Confidence matters

Accomplishments are a big deal to me. There’s nothing better than making a to do list and then crossing things off. Sometimes I’ll write something down after I did it (if it wasn’t on my list), just for the simple satisfaction of crossing it off.

I like single sitting projects. Dive in fast and deep, think it through, solve it and move on. Long term projects are harder though. Realizing a goal feels amazing when it’s done, but the actual chucking away a little at a time is harder for me.

For example, I thought school would last forever, but it didn’t. I just did one semester at a time until it was done. Six and a half years.

It’s one of the things of which I’m most proud. Actually most of the accomplishments in that category took a long time.

Having earned my degree is something that has given me tremendous confidence. And THAT is why it’s worth it. That’s why long term goals and big projects take a long time because we invest in it over and over. It’s how we get better. It’s how you can eat an elephant.

One bite at a time.

Today I had a few conversations at work that helped me see how far I’ve come regarding my confidence level. How it’s improved. How I’m finding my feet – my groove – whatever you want to call it. I have confidence in what I am doing and working towards. It feels amazing!

Writing and posting a blog every day is a big challenge, and keeping the theme of new and learning is stretching me in multiple ways. But here we are, day 38 and still going.

The key is confidence. When I look back to how my life has evolved, I am humbled. I am beyond grateful. I’m learning there is tremendous value in paying attention and taking note.

I’m also reminded that the best is yet to come!

Thanks for reading, until tomorrow,

Sherri

Trusting…

I like to stay busy. I like to make plans. I like hanging out with my family and my friends and even a few co-workers.

Something I’ve been learning to embrace is to have blank spaces on my calendar. It’s not like a bingo card – if I fill up all the spaces I win cash or something.

One of my coworkers lives out of state and since he travels a bunch and does remote stuff, it’s ok. When he’s in town we try to go to happy hour and catch-up.

He happens to be in town this week and we made plans to hang out tonight after work. I was excited about connecting with him. Then plans changed, so I came home.

On Mondays, my daughter and grandson are usually home, so I mentally shifted to spending time with them.

And then when I got home, there were not here. When I say down and realized how tired I was, I was grateful again for the peace and quiet.

I caught my breath, and began to miss them. And then they arrived! So now I’ll go spend time playing with monster trucks and bubbles.

It’s fun to trust the path. Blessed are the flexible, right?

Thanks for reading, until tomorrow!

Sherri

The odds were not in our favor…

Our family leads a pretty active lifestyle. We are all coming and going at different times. All of us have jobs, one is in school, one is the momma of a very busy 3 year old, and it’s rare that we are all home at the same.

Learning about legends…

Before I launch into today’s post, I’d like to clarify, revise, adjust the theme around learning.

I think that learning can also include a new thing to experience. Like discovering a new place or a new insight. It’s not always an academic sort of learning.

Tonight I visited a restaurant that I’ve heard about for the past 27 years. Seriously. It’s called Linger Lodge and it’s been around for decades. It was about as I had envisioned. Taxidermy of all manner was enclosed in, and on top of, lighted glass shelves. Kinda weird honestly.

I’m sure there’s a few far side comics around this topic. (20 minutes later)…

The menu had lots of character. The vibe was totally reminiscent of how folks lived in Florida years ago. pre air conditioning when it was truly wilderness.

It was a good experience and some place my folks would love. What do you think of the decor?

Seems appropriate

I was too afraid to ask!

Sometimes it’s the food, sometimes it’s the location. Others it’s the ambience. Or the quirky menu. Or music. So many variables.

But I think the most important part of any great experience, is the company. I want to be present and to listen attentively. The food and the atmosphere become secondary. Agree?

Kk, it’s getting late.

Thanks for reading, until tomorrow,

Sherri

The value of fun…

After a full and intense week, I had a fun evening out with my good friend and her adult daughter. This young woman is hilarious and had so many funny stories to share – even around topics that were serious. We laughed our asses off! It was a great way to spend a Friday evening.

Even though my job has elements of seriousness, I try to bring the fun. Especially when I’m talking to executives or engineers. Those types tend to be more analytical and straight laced, whereas I tend to be less formal and more light hearted.

