Be Brave and Be Grateful in 2018

After one day of work,  you are solidly into the new year. How are you feeling? Like you have one foot
in 2017? Or you are anticipating the changes you might be facing this year?

Shortly after lunch yesterday I was walking the steps to the second floor to get a few extra steps in
during the day when I found myself smiling. I had just finished working on a particularly daunting project.
A quick check on the weather outside as I round the corner from the 1st floor, the clouds have rolled in,
it looks cold and damp, but I found a smile on my face. As I marched up each step I thought to myself,
I am lucky. I am lucky I have a good job and working on projects I enjoy. I have great coworkers and
freedom to do my job without constant worry of losing the job or of someone questioning my work.
I am inside, I am warm and really on January 2nd, I am in a good place. Today I am grateful.

As I had those thoughts, I also thought, I need to recall this very moment next time I am feeling
overwhelmed. Often as my email box is filling up in mid afternoon, I am stressed, wanting to eat
something or better yet run away, I have a good job. I am in a good place most of the time. Relax,
push through the tougher times and be grateful.

Does that mean I stop trying to better myself? I have a tendency to always be looking for a new even
if I am content in my job, no matter the company I work for. I want to think that is because I always think
there might be something better and I might want to pursue it. I don’t want to change that. It does not
mean that I am not content. As a matter of fact I don’t want to think it means anything other than I am
aware.

With a mantra of Be Brave in 2018, I will be brave enough to keep looking while I am grateful for the
current position I have. Some days I might just sit back and Be Brave enough to relax right where I am at.

Changing the Calendar, Changing life?

Today we go back to work, the holidays are over and today is day two of the New Year’s resolutions.
The Christmas that covered your house may be neatly wrapped up until another year, the holiday
now in the memory column. Now you can dream about the new year and how it is going to lay out
for you. What would you change over last year if you could? What wouldn’t you do in the new year
if you didn’t have to?


I want you to think about this a bit, if there is something you wouldn’t do, is it important enough that
you need to make a change in that area of your life? If you say, I wouldn’t do the job I am doing if I
didn’t have to? Can you change your job? Can you change the position within your company? Work
through those steps and what they might look like.

Maybe you would spend more time with family. How are you going to accomplish that?
Can you schedule a once a month family time? What changes to do you need to make when
you come home from work so you can play with your kids? Do you need to do meal planning
so you aren’t running to the grocery store every other day, how much free time do you need
and what are the time wasters that are sucking that away.

Sometimes change feels hard, usually it’s not as hard as we make it. What can you do today to make
the changes you need to make 2018 your best year yet?

The holiday season is a mere memory; except at Byerlys and Lunds. The beautiful gingerbread village still stands on January 2nd. The Baker in the background concentrates on a new creation for 2017. Photo 2 of 365.

This is what 2017 looks like

2017 goal is to post the year in photos. This was taken on my way to 7:30 AM Mass.  January 1, 2017

1/365

Procrastination

It's a funny long word that makes you ask; did I spell that correctly? Sometimes procrastination is what we do. I am on my last paper of my second to last class in my MBA program. Instead of working on that paper I came here. I notice I haven't posted here since last September when I vowed to keep up on the Blog at least weekly. Procrastination at it's finest. My paper is due tomorrow. I would say I have a strong start; nearly half done but truth be told it was due yesterday, I asked for an extension and I have had 2 weeks to complete the paper. Daily I have been known to say; "I need to work on my paper today", daily I have left it sitting untouched.

So now...I sit working on this silly last paper of my second to the last class of my MBA when I would rather be doing just about anything else. Now to check Facebook just one last time....

52 Weeks

It seems more popular to say "I am NOT making a New Years Resolution this year"; then to say you are. Seems it is no longer popular to set a goal and then fail miserably in the coming weeks.

I do think we can all look at the calendar in the next few days and feel like we get a refresh on our lives. With the busy Holiday season in the rear view mirror we can look ahead to the possibilities of the upcoming year. We all get the same amount of time; or at least we hope we do. 52 weeks, that's 365 days minus one so far; to rethink what we want to do with our lives.

If you are vowing to eat better, get more exercise, get more sleep or you promise yourself you will finish that project or even search for a new job in 2015, I wish you the best. If we stop dreaming about possibilities we are just moving through life. With that being said don't forget to stop and enjoy the moment along the way. It's a tough balance, but with thoughtful resolve it can be accomplished.

Here's to a delightful new set of 52 weeks. May it be all you wish for.

Happy New Year!

Alma Ingara "Grandma" Anderson

In early December my quiet sweet Grandmother would celebrate her birthday. When I think about this women it is hard for me to fathom what she faced in her lifetime. She was born before the turn of the century in 1898; the oldest of 4 children I believe. When I think back to this time it's hard to image what life might have been like on the cold prairie. I don't know if the details of her birth are available; I have don't know if she was born in the hospital or at home. I do know she helped take care of the other children when they were born; they moved often and she was not married until her late 30's to the neighbor boy Alfred Anderson. She had three daughters and lived well into her 90's. 

While Grandma Anderson lived on this earth cars and airplanes were introduced and became common place. Man walked on the moon and women were allowed to vote. She lived through World War 1 and World War 2; the Korean conflict and the Vietnam war. She never experienced the internet or a cell phone. Indoor plumbing was a convenience at midlife. 

The amazing thing about this silver haired woman was her attitude. My mother and her sisters may tell you different; but I never heard this woman raise her voice. She did not complain and always met you at the door with a smile. When spending the night you had sheets on the sofa and in the morning the smell of strong coffee and burnt toast filled the air. By the way the burnt toast was on purpose; and it was always scrapped. 

There are many people I have learned from in this life; my Grandma Anderson was one of the people. From her I could learn a bit more; sometimes it is good to be quiet. Delivering that cutting edge piece of humor can get you through many situations. A smile when you meet someone goes a long long way. When Grandma was in the nursing home and the bus was going for an outing she was quick to get on and ride. In life it is usually a good idea to get on the bus...a ride out and about rarely hurts anyone; you might even get a new perspective. And finally, if you burn the toast...scrape it off!