Quotes of the Week from Me:

“Improvement is a slow process. Don’t make it slower by quitting.”

“We cherish anticipation of loss and separation, both temporary and permanent.”

“We must surround ourselves with diversity of perspective.”

Quotes of the Week from Others:

“I will take care of me for you, if you will take care of you for me.” – John Rohn

“The truth is that airports have seen more sincere kisses than the wedding halls, and the walls of hospitals have heard more prayers than the walls of a church.” – Anonymous – One could infer that we cherish anticipation of loss and separation, both temporary or permanent.

“We must be careful not to believe things simply, just because we want them to be true.” – John Feynman

Quick Optimism

Every experience you have is part of being fully alive. The more types of experiences you have the better. Some will be great. Others you’ll hate. It is part of your experience as a human being. Now go ahead, keep at it, you’ll be okay. Try to have some fun along the way.

Welcome to optimism.

Question of the Week:

What do you like?

Warm sunshine. I like that. The wind. I like that. Kids playing. I like that. Trucks. I like that. Yummy food. I like that too. I really like liking things.

The big question of the week is: What do you like? And whatever you come up with for an answer, I hope you like it enough to say that you like it out loud.

This past week I was reminded of things that I used to like, that I forgot I liked, and that I now remember I really like still. Some of those things are on the list above, others weren’t worthy of saying, “I like that.”

And above all, hanging out with my wife and kids, I love that.

I’ve been a bit stuck in a cycle of work and home lately. Some days I am in the office, others I am working remotely, and then I’ll have a random day completely off in the middle of the week before working on a Saturday. Jumping between responsibilities doesn’t always come naturally, but all you can do is make the most of it by staying organized.

After a big push at work, I had all of Thursday off to spend some time with the family. We went to a read aloud at the town library, walked around our favorite store, walked the dog, and then made my son’s favorite lunch, a non-crust, turkey, lettuce, mayo, cheese, and butter pickle sandwich. As the plate landed on the table in front of him, he told me, “I like that sandwich.” And after eating quietly, he started playing with his Jenga blocks and said, “I liked seeing those kids today.”

Warm sunshine. I like that. The wind. I like that. Kids playing. I like that. Trucks. I like that. Yummy food. I like that too. I really like liking things. Kids like liking things too. Point that out more often when you can. Not if you can, when. It’ll brighten your own day as much as it does for those around you.

Make it a likable Monday.