May 19, 2020: The New Normal

I have several new things to write about today. Most importantly, it is my sister Diane’s birthday and she has never been 72 before!

After calling to wish her a happy birthday, Diane shared that part of her celebration would be to dine out at a restaurant for the first time in several months.

We talked about how the upcoming restaurant excursion stirs up some interesting questions:

• Is it better to sit outside to avoid indoor recirculating air?
• Is it okay to go out to dinner with another couple and sit together at a small 4-person table if both couples have been self-isolating?
• Should the silverware and glassware be cleaned off with a disinfectant wipe before eating?
• How is it possible to wear a mask and eat?
• Is it logical for a server to wear a mask and gloves but, bring meals and clear dishes for multiple tables without ever changing the gloves? (This is happening…)

A lot to think about!

Which brings me to my next new thing. I finally allowed myself to go inside several stores this past week after such a long time staying at home.

My first stop was to Bagel Guys as I had invited my daughter and her family over for brunch on Sunday.

As I got out of my car wearing my mask, a man exited his car with no mask. He tried to hold the door open for me which was nice, but, I did not want to get too close to him. I thanked him for trying and used my foot to push the door open myself.

There was a line on the floor which I dutifully stood behind while the man was served. I then stepped up to the counter where a plastic partition had been attached.

I got my bag of bagels, and then had to sign the receipt with a pen the clerk gave me. Fortunately, I had my sanitizer in my purse and immediately cleaned my hands and my credit card.

The next stop was Publix for cream cheese and a few other groceries. I noticed that there was no hand sanitizer for public use and not all staff was wearing masks. There were directional lines on the floor though for safe shopping and the checkout lanes included similar plastic protective partitions as the bagel shop.

My last stop was Walmart where I was trying to find the whole wheat flour that Publix had run out of. I was greeted by a man who was ensuring social distancing inside the store by counting how many people were entering.

Purell was front and center for everyone but, there were no floor arrows, not everyone wore masks and no plastic shields were evident at the checkout stations.

While I was navigating the baking aisle, I was more than irritated when a shopper without a mask passed me and coughed loudly in my direction. I reacted instinctively and glared at her and she immediately put her elbow in front of her face! Too late! Sigh!

With COVID-19 cases rising in some counties (including in my sister’s county), it is hard to know what decisions to make that responsibly take into account both health and the economy. What seems obvious and right to me is wrong to someone else. And at some point, people do need to get back to work to feed their families.

I suppose all we can do is understand our own risk tolerance and make our personal choices from there.

This new normal is definitely not normal. In fact, let’s call it what it is: abnormal!

May 31, 2014: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

My “new” thing for today was to watch “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, (the Ben Stiller version), on my flight home from California. I don’t know what I had been anticipating, but, it was a really sweet movie.

My son and I arose very early this morning so that we could be on the road to the San Francisco airport by 5:30 AM. I did not get to see my grandbaby before I left but, I did get a big bear hug from my daughter-in-law just before I went out the front door.

With traffic fairly light, my son and I made it to the Delta Airlines drop-off area very quickly. After my son helped me with my bags, we exchanged a hearty and prolonged embrace. After thanking my son for my great visit, I turned away from him, and walked into the terminal.

Surprisingly, I did not cry as I left my son, as I have done the last several times when I had said goodbye to him. I felt strong, confident, and independent, which was a feeling I had not had since Jeff had first gotten sick. For some reason, at that moment, my eyes remained completely dry.

So far, it had been a good start to the day and the “positivity” continued as I ate breakfast in the Delta Crown room, passed through security easily, and was seated comfortably on the plane in record time, with a minimum of stress.

My first flight, which lasted a little over an hour, took me to Los Angeles. I had been anticipating a major hassle trying to navigate my way to the right gate for my Tampa connection, but, to my relief, my plane was parked only two gates away. Talk about easy! I will have to remember to fly through Los Angeles next time I come to San Francisco.

I am currently on my second leg home where I have just watched “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” on my iPad. I found myself laughing out loud at several points in the movie, and once, even jumped in my seat during a particularly suspenseful part. (I think I shocked the person next to me!)

In the past week, I seem to have created experiences for myself, including watching this movie, that are reinforcing my desire to know myself better, and go for what I want. The character of Walter Mitty had many adventures and took lots of chances, and came alive because of them. I want to do that, too.