Other people have jobs that are truly serious – like nursing. It can literally be life or death, but also, these people know how to incorporate fun into their day.

It’s okay to be silly. It’s okay to be light and easy about things. Brevity is good. I think there’s a Bible verse about laughter being good medicine.

And apparently the medical community agrees. Here’s an article from the Mayo Climic about this very topic.

So what did I learn today? That light and easy and fun are wayyy better than serious and intense.

Where do you find humor? Cat videos? Stand up? People watching? Find it wherever you can!

Thanks for reading, until tomorrow,

Sherri

Procrastinating…

I do this more than I care to admit. Sometimes it works out in my favor. If I postpone doing something long enough, it will work itself out. For example, if I don’t water that plant on the front porch, eventually it will just die and then I don’t have to water it anymore.

This is a terrible example I realize. I love my plants. I try to keep them watered, for real. But you understand the example.

Sometimes if I procrastinate too long, it costs me money. This is the worst.

Returning purchases. Canceling subscriptions. Filing dental visit claims. Making payments on something. Mysterious noises the car makes. ALL of these will hit me in the wallet if I put it off.

I am learning to deal with these things more promptly, and it feels good.

My daughter asked for a specific pair of shoes for her birthday, which I ordered. She didn’t love them and asked me to return them. I found the return button on their site, received a QR code, and took them right to the post office today. It was EASY. I didn’t even have to print anything or call anyone. I’ve already received a notification that they received it and the refund is being processed. Woo hoo!

You know the story from earlier about the dentist. That claim is getting sent in tomorrow morning. I contested a subscription that renewed even after I canceled it. I’ve scheduled all the payments. And my car is running just fine.

Here’s a great Ted Talk about procrastination. Tim Urban is funny as hell, and accurate.

Thanks for reading, until tomorrow,
Sherri

Focus…

This is such a powerful word. Today I experienced – and I guess – learned about this practice in a fresh way.

Most of the time, I let my thoughts swirl around and I allow too many distractions. I probably have ADHD and would benefit from meds. But that’s my “normal”. A little scattered, easily distracted, and switch back and forth continually.

Squirrel? Yep. Shiny things? Of course.

But today, at work, I really practiced staying focused on the task at hand. I could better tune out and even ignore other thoughts that would otherwise throw me off. I recognized the invasive thought, pushed it away, and stayed on target.

What an amazing thing to be able to do this. Maybe it’s the daily meditation practice finally showing some results. Maybe it’s maturity. Maybe it’s just a lucky day!?

Focus – as a verb – pay particular attention to. “the study will focus on a number of areas in Wales”

Focus as an acronym – Forget Other Choices Until Successful.

It’s also interesting to think of the rifle vs the shotgun. For those of you who didn’t grow up in a family of hunters, you’re probably not as familiar with this.

Shotguns have a spray of “shot”, smaller but more widespread. You’ve got a greater chance at hitting a large target but each shot is less powerful. Rifles have a single bullet, more concentrated, more effective, but you less room for error. You’ve got to be more focused when using a rifle to be successful.

It feels good to accomplish things by staying with them. It feels good to be challenged. It feels good to know that I am not a victim of my scattered thoughts.

And it feels good to continue blogging.

Thanks for reading, until tomorrow,

Sherri

Challenges…

I like helping people. Usually. I mean, I worked at a church for 17 years. You don’t do that kind of work for a day, let alone years, if you don’t like helping others.

Sometimes I need help. Rarely will I ask though. I like to wrestle it out myself for an unnecessarily long stretch of time before finally waving the white flag, humbling myself, and surrendering.

I knew it would be hard to write and post a blog every single day. Especially since I’ve been so sporadic over the past few years.

But look! Here we are! It’s January 31. And I have written daily – and posted almost every day. I missed two postings due to technical difficulties. Both were posted as soon as I realized it the next morning.

Well, we will call it technical difficulties. Since I’m the one who does it, and I am technically challenged (sometimes), then yes. Technical difficulties it is.

Hold that thought- I’ll come back around I promise.

Today at work I helped some people. This was unplanned, and a bit awkward. But there wasn’t really anyone else available and someone had to step up.

