Highlights: Mom's 8 AM appointment in RWC necessitated an early departure. I'd told Tommy the night before I'd be leaving at seven and would drop him at his car, but he was in a hurry, so I did and returned to get my stuff. I should know better, across the board, and I had a lengthy rant I'm setting aside, given that I talked it out in a dictated post. The takeaway is simple: Doing for others isn't always worth the expense to my mental health when things like not being able to find what I need when I need it, a well-documented peeve, come into play. I have work to do. I always have and always will, but at least I'm actively doing it. It's just not always as well as I'd like. The time in RWC at Stanford was relaxing and inspiring, too. Listening to "The Getaway Car" by Ann Patchett was twice as inspiring as reading it a couple of months ago and may be the most inspirational thing I've come across on this latest endeavor. Thank you, David Sedaris. I'm going to revisit it frequently. I also found and started working on a piece that came to me in a flood of ideas towards the end of the afternoon. I rode the wave and tackled some deliverables but strongly desired to get out. I'm so glad, too, because it was a chance to share some inspiration and inspire Jen, too, who's been in a rut of her own. We're collaborating on some spring/summer routines and ideas to keep us motivated and focused on various goals. I stopped and sent TGM a message, and we had a good back/forth. He's a mandatory speaker at my funeral, which I say only to indicate his significance to me and how essential our friendship has been even with some 20+ years of significant distance. Same with EF, who I also contacted today and began to plan a visit for the Summer. Good friends surround me, and I have many others scattered around the country and the world. The sunset tonight was breathtaking. I'd taken Jen to the Rose Garden. The sky was luminous in hues of orange and yellow while whisps of clouds crossed the sky like streaks of a painting. The photo doesn't do it justice. They seldom do. Only at the moment can you be as fully engaged and engulfed in something so life-affirming when you're aware of how worthy of focused intention such moments warrant. Paying intention returns great dividends.
Jen'shot (and she took this photo, too ;-)