With only this one life to live (at least, that I know of!), I need to experience it fully. I think I will research taking a fun trip somewhere on my own as a start of a bucket list.

My vacation really did change my perspective. Another milestone.

(Note: If you are reading my blog for the first time today, welcome. My commitment is to do a new thing every day for a full year to help me in my journey as a new widow. Feel free to pass this blog (https://anewdaystartsnow.wordpress.com) on to anyone you feel may benefit from it. I hope my words are meaningful for you and I look forward to your comments, and especially, suggestions for “new” things to do!)

May 20, 2014: Beenpod

My “new” thing for the day was to do some research on an internet company called Beenpod. Now, that I have looked it up, I find that I have no interest in the company at all!

I began my day at one of our hospice agencies. After getting to the office a little after 8 AM, I found myself waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. (It never ceases to amaze me that I am generally the first sales person to arrive in any of our agencies, and I am always coming from out of town, and don’t know where I am going.)

As I was waiting, I noticed a lady, probably in her mid-thirties, who was sitting at a table in the back of the office. I asked if she was being helped and she said yes. We got to talking about the reason she was there and she said she was going to become a hospice volunteer.

After further discussion, I found out that this lady was from New York, had moved to California to be with her fiancé, she really likes helping people and wants to start a non-profit, and her fiancé recently started a social networking company, http://www.Beenpod.com .

The lady was very excited about Beenpod and hoped it would be profitable. I decided to check it out after work as my “new” thing for the day.

I clicked on the website and was immediately taken to a screen that said there was a problem with the website’s security certificate. That made me suspicious so I decided to try a different approach. I typed in “what is beenpod” in the search engine and got a number of links that gave me some information.

What I learned, among other things, is that “BeenPod has two goals – to create a sociable bookmarking application for small groups to collaborate while enabling them to keep hold of online behavior data. The startup is trying to create a “user-owned tracking cookie” so that people can choose which companies to share data collected on Been.”

I had no idea what that meant so I tried to figure it out by clicking on several other related links. But, I was still confused. While I hope the lady I met and her fiancé enjoy great success with this company, I personally will not be spending any more time trying to decipher out what it does.

The only good thing about researching http://www.BeenPod.com today was that I kept my word to myself to do something “new” for the day. At least, I understand that!

(Note: If you are reading my blog for the first time today, welcome. My commitment is to do a new thing every day for a full year to help me in my journey as a new widow. Feel free to click on the “follow” button to sign up to get a daily email alert for each of my new postings (you have to do this on a computer, not a smartphone), and to pass this blog (https://anewdaystartsnow.wordpress.com) on to anyone you feel may benefit from it. I hope my words are meaningful for you and I look forward to your comments, and especially, suggestions for “new” things to do!)

May 18, 2014: Ghost Town

My “new” thing today was to watch the movie, “Ghost Town”, and I even got inspired by it.

It had been a crazy day as I got ready for my next trip. Since I will be training for a week in California and then, visiting my son, daughter-in-law and grandchild for the next week, my packing was more extensive than usual. I also needed to make sure that everything was in place for the different people who would be stopping by or staying at my house for the time while I am gone.

By late afternoon, I had gotten everything done and felt like I could take a much-needed break. I turned on the TV to catch a television show I had recorded earlier but, before I could switch to the DVR setting, I noticed Greg Kinear on the small screen, an actor I really like.

I clicked the info button on my remote control to see what the show was about, and discovered it was a movie called “Ghost Town”. Filmed in 2008, it is a supernatural comedy-drama that tells the story of a dentist, played by Ricky Gervais, who can see and talk with ghosts. The film also includes Tea Leoni as a young widow with whom Ricky falls in love, and of course, Greg Kinear, who plays a ghost.

I decided to continue watching “Ghost Town” as I figured it would be fairly brainless and light. But, about 2/3’s of the way through, there was a scene that included in the background, a poster of Albert Einstein attached to the ceiling above a dental chair. There was a quote on the poster that said, “Only a life lived for others is worth living.”

The meaning of the poster became clearer as the partner of Ricky Gervais’ character, another dentist, told Ricky that he needed to do more for others. As Albert Einstein said, that would give his life meaning.

I loved the quotation and stopped the movie with my remote control so I could write it down.

