Fly, Run, Walk, Crawl, Never STOP Moving! The Dragon in the Cage, Widing Down a Sober Walk
"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."
Snow is one thing, but this zero or so temperatures is another. As I write these words, I am getting bit by razor-sharp puppy teeth; she's been fed, we went outside, so far so good, this dog is smart and full of love. Welcome, Parker Van Halen Thompson; I think the universe brought us together.
The sun is coming up; it will be a good day, day 27 of our Sober existence, three more days, and then a return to selective drinking, an enjoyable consumption of fermented water and taters. For now, life is grand, clear, and wonderful; a blending of realities is our chosen life.
I got a call from a client yesterday; he needed health insurance, he had his battles with drugs, he's clean now, but wanted me to know his plight. He just read my book, shared some common traits with the author. I connected him with our benefits master and took care of his needs. I have learned not to judge others; we all have our stories; most of us have faced a dragon or two on our walk. The key is to kill the dragon or keep it in a cage.
I like my dragon in a cage, sitting there, allowing for the letting out, the catching, and returning to its safe space. My dragon does not breath fire, but little puffs of smoke, reminding me of her presence. Chances are I do not know you, but I believe everyone has a dragon that must be caged.
I just took a call from Lexington, KY; a client is looking to expand their footprint, putting tables and chairs in their outside walkway to increase business. Dan said, "I didn't know if you were in CO or IN; I hope I didn't wake you! I shared I'm up at 5:00, so no problem, but if he calls me at 5:00 ET, we might have a problem. He was happy with the information I shared; he will now work sharing his products with the general public.
The snowstorm is gone, replace with clear skies; the temperature slowly rises this week, ending on Friday with a lovely sunny 60-degree day. I think most folks not from CO don't understand our weather here. When I suggested to my Queen, we look at setting up home out here; she said, "I don't like to be cold, and it snows all the time." It does snow, but most won't share that the snow is gone quickly; the sun is out 300 days a year.
That last paragraph just got me in trouble with a lot of folks. They don't want others to know about our paradise; keep it t yourself; we have too many outsiders here already. But I think the outsiders are what makes this place unique. Speaking from an outsider's perspective, it's a melting pot of people, ideas, and cultures. This is a special place at a particular time.
The social media holiday, or may I say the experiment continues, and I am out of the loop. I have no idea what is going on; I don't know what my friends are having for dinner. I don't know who got engaged and got divorced. I don't know who got a puppy, and I don't know who's dog of 15 years passed. I'm left to focus on me, myself, my surroundings, and my Queen. Social media is a distraction, a fun distraction, but a distraction nonetheless.
I am not bombarded with the news's silliness, what the Orange man said, what the "Come on man," guy gaffed. Life is about the immediate, and since I voted, I'll let the process play out. I won't scream, bitch, and moan if my team loses; I'll live in the world that the majority choose; it's a foundation of our country, the greatest country in the world.
I've got a full day of appointments; my first one is at 8:00; we will meet with our sales team and get a report on the month's new writings. Things are slowly returning to normal; one of my sales team is tending to his mother, she had some surgery, a good boy, and he will miss today. But the rest of the crew will be there, bells on, reporting their success and discussing their failures. We don't learn from our wins; we learn from our losses, don't gloss over the inability to cross the finish line; how can we improve?
It's almost November, which signals the end of this year; I think you will agree, we will never forget 2020 and use it as a marker of our life. What were you doing in 2020? The stories will live on forever, much like the stories of the great depression. We will be chided for our behavior moving forward; just like the folks that lived through the depression, we will have our quirks.
Enjoy this day; something bigger than yourself has made. Take some time to appreciate your surroundings and the people that you engage. Life is about nouns, people, places, and things. Use your verbs for action and adjectives to make whatever you are doing additionally fantastic. Remember, you are the director, the producer, the actor, and the screenwriter of your play. If you don't like a character, write them out of your life play. If you don't enjoy the scenery, move the set to another part of the world. Don't like the wardrobe, easy, go to goodwill and find your unique style.
That's all this older man has for you today. I'm ending a journey and starting anew. I'm winding down to wind up, and this is a particular time for us. We are embarking on a new journey; we were missing a character, so we added a four-legged bundle of energy. It is up to you to manage your life, don't blame others for your plight, a bus is leaving your town every day, and if your city or community is not giving you what you need, the fuel for your soul, well then bloody well move!
"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."