I didn’t feel like I was qualified initially. I just said, “How can I help?” And then I listened. Why do I doubt my abilities?

It turned out that I was in the right place at the right time and it felt amazing! Other than my manager, no one else could have helped them the way that I helped them. I love those kinds of connections, and even more, rising to the occasion.

Kinda like publishing a blog post every single day. It’s been hard. Most days I’m fine, and other days I’m whining and groaning and asking myself, “What the hell were you thinking?”

So what did I learn today? That I like helping people. That I like challenges that stretch me. That even though sometimes things are hard, they are also good for me.

Will I continue writing and posting daily? Probably. It’s only 334 posts to go. We will all beware of great expectations, and just go with the flow.

Or I may revise my goal and write daily but publish weekly. It would still be a challenge but my suspicion is that the quality would rise if the quantity drops off.

We shall see, shan’t we?

Thanks for reading, until next time,

Sherri

Loyalty can be expensive

My day began with an 8am dentist appointment. X-rays, 5 minutes with my dentist, and then 45 minutes of hygiene.

Most people hate the dentist. I hated the dentist for a long time myself. I confess that I neglected my teeth as a young adult. For like 10 years.

I’m lucky I didn’t lose them.

But I made a change and have brushed and flossed faithfully ever since. Then I went crazy and spent a bunch of money on orthodontics and got them straightened.

Graduation – May, 2019

Yesterday. Jan. 29, 2023

So now I am not the least bit nervous or worried when I see the dentist. My daily practices have made these routine visits much more pleasant.

Also I have lifetime whitening with this dentist. I shelled out $75 a couple of years ago and now all the treatments are covered.

So here’s the thing. I love my hygienist and my dentist and their staff. But they are not in my network and they won’t file my claim.

I dropped over $250 today and now I have to fill out a bunch of paperwork to get some of my money back. Not even all of it. This is frustrating.

It turns out that when I looked online to find dentists in my network, there are over 150 providers in a 20 mile radius.

So now, the question is, how much does loyalty cost me?

And more questions. How much of a hassle is to find a new dentist and hygienist? How much does it matter how great they are when I see them twice a year?

How many free whitening treatments equals the hassle and cost difference in the “out of network” plan?

These are legit questions. I’ll research more and keep you posted.

So, back to my theme, what did I learn today? That good daily habits pay off, and maybe loyalty does too. And that I’m a lucky girl if this is my biggest challenge today. Seriously.

Thanks for reading, until tomorrow,

Sherri

All the feels…

Today I learned how lucky I am.

No, I didn’t hit the lottery. Yet. And I didn’t have a near-death experience, not that I know of anyway. I do believe there is an army of angels protecting me because I’m too challenging for just one. A solo guardian angel would have given up long ago.

I’m lucky because I had the time and freedom and opportunity to see people I love and go places I wanted to go. I had safe travels, great parking, delicious food, and lots of great conversation.

I’m lucky I got to see my sister and one of my nephews today. It’s been several months and it’s always good to connect with family.

I’m lucky that I live just a short drive to a beach. I’m lucky that temperature was perfect, the sky was blue, and there was a spectacular sunset on my favorite beach tonight.

Just kidding. I don’t have a favorite beach. I don’t think I’ve met a beach I didn’t love.

I’m lucky because the evening concluded with this moment.

No filter!

I’m lucky that I can have such a wonderful life. I have an amazing friend who enjoys the beach as much as me, can be spontaneous, and also happens to be an excellent photographer.

I’m lucky to have my beautiful family that lives here. No one has to get on a plane to connect. We all have our own schedules and lives, and it’s nice having my loved ones close.

I’m lucky because I am healthy and strong and fit enough to run around and kick a soccer ball with my grandson.

I’m so lucky I get to see this handsome little man frequently. He’s literally growing before my eyes. He lights up every room he’s in and reminds me to be present. He’s also reminding me that it’s really fun being silly.

Seriously. I do know how lucky I am. I think about all the millions of people on our planet. In all the times and circumstances, and here’s lil ole me, being grateful for how special this season really is.

That’s all I have for today. What more could I possibly want?

Thanks for reading, until tomorrow,

Sherri