After the movie was over, I thought more about Albert Einstein’s words and how true they are for me. I find that only when I am helping someone else do I really feel best about myself. Maybe, that is why I love being a trainer; I am imparting knowledge that hopefully, will make some kind of difference in my participants’ lives.

Just before I sat down to write this blog entry this evening, I wrote 3 checks, one to each of Jeff’s children. The money was their portion of a payment I had received last week from Brian, who had bought Jeff’s business. I feel good that I am sending Jeff’s children money, even if it is not a really significant amount.

I also thought back to this morning when I talked to my friend on her 50th birthday. She had thanked me for the presents I had sent her, including one that I had made for her. She said she was really enjoying what she had received.

Sending the kids money and my friend gifts made me happy. Doing for others really does make life worthwhile.

(Note: If you are reading my blog for the first time today, welcome. My commitment is to do a new thing every day for a full year to help me in my journey as a new widow. Feel free to click on the “follow” button to sign up to get a daily email alert for each of my new postings (you have to do this on a computer, not a smartphone), and to pass this blog (https://anewdaystartsnow.wordpress.com) on to anyone you feel may benefit from it. I hope my words are meaningful for you and I look forward to your comments, and especially, suggestions for “new” things to do!)

May 11, 2014: Mother’s Day

Today is Mother’s Day. My “new” thing for the day was to spend it completely alone for the first time since I have been a mom.

I got up around 7:15 AM and as I was pouring my coffee, I heard my phone ding with a text message. My daughter had made sure to send me her best wishes and love to get my day started off well.

Around 11:00 AM, my son called and I spoke with him, my daughter-in-law and my San Francisco granddaughter for around 40 minutes via Face Time. It was great to see the 20-month old who is talking up a storm and finally growing hair, and catching up with her parents.

My daughter also called, not once, but three times over the course of the day. We did Face Time calls each time, too, so I could see her, my son-in-law. and my Gainesville granddaughter’s 9 month-old adorableness.

I really enjoyed my phone time with my children and their families. My son and daughter are the best kids a mom could ever have and I am so lucky to be their mother.

By early afternoon, I was feeling okay that no one was here with me for Mother’s Day because for the first time in a while, I got to do exactly what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it. I even went to Walmart to get a bicycle pump to inflate my flat bike tires but, unfortunately, the pump valve did not work correctly, and I have to take it back.

But, by 4:00, I noticed that even though I was enjoying puttering around the house, Mother’s Day was just not the same without Jeff being here. While my kids had done the best they could to help me be happy today, I had several waves of profound sadness that took me by surprise. I really missed Jeff.

I’m all right now though. I allowed myself to cry, and by doing that, it helped a lot.

I also realized that Mother’s Day is just one more in a long list of “firsts” that will continue to happen to me this year. I think I may have to do a little more preparation ahead of time though to help protect myself better when the next “first” comes up.

(Note: If you are reading my blog for the first time today, welcome. My commitment is to do a new thing every day for a full year to help me in my journey as a new widow. I encourage you to go back to December 4, 2013, my first entry, to understand why I am writing this but, you will need click on the December archives and then, go back to “older posts” in the bottom left-hand corner get back to the very beginning. I hope my words are meaningful for you and I look forward to your comments, and especially, suggestions for “new” things to do!)

May 10: 2014: Walking, Talking and Never Forgetting

Today’s “new” thing was both physical and mental. I went for my first walk ever with my sister, Diane, in the area near her Fort Myers condo. I also became very introspective about my life now that Jeff has been gone for a little over 7 months.

I stayed overnight again last night at my sister’s home and woke up to a bright, cheery day. Diane asked me what I wanted to do this morning, and I replied that I would like to go for a walk.

As soon as we both ate breakfast, we headed out the door to get our exercise together. When asked to decide if I wanted to go right or left at the end of the block, I opted for turning right which was in the direction of Thomas Edison’s large summer estate, a Florida historical landmark. My assumption was that we would pass a number of other mansions along this route as well, which would be fun to see.

Diane and I talked a lot as we passed amazing homes along the main road, and down a few side streets. Then, our conversation began to drift to how I was feeling since Jeff died.

I mentioned that over the last few days, I had not thought that much about Jeff and that was making me uneasy. Diane said that meant that I was beginning to heal. I changed the subject quickly and we continued our walk.

