How did I become that old man, like my grandfather was, walking about their home, clearing their throat every 83 seconds? What has me maintaining an undercurrent baseline of annoyance? I guess in the same way that I finally dined at "The Blue Pheasant." Crossing into my 60's. Jen, Matt, and I ate there tonight after wine tasting at Ridge and a brief visit with my mom. The morning's board meeting went reasonably well. I will likely work hard during March to cross-train, document and handoff as much as possible. Although I would genuinely like to go tomorrow, I have so many other things I want to tackle, and I am not drawn to the crowd that the Sunday programs draw. It's a stressful drive and parking scenario. I'll be going up midweek and likely not staying overnight. TBD. Tommy floated the idea of not working for another year. I pressed it back as a necessity, but less so than it would be if he were not afforded the luxury of the home we provide while he gets his education. I have concerns about what we're possibly preventing in the way of growth. Scottie was pretty bad this am; he woke me at 4 AM, and we took turns trying to manage his apparent discomfort. A morning walk after the board call helped, and by the end of the evening, he seemed much better. We're back to crating him. Watched "Spun" (2002) with Jen. She was correct; I enjoyed it. Maybe the stress and annoyance ties into aging, and not just throat clearing, but his, my mom's, my own, and an internal struggle between how much more time I spend focused on being present vs a far deeper acceptance at a level that I don't have to think about being present because I am never not.
