Month: July 2022

Busy but fun

3:02pm, pacific standard time, trampoline park, Chandler, Arizona, USA, Sunday afternoon, July 31, 2022. Since yesterday afternoon we have gone swimming twice, shopping at multiple places and now, visiting the trampoline park down the street. It has been a busy, but fun, weekend. Luckily, I found a place to sit at the trampoline park so I can relax while they get some physical exercise.

Cleaning and listening to music

8:23am, pacific standard time, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, USA, Saturday morning, July 30, 2022. Yesterday was productive; continued to work on some writing assignments, ran errands, then went to bed early. This morning I worked out and spent a couple of hours listening to music while cleaning the apartment. Family arrives around 11am. I am excited to have them in Arizona this week.

Cleaning and listening to music, Chandler, Arizona, USA

Story resolve

7:22pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, USA, Thursday night, July 28, 2022. Spent the morning working on a piece that vexed me for over a decade. The same piece I was working on a month ago but, set aside because it drove me crazy. There is a lot of existential angst surrounding the work but, in the end I came back, not because I envision myself a great writer but, because I want to see the story resolve.

Truck sold

5:31pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, USA, Wednesday evening, July 27, 2022. Officially sold my truck this morning. It took a couple of hours to complete the paperwork but I was still able to finish before noon. After that I deposited the check and ran errands. I am sad letting go of something so meaningful but, also relieved I no longer have two vehicles.

Starting to get lonely

7:40pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, USA, Tuesday night, July 26, 2022. Took care of more HR things for the new job this morning which, was actually nice to do. It feels good to be wanted for a change. Side note: I never heard back from the Rancho Cucamonga group; Not since I accepted the job nor when I rescinded my acceptance. Probably for the best that didn’t work out. This week I am getting ready for the family to visit starting Saturday. This afternoon I went to the store and bought new beach towels for everyone to use at the pool. I am excited to have a full house with the girls and the dog. Being alone is starting to get lonely.

Living situations

5:20pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, USA, Sunday evening, July 24, 2022. Discussed living situations with my daughter’s mom yesterday. Nothing definitive was decided. She is going to stay in Dana Point until January and I still have the apartment in Chandler until March. That buys us time to discern the best course of action. I will start my job next month and see what the travel schedule looks like before making a final decision.

Waiting for the key

5:40pm, pacific standard time, Dana Point, California, USA, Saturday evening, July 23, 2022. Drove to Orange County this morning to go to the beach with my daughter and some friends. After a long hot day we arrived home to a locked door. We are sitting outside, waiting for the key.

Potential for a bright future

5:05pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, USA, Friday evening, July 22, 2022. There has been minimal response to my “truck for sale” ad so I drove to a dealer for an offer. It came in pretty low. Nonetheless, I think I am going to take it. My goal is not having to register and insure the truck any more, rather than make money. On a professional note; I was offered the Executive Director Specialist role. Not only is it a better job but, the base pay and bonus potential is higher. Things are moving fast in my world, with lots of potential for a bright future.

I am a calming influence

6:34pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, USA, Thursday evening, July 21, 2022. A couple of weeks ago I wrote two questions on an index card; who am I? And, What do I want? The idea came from listening to a speech on finding purpose in life. The speaker noted we often limit thinking about our path in life to narrow parameters, without fully exploring what we want. In order to find purpose we must first find our identity. I wrote the questions with a thick marker and placed the card in the console of my car. I could see it as I drove and reflected on the questions but couldn’t articulate an answer until now. Here it is; I am a calming influence in the world and I want to share that with others. I have known that since I worked as a chaplain and now I have reclaimed it. No matter what I do going forward that will always be my guiding energy.