Tales of the Ordinary Days

A good start to a cold week in Omaha Life is a combination of moments in time. How we react to these moments by our actions and words is what defines them. It’s when I act with intention and allow myself the mindfulness of the moment that I find the greatest rewards in the most unlikely places. This story was no exception. If I were to properly title this blog, I would have called it The F*ck Man. Apologies to anyone I am offending with the language, but I am quoting and want to keep the story real. And the man really did say f*ck a lot. Instead I am going with an alternate title. My story begins at the Boise airport. It was my second attempt to fly back to Omaha after weather-related changes in flights a few days previously. With another wave of storms hitting the Midwest and a connecting flight through San Francisco to still deal with ,  I was feeling a little on edge. Arriving at my gate early, I made a quick call to my second son, Ben. We caught up with...

Day 1 | 30 Days of Writing The new normal A week ago our new chapter of empty-nesting officially began. Our collective kids have moved on with their lives outside of Omaha, with Garrett's youngest leaving last Thursday. The sounds of our house are now filled with just me and Garrett, with our dog, Zeke, constantly at our heels. Our cat, Abby, is mostly hiding from the dog, with an occasional ruckus coming from battles between dog and cat. Yes, we are adjusting nicely. Two weekends in, we have found our quiet weekends full of dog walks, movies, football, house maintenance, food management, and peaceful conversations over a drink or dinner. Last night was no exception. After an early movie and Costco run, Garrett and I found ourselves enjoying some tacos and margaritas. Finally feeling out of my initial fog of life transition, I was anxious to talk to my husband, now free of interruptions and the pressures of a full calendar. My biggest challenge hasn't been the voi...

Summer of 2008 ~ before the pool was drained Today as we drove home from the kids' various sporting events, Jake noticed that the neighborhood pool had a vacant parking lot. He asked if it was closed or opened, as he noticed there was water still in the pool. "They probably haven't drained the pool yet" was Garrett's answer. Although this answer was full of father logic and small talk; unknowing to the others in the car, it struck a nerve with me. A similar comment was made to me six years ago at the close of summer that year. The timing was sometime around Labor Day as this typically corresponds with annual pool draining. "They've got to have that damn pool drained by now" was the comment. And I'll never forget it. My kind counselor had tried using typical professional jargon in attempts to convince me to move on during that fateful summer. I wasn't following his good advice. In exasperation, he made this side comment. His ...

I'm back. It's been a busy few weeks, but mission accomplished. I'm now out of the weeds and up for air. I've gotten a couple of notes from friends asking where I've been. Well...after giving it some thought, it's really all been all about reading, writing and arithmetic. With arithmetic being the clear leader. For weeks I have been doing what financial people do...numbers, numbers, and more numbers. There were days when I was swimming in numbers; diving into worksheet number forty-six of a complex Excel spreadsheet with my first consideration of taking shower at 4:00 on a Sunday afternoon. The life of an accountant. I thought these days were behind me. Racing fast and furious to calculate the bottom line. I was wrong. Less the visor and adding machine, I have filled the bean-counter stereotype as of late. For thirty days and thirty nights, I been churning through numbers. Projections, financial assumptions, income statements, cash flows, and s...

Notice my blogging companion to my left I haven't been very consistent in my writing as of late. Although I had convinced myself that daily writing wasn't necessary and I didn't need the pressure, it has caused me to have a couple of "aha" moments. My first "aha" thought is that a deadline and an expectation, even if self-set, is a good thing. In order to hold ourselves accountable, we need goals. And doing things we love on a consistent basis is nothing short of free therapy. When you enjoy something, you find the time. A friend constantly tells me there are only 24 hours in a day. Knowing that sleep is important, that brings available hours to 17 with eyes open. I don't watch TV. I don't like to chat on the phone. And I don't look down my nose at those who do. How I like to fill my time outside of work and obligations is spending time with family and building relationships. And I like to write. That's what I do in my spare tim...