in February that there must be a reason for that clear plastic insert left on the top. It prevents the product from evaporating during post-production warehousing, shipping, and storage. It's a water-based product. It will dissipate with air exposure. I figured I'd see how long it would last if I put that cap back on every day instead of tossing it in the trash on day one. Used daily, capped daily, 236 days later, I've had to open a new one. I will leave this recent one open and compare the two results once it runs out to see the science.
⚖️: 169.4 (-2.4) (7d avg: 170.23) | 👣: 3034 | ❤️: 57 | 🧘: 8:36
2023.02.16 – update... the Speed Stick test concluded and... to my surprise... they dissapated at the same rate.