After a while, we finally decided to head back to the condo, and I got ready to go home. As I packed my car, Diane picked up my mom and her partner, and then, I followed them to a nearby restaurant where we had a pre-Mother’s Day celebration for my mom. When our meals were done, I said goodbye and started the long trip back to the Tampa area.

As I drove, I could not stop reflecting upon the fact that I was going for longer and longer stretches of time not thinking about Jeff. I find myself feeling quite guilty about that.

I am very uncomfortable, too, thinking about dating, going to a mixer or bar, taking a trip on my own (not to see family), or removing my wedding ring, although those thoughts have crept into my mind more and more lately. But, it is almost as if I act on any of these things, it will be like Jeff never even existed.

I know that is not true, but, it is where I am at. I wish I had a magic wand to wave that would let me know how I am supposed to feel and what I am supposed to do, but, of course, I don’t have one.

This is a tough place for me to be right now…caught between what was and what could be.

But, as I finish up tonight’s blog entry, I see Jeff’s picture on the wall.

And, I have just come to an important realization: I promise you, honey, I will NEVER forget you, no matter what I do.

(Note: If you are reading my blog for the first time today, welcome. My commitment is to do a new thing every day for a full year to help me in my journey as a new widow. I encourage you to go back to December 4, 2013, my first entry, to understand why I am writing this but, you will need click on the December archives and then, go back to “older posts” in the bottom left-hand corner get back to the very beginning. I hope my words are meaningful for you and I look forward to your comments, and especially, suggestions for “new” things to do!)

May 9, 2014: Mom and Her Android Tablet

My “new” thing for today was to help my mother figure out how to upgrade an app on her new Android tablet. That does not sound like much, but I since I have never used an Android tablet before (I am an Apple girl), I did not know how to do this.

I had spent last night at my sister’s condo and then, worked all day at her house participating in multiple conference calls and doing other business tasks. By 5:00, I was ready for the weekend to start.

My sister, Diane, arrived home at 5:15 and began to get ready for our evening company, my mother and her partner, Hy, who live in the building next door. We had a lovely dinner of take-out Chinese food and then, I went to Mom and Hy’s condo to spend a little time alone with them.

While I was there, Hy asked me to show him how to download and organize a couple of apps on his iPad. Since I am fairly proficient using my own iPad, I was easily able to help and soon, we had 3 new financial apps and Yahoo installed on the home screen. Hy was a happy camper!

Then, it was my mom’s turn. She requested me to find a way to get rid of the advertisements on the bridge game app she has on her tablet. If I could not do that, she wanted me to find another bridge app with no ads in the app store. I told Mom that I was not familiar with how the Android system works, but, I would try to assist.

I opened the bridge game that was already downloaded but, could not find a way to upgrade it. So, after much trial and error clicking on various wrong icons, I finally located the Android app store and reviewed Mom’s other bridge options.

There were not a lot of choices so I opened Mom’s bridge game app again determined to find a way get rid of the ads. After clicking on just about everything in sight, I finally found the place to upgrade for only $2.49.

When Mom heard the low price, she was thrilled, and we immediately completed the purchase.

Then, Mom started to ask me more questions about how to do other things on her tablet. Unfortunately, I could not answer most of her questions. We decided together that it would be best for Mom to go to the Verizon store and get some lessons on how to use her device.

Mom is in her 80’s but, still wants to learn new things including using the latest technology. She goes for what she wants, including playing bridge to her heart’s content without being interrupted by pesky ads.

I am pretty proud of my mom, and grateful for the strength and drive that I inherited from her.

 

(Note: If you are reading my blog for the first time today, welcome. My commitment is to do a new thing every day for a full year to help me in my journey as a new widow. I encourage you to go back to December 4, 2013, my first entry, to understand why I am writing this but, you will need click on the December archives and then, go back to “older posts” in the bottom left-hand corner get back to the very beginning. I hope my words are meaningful for you and I look forward to your comments, and especially, suggestions for “new” things to do!)

May 8, 2014: The NFL Football Draft and the Heat Game….Am I Really Watching These?

I decided to change my travel schedule and take a trip to see my family in Fort Myers tonight since Mother’s Day was coming up fast. My “new” thing for the day was to watch the NFL draft and a Heat basketball game on TV with Diane, neither of which I ever have watched before (nor ever really wanted to).

