Tales of the Ordinary Days

"Are we back to normal again?" I heard my father-in-law, Larry (aka Old Guy), asking Garrett this as I laid in bed.  Garrett was performing his morning ritual of coffee bean grinding before brewing our morning specialty coffee. This was after he had read and stretched, all while I was still thinking about waking up. Through the crack in the door, I could see Larry sitting, feet up, in his favorite sofa spot. Jake, my step-son, was noisily filling his large water jug for a day in the sun at his summer job. This clanging of ice at 7 am along with the permeating coffee aroma and Larry's shuffling have been my morning wake-up routine of recent times. With my delivered cup of hot java, I hear the sounds of the morning; the garage door opening with Garrett taking Jake to work and the percolating of Larry's own coffee of choice, Folgers, in his Mister Coffee machine. His own pot to drink through the morning while enjoying his latest book. Yes, Larry, I think we are ...

Bud's the one in Creighton cap Recently I was enjoying a holiday party with my investment group. I love these ladies and our monthly meetings together. Our December meeting is the only one set aside for conversations not revolving around stock decisions. Some light-hearted company, while catching up on each other's lives. "Sandy, you have had an interesting year," noted one of my stock-picking comrades. My knee-jerk answer was a self-reflection that has crossed my mind many times recently. "I know. I don't get it. I'm actually a very boring person." There have definitely been Forrest Gump-like encounters in my many ordinary days. As I view nothing in life as a coincidence, the well-planned orchestra of events around me can only be played if I act upon them. Some are good. Some are bad. But all have a purpose. It's up to me to open my mind and heart to both embrace them and then reflect on them. Over the years this has been obvious w...

Today was not an ordinary day. In Dr. Seuss' language, my thoughts on the day would go something like this... "You have a brain in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. Unless someone truly cares an awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." Well, I will just sum it up by saying that today certainly wasn't an ordinary day, but I will accept that. Life is full of changes, good and bad. Sometimes the toughest part is figuring out if life shake-ups are truly a good or a bad thing. Personally, I have found my biggest life challenges have turned into opportunities. Doors opened to new people and adventures. A new chapter in life. I am bullish in my view that this will be the case once again. When the unexpected creeps into the door of normalcy, the best response is not one of self-doubt, anger, or fear. The best response is gaining perspective and self-awareness. As of late, I had been thinkin...

The cropped picture A rainy Saturday in Omaha. I have experienced many of these over my 27 years of calling Omaha home. This March day that had bursts warmth along with the precipitation, held nothing of particular difference over the early spring days of past. But that's exactly why it was such a great day. The ordinary days full of old friends, new faces, family, and the comforts of home rank high on my list. With lots of recent travel and fun on the road, the rhythm of normalcy within the heartbeat of our Omaha home has been a welcomed haven. It truly is the little things in life that bring the the greatest pleasures. Today's blog post is simply going to recap my ordinary day. And since a picture is worth a thousand words, I am going to use my pictures from the day in telling my story (Instagram meets blog post??)... __________________________________________________________ The original 'uncropped' picture. We obviously aren't good at photo boot...

Just another ordinary day in Omaha. Many have been asking what I'm up to; why this blogger has gone suddenly quiet. Illness? Sadness? Or joyful bliss in my new chapter? So here I sit. 9:57 p..m. on a Tuesday night, answering this very question. I am feeling like I'm 'back home', pounding on my keyboard, but without the background noise of work e-mail, spreadsheets or checking on-line grades for kids. My ordinary day of today is much different than it was two, three...five years ago. We are all older with pressures of everyday life, much different. I guess the best way to start is not with a catch-up of the many days that have passed since my last blog, but instead on the day now ending. Pretty representative, if I say so myself.... Today started with a 5:30 a.m. run. I have run with this same group of ladies since we were potty-training our now 18 year-old's. Same route. Same friends. Same kids. Just different challenges and life goals. Our perspectives...

Although I write about ordinary days, I am beginning to think there is no such thing. And I mean that in a good way. The way it should be; a life full of the extraordinary. Since it really is what you make of it, the definition of extraordinary lies with each individual. Today was busy. The kids, finally back to school. A trip to Mexico, booked. A connection with an old friend, refreshed. And two work meetings were cancelled, leaving a day open for new opportunities. Tomorrow my husband flies back into town. Strange to refer to Garrett as my husband, but at the same time, those words feel very comfortable. Tonight has been full of simple pleasures. After catching up with old work friends, I reflected on the conversations of the day with new work friends. Relationships built and relationships maintained. Steady and true. Grant took it upon himself to run (literally) over to Lifetime to meet buddies. Knowing that my kids stay active and can entertain themselves, outside of elect...