As much as I wanted to sleep in this morning, the words of Marcus Aurelius came to mind – is this what I am here for? So I got up, got Jen up, and started our day. After walking Scottie, we tried a new option for containing the dogs. The 'barrier' idea we used for the recent party, putting a plastic shelf as a blockade with chairs against it, and closing the pocket door, worked well. We enjoyed some 1:1 time sharing an apple chicken sausage omelet at Los Gatos Cafe after getting Philz coffee. We returned home and trimmed both dogs. We also cut their nails, which required getting creative and using salami as a distraction. It worked. It took time, but it worked. We then worked together to go through the garage on a "toss or donate" pass to thin some stuff out, and that worked well. We tossed a bunch of things and took a bunch of stuff to Hope. They weren't accepting donations, but there was a pile of things outside that we added to. We found some decor for Thanksgiving. When we walked out, the stuff we left was gone, as was all that was there. We returned home, she made some excellent food, and I played in the backyard with Lucky. I stayed off my computer for most of the day until late afternoon. It felt great to step away; I need to do so more often. I did detour into a few work-related needs but not more than an hour or so combined. I have a swelling desire to start outlining the book I've been hoping to write if it feels like it's time to make that a higher priority. Oh, and I found some new music via Apple's "Adult Rock" radio station including a band called "The National" which I seemed to have missed during the past 10 years. Talked to Lauren and I'm so enjoying her maturation and experience in Sac.
Accomplishments: Made another dent in the garage clutter. Managed frustration well re. the condition of things left by Tommy. Installed the gate closure spring in the back yard. Kept pressure on staff following directions.
Goals: Listening to some more podcasts on topics recommended by Denise that help me with managing frustrations.
Anticipation: Getting some additional stuff sorted in the garage.
Gratitude: Family - it's more frequently a conscious act to pause and reflect on what I have and am experiencing.