On Saturday, my wife and I took a drive over to Easton, MD and had lunch at one of our favorite Italian restaurants, Scossa. We ate lunch outside, despite it being 48 degrees. Admittedly, it is a bit odd to eat lunch outside in January wearing our winter coats, but it’s as close as we are coming to normal right now. ...

There’s nothing like setting a personal record or two on a beautiful Saturday morning. Today I set four on my run: 1K: 5.32 1 mile:9.07 2 miles: 18.43 5K: 30.41 I think I owe this to the Spotify Born to Run playlist, but all the training over the past three years probably helped a bit as well. To think that I honestly believed that my body wasn’t built for running — that I was too old to start running at 45 — that I would completely fall apart physically if I tried — that my knees couldn’t take it, let alone my ankles — all those stories I told myself were just that, stories. We become the stories we tell ourselves. Sometimes we need to change our stories. My new story is that am physically fit. That I’m active and healthy. And that I’m gonna live a long life and enjoy as many moments as I can on this rock hurtling through space at 67,000 miles per hour. ...

One of the things that has been missing from my sales calls since we transitioned to 100% zoom has been the friendly conversation that normally happens before or after the meeting. Generally in face to face appointments there is time for informal conversation where we catch up with the customer about their lives outside work. This just doesn’t happen organically in video conferencing most of the time. But some times, out of the blue, it does. Today at the end of a demo, we ended up talking for ten to fifteen minutes with one of my customers about how we are all weathering the Pandemic. It was nice. Normal even. And I’m grateful for that in this time when so much is not normal.

I am not laboring under the delusion that it’s spring — because it’s only January — but I have noticed that there are a few birds that have been chirping on my walks and runs. After a week of fairly cold days (though still no snow which bums me out), it’s crystal clear and 50° today. I’m catching a few minutes in the sun, getting some vitamin D, between calls with a cup of coffee. ...

I went for a run today and came very close to a personal record for 5K/3.1m, but I stopped at 3.01 miles rather than finishing the last 9/10 of a mile. I concentrated in my training and ran negative splits for each mile finishing at 30.34 which is just a bit slower than my all time PR for a 5K. It was still relatively quiet and there was a heavy frost on the ground. The morning sunlight reflecting off the frost was beautiful. ...

It’s been difficult to keep up the gratitude posts over the last week. My heart is heavy and my monkey mind is in full gear. What happened on Jan 06, 2021 in Washington, DC is not supposed to happen in the United States. The President of the United States is not supposed to incite an angry mob to storm the Capitol building seeking to murder the Vice President and members of Congress while also over turning an election that has been certified by every state, the Presidents Lackey Lap Dog of an Attorney General who quit in an effort to save his own ass shortly before Christmas, and the US Supreme Court which has been filled with three justices by the President who lost the election. There are no doubts that the election was legitimate except in the minds of people who have lost their ability to reason. ...

I got out for a 20 mile bike ride today. It was 32° and windy but sunny. I passed a church group handing out food to a long line of people. I’m grateful that I have enough and can support charities. I am grateful for the sunshine since it’s been overcast recently. And I’m grateful for a bike ride to clear the head and stop doom scrolling for a bit.

It’s been a difficult week. I am grateful for a quiet Friday evening, at least as quiet as it can be with a 13 year old boy listening to Dr. Dre and playing video games. After years of seemly giving him a pass, Twitter finally suspended the president’s account, permanently. I am grateful that his platform for hatred, misinformation, and lies has been diminished. ...

I am grateful for the donut that I had after I failed a certification exam today. Yes, it did make me feel better. I am grateful that I was at home and able to pick my son up after he fell in a giant mud puddle at recess. He got a shower and clean clothes and went back to school. ...

I missed my gratitude post yesterday. In the wake of the events in DC yesterday I am grateful for my recovery. My sobriety is the foundation upon which the rest of my life is built.

Today, I spoke with a customer who is at an account that I no longer manage. It was great to speak with him especially when he told me that he is now a grandfather. I was so grateful to hear some good news today. ...

I got a chance to talk with one of my oldest friends today and it was wonderful to hear her voice. I’m grateful for our friendship. I made linguini and sausage for dinner. I’m grateful that my son was excited for dinner rather than complaining that I’d made something he didn’t like tonight. ...

I watched a few short films by a group called Teton Gravity Research. Several of them were adventure films about snowboarding. I’m not a good snowboarder, but I do love to ski. These films reminded me that there will be good times again even if the pandemic looms large right now. ...

A new cycling jacket that I ordered showed up today and I got to test it out on a ride this afternoon. I’m always grateful for a bike ride because they make me feel free. There is something very mediative about turning the pedals over and over. ...

It was a hard day for me. The weight of the pandemic and the dysfunction of the holidays not being very holiday like hit me hard today. But when I shared my pain with my Twitter crew, things felt better. I am so grateful for the support I get from people around the world on that service. I know that some people find Twitter to be a cesspool, and if I look in the wrong corners I see it as well, but the group that I interact with in a daily basis is so life affirming and supportive. ...