April 26,2026,Sunday morning, 6:22am,pacific standard time,apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Yesterday I started the day with coffee at the PcH/Granada Starbucks with a neighbor. After that my daughter and I priced adding Apple CarPlay to the Acura. Then last night I went to dinner at Paul Martins and Improv at The Irvine Spectrum. It was along night. I didn’t get home until 12:30am. It is raining outside so I will go to the gym at 7am to get my walk in.

April 25,2026, Saturday morning, 4:20am, pacific standard time, in Dana Point, California, USA. I have spent a lot of time anticipating this day, April 25,2026. It is the equivalent of my last day working in Phoenix. Meaning, I have now been at this job longer than my Director role in Arizona. In a way it is a milestone and a cause for celebration. This job is now my officially longest tenured operations role at one site. However, from another perspective, it feels like a loss. I have surpassed all check points comparing the two experiences. Yet another degree of separation from a cherished memory.

April 24,2026,Friday morning,4:04am, pacific standard time, in Dana point,California, USA. There is a lot of media coverage right now about an affair between a football coach and a reporter. Questions about ethics and morality swirl in the air. I have my own experience with such a situation. I know it isn’t proper but what hits the hardest for me is seeing two people that love each other now can never be together again. The grief isreal, yet seldom acknowledged because of the shame associated.

April 23,2026, Thursday morning, 7:45am, pacific standard time, office in Costa Mesa, California,USA. People always comment on my background on video meetings. They think it is a picture. In reality it is the view outside my office. Today I am walking around the work area, taking in as many memories as I can. I don’t anticipate leaving any time soon but there inevitably comes a time when the only thing left are memories.

April 22,2026, Wednesday morning, 2:34am,pacific standard time, apartment in Dana point,California,USA. The last two mornings I have gotten up early yet still feeling refreshed. That is the best of both worlds. The ideal time for me to get up is between 1am and 1:45am. That provides enough time to walk, exercise, read and still get some rest before work. On a different note; I noticed my mental acuity, especially when public speaking, has returned. My ability to stay focused started to slip not long after my dad died. It was one of the reasons I stopped preaching. I couldn’t remember what I was saying nor could I stay on message. I have attributed the return to alcohol abeyance and that is probably the case. Regardless, I am eager to speak and share more now that my superpower has returned.

April 21,2026,Tuesday morning, 3:14am, pacific standard time, in Dana Point, California, USA. Yesterday after work I took the dog for a walk then my daughter drove to get Zen sushi in Dana Point. While returning to Aliso Viejo I told her she can order, drive, pick up and pay then head back home without my input. I don’t need to do anything other than be a passenger. It seems like the light bulb came on for a moment. it will be good for her to grab more responsibility and run with it.

April 20,2026, Monday morning, 5:13am, pacific standard time,apartment in Dana point, California, USA. It is so enticing to romanticize not having to work or taking time off. I picture scenarios from the last two times I wasn’t working. Monday mornings when I didn’t need to rush off to work or get ready for a long day in the office. Though the mornings were nice overall I was bored, worried about money and felt useless. The desire to escape is like the desire to drink alcohol. It sounds good in the moment but really ends up being depressing.

April 19,2026,Sunday morning, 8:16am pacific standard time, parking lot, apartment complex, Dana Point, California, USA. Yesterday we went to the Hill Street cafe to visit with in-laws and later stop by the assisted living to see my daughter’s grandma. We got back to Orange County at 2pm. I took a nap at home then went to planet fitness. This morning I walked the Blue Lantern route. The cut through by the elementary school was closed so I circled back up Selva and Chula Vista. It turned out good. I got to experience perspectives I never saw before. Afterwards, at the gym, a piece of equipment I wanted to workout on was being used so I did some dips. I hadn’t done them in a while. It felt good to do them again. I guess the theme of the morning is new things.

April 18,2026, Saturday morning, 5:25am, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. I am going to go to Glendale with my daughter and her mom today to visit family and have breakfast. I slept until 4am and did the Santa Clara route. I haven’t done Blue lantern as much. I will plan to do that walk tomorrow.

April 17,2026, Friday morning, 5:21am, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana point, California,USA. Yesterday after work I took the dog for a walk before driving around with my daughter. I got to bed late so didn’t get up until 4am. Yet I was still able to complete the OC/santa Clara route. On the way I saw this written on the door of a local gym. I thought it was a good quote and very accurate. My personal quote, especially when it comes to early morning walking is, “the hardest part about getting up is getting up.”