A relatively early rise, 7 AM, a 2-mile walk and simple exercises out of the way early. I am feeling the effects of it, which is a good thing if I consider it a reminder of how letting myself 'slide' requires a lot of work to recover from later. It's that way with fitness, agility, and weight, and aging contributes in ways that necessitate working harder to avoid dramatic degradation. This morning, I worked with David and Michael (my brother's first and middle names) on the domain transfers. That prevented me from attending a geek coffee event that didn't happen; referring to it here is nothing more than an opportunity to point out how the three C's (communication, coordination and consideration) are necessary components of successful event planning. The domain transfers were a good example of constant coordination. I sent constant updates and ensured everybody knew what was in flight, landing or cleared for takeoff. This little effort and many of those at the Zen Center recall days doing this full-time, and I consider myself good at it. Mary called and alerted me to a pile of flagstone on the curb, free, nearby. I went and snagged a bunch of it as soon as possible. Some pieces were far beyond my ability to lift and, as such, bigger than my needs anyway. I got them home and set them up, and they make for a far better setup, albeit temporary, for walking meditations. We appear to have termites in the French bookcase, and I found 'dust' and holes. I'll be adding that to my list of things to address. It's not the end of the world, and the damage so far is minimal, but I don't want to ignore it or allow it to spread. Tommy got stopped by a cop (spared a ticket) and later got into a road rage incident with somebody driving in Stanford. It's so interesting to try and be neutral, recognize there are three sides, and also understand how easily people can be triggered into fits of anger and rage towards somebody who might not even have realized they did whatever they did that set the person off in the first place. I have easily defaulted to thinking somebody's an idiot driver who should not be on the road shortly before; I make some simple mistake in timing or judgment and become the recipient of that assumption from someone else. Timing is everything. Or maybe second to patience and understanding. Fortunately, Tommy didn't get into anything physical, but it sounded close. Jen and Tommy had dinner at the Indian restaurant on Santa Cruz Ave and liked it. It was her idea to invite him and just them go, which I support, as I believe he has a far more open manner with her ideas and support. I got the sweetest call from Lauren tonight, saying, in her way, that I've been a good parent. I've done my best, and I'm proud of the two people I've helped raise and put into the world, yet to be recognized as doing well by one of them is very moving and rewarding.