Diane informed me soon after I got to her house that she was making a vegan recipe for me, “Pasta with Black Beans and Artichokes”, that she had found in “Cooking Light” magazine. She also let me know that she was going to be flipping back and forth tonight between two TV channels to catch both a Heat playoff game and the NFL football draft.

I was delighted to hear about the dinner choice but, not so thrilled about watching the sports. I have never seen the draft as Jeff was really not interested in it in years past. And for some reason, I always thought that viewing the draft would be like watching paint dry. As for the Heat game, I am not a basketball fan as I lose interest seeing the players constantly running back and forth.

My sister, Diane, though, has been a major sports fan since she was a child. As Diane grew up, she and our dad used to talk for hours about the New York Giants baseball team (before they moved) and the New York Giants football team. Diane has kept her incredible passion for professional sports to this day including being a rabid Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Heat fan.

Tonight, Diane was in heaven because not only was her favorite basketball team competing in the play-offs , but the Bucs were in the hunt for top football draft picks. After we ate our delicious vegan meal, Diane turned on the television to the Heat game while waiting for the draft to start at 8:00.

I watched the Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat players go back and forth on the basketball court playing their highly paid game of keep-away. I know I should appreciate the players’ skill at throwing the ball into a hoop, and at some level I do, but, I have to say, watching basketball, including tonight’s Heat game, is just not my cup of tea. My first “new” thing of the day was not great.

I was happy when we turned to my second “new” thing, watching the football draft, as there was more of an element of mystery to it. The program started off with some well-regarded, soon-to-be-drafted players being introduced followed by the National Anthem.

Then, reporters were talking back and forth on-air speculating about what players were being targeted by which teams, and making guesses about what each team needs to build its bench strength. As the time clock started, the Houston Texans had the first choice and needed to select a player within 10 minutes.

I must admit that it was exciting watching the timer run down and see how many seconds would be left before the Texans had to make their choice. With a little more than a minute left, Jadeveon Clowney, a defensive end from the University of South Carolina, became the #1 draft pick of 2014. With tears streaming down his face, Jadeveon came onto the stage to loud applause.

At that point, I decided watching the draft was much better than watching a Heat game.

So, now, I am ending my blog so I can see the rest of the show including which player my home team, the Bucs, will select for their #7 draft pick. I can’t believe I am saying this, but the draft is fun!

(Note: If you are reading my blog for the first time today, welcome. My commitment is to do a new thing every day for a full year to help me in my journey as a new widow. I encourage you to go back to December 4, 2013, my first entry, to understand why I am writing this but, you may have to click on “older posts” in the bottom left hand corner to get back to the very beginning. I hope my words are meaningful for you and I look forward to your comments, and especially, suggestions for “new” things to do!)

April 24, 2014: Miso Soup Packets

My “new” thing for the day was pretty simple, but, quite yummy. I tried an unknown brand of instant miso soup that I had ordered online and brought with me to Toledo.

When I was in Ann Arbor a few weeks ago, I had stayed at a Hampton Inn. What was interesting about this hotel though was that it had a section of the breakfast buffet which catered to an Asian clientele. I was surprised to see a rice cooker filled with rice, two small jars full of ground seaweed, a bowl of hard-boiled eggs, several boxes of green and black teas, and two varieties of instant miso soup.

I was intrigued by the miso soup as Jeff used to love the restaurant kind, and I like it, also. But, we had never found any instant miso soup that was particularly tasty in our local grocery stores, and what we had found was also expensive. I made a note in my phone calendar to research the brand the Hampton Inn was offering to see if I could find it when I got home.

Last week, my calendar reminder popped up. I went to the Amazon shopping website and was pleased to find one of the two varieties of miso soup that I had seen at the hotel.

For some reason, Amazon recommended that I navigate to a different site, Nutricity, if I wanted to order the soup and get free shipping at the same time. I took this advice, surfed to the recommended site, and ordered a box of 12 packets of Sushi Chef Red Miso Soup.

I got my delivery in two days, opened up the box, and placed a couple of packets in my luggage for this week. Tonight, after I got back from leading my training class in Toledo, I discovered an envelope of the soup as I was rummaging through my luggage. I realized I had forgotten to try any yet!

I heated up the hot water in the little hotel coffeemaker, opened up the soup packet, added water, and waited a minute or two for the bits of tofu and seaweed to soften. Then, I took a sip of the broth.

The soup was delicious. I grabbed the little plastic spoon I had cleverly brought from home, scooped up the tofu and seaweed, and polished off the rest of the liquid.

I wish Jeff and I had discovered this instant miso soup brand before he died. It was convenient, fairly inexpensive and very good! He would have loved it, and I do, too.

I will be ordering more of the Sushi Chef Red Miso Soup (I sound like a commercial) when I am done with the box I have now. It’s funny what big things this little packet of miso soup did…..it made my head think warm and tender thoughts of Jeff, and kept my stomach happy, too!

(Note: If you are reading my blog for the first time today, welcome. I encourage you to go back to December 4, 2013, my first blog entry, to understand why I am writing about a “new” thing every day. Also, feel free to click on the “follow” button to sign up to get a daily email alert for each of my new postings, or to pass this blog on to anyone you feel may benefit from it. I hope my words are meaningful for you and I look forward to your comments.) 

April 23, 2014: Drawbridge

I was planning to do something else this evening as my “new” thing for the day, but, unexpectedly, I found myself running across a bridge before its drawbridge gate opened. Definitely a first-time experience for me!

The training I led went well today with me ahead of my scheduled agenda by 5:00 PM. I had invited the class out to dinner at an Italian restaurant, Zia’s, (across the river from our hotel) and most of the class had taken me up on my offer.

Everyone converged in the hotel lobby at 5:40. Three people decided to take the hotel shuttle, while the rest decided to make the 12-minute walk along with me to the restaurant.

It was a lovely spring evening in Toledo (finally) with the temperature in the high fifties, the sun shining through low fluffy clouds, and a comforting stillness in the air. My trainees followed me (I felt like a mama duck) towards Zia’s and we were grateful for the nice weather.

We walked along the path behind the hotel towards the bridge we needed to cross to get to the restaurant. After we climbed up the four flights of wrought iron steps to the bridge above, we continued along the sidewalk to the other side of the Maumee river. Then, we scampered down the grass towards the strip of restaurants (including Zia’s) that was our final destination.

As we got closer, we passed giant geese chasing each other around the large rocks at the water’s edge, and enjoyed watching several University of Toledo crews practicing their rowing on the river. We arrived at the restaurant in good spirits, and proceeded to have a great dinner.

When it was time to leave, I paid the bill, and the folks that wanted to get a ride back to the hotel called the shuttle, and waited for their ride to show up. The rest of the group agreed with me that we wanted to walk back to the hotel so we could work off some of the delicious, but heavy food we had eaten.

We headed out the door towards the bridge, climbed the small grassy hill, and got back onto the sidewalk. As we walked, we were blissfully unaware of anything happening out of the ordinary until someone yelled that the drawbridge was going to go up. All of us had missed hearing the warning bells or noticing the flashing lights; we had been completely oblivious to anything but the road and each other.

Suddenly, someone yelled “Run” and we all ran!

We seemed to be on the part of the bridge that was actually going to be rising. I have to say that I kept up well with the younger trainees as each of us scooted as fast as we could across the soon-to-be rising section of roadway.

We finally heard several other pedestrians yell at us that we were now fine and could stop running. It seemed that we had made it to a spot that was not going to go up. But, then, we heard a deep voice announce over a loudspeaker that we needed to vacate the area we were on immediately and get behind the drawbridge gates.

Needless to say, we quickly ran a bit more and in just a couple of seconds, were completely safe behind the barricades.

I took a picture to commemorate our close encounter with the drawbridge!

I have to say, the whole experience was so much fun! We were all laughing like idiots and congratulating ourselves on running fast, and being okay.

The strange part of this whole story is that one of the trainees who was walking with me, Bryan, had shared on the way over to Zia’s that he was afraid of bridges opening or collapsing. Somehow, his fear had become reality. What were the odds of that happening?

In the end, Bryan laughed the most. He had faced his fear, and lived to tell the tale.

There is a lesson there, I know. And it is more than just “pay attention on bridges”!

(Note: If you are reading my blog for the first time today, welcome. I encourage you to go back to December 4, 2013, my first blog entry, to understand why I am writing about a “new” thing every day. Also, feel free to click on the “follow” button to sign up to get a daily email alert for each of my new postings. I hope my words are meaningful for you and I look forward to your comments.)