Yearly Archives: 2015

I test my shower again for a leak

Remember last month when I saw water leaking thru the wall into the dining room after a shower?? I pulled down the drywall and tile around the shower fixtures and hoped to see water shooting out from behind the shower diverter on the east wall but did not. I only let it run less than a minute but did not see any water anywhere behind the fixtures. That means it’s leaking from some connection in the north wall. On the other side of that wall is my dining room, and a long table where convection and toaster ovens and water cooler are. I will make it a project to move everything away from that wall so it can be opened up and looked into. I wonder what the connection looks like in there and what might be loose? My home was built in 1984.

UPDATE: I moved everything away from that wall so a tester guy can check for moisture in the wall and cut into it easily if needed. That would be a cool place to have a utility access wall anyway.

RELATED: I’m ready to pull out my tub

Back to daily working out is paying off in making me strong

I had a great session at the gym today. Before I went in, I walked a mile in the parking lot and jogged the lap back. After workout, I took another stroll around the parking lot. I like that better than walking the treadmill. I know the importance of arms swinging free as you walk. The motions of us walking and swinging our arms help synchronize both hemispheres of the brain so we have more brainpower, Then I came home and cut oak branches and dead palm fronds mowed the front yard and re-routed 30 feet of giant pothos between the bottlebrush tree and the giant oak it’s hanging down from. I enjoy having an active day and working up a sweat. It lets me know my body is working!

RELATED: More blog posts about the gym

Helping, Enabling or Hurting? Do not keep friends from getting professional help when they need it

'You can't keep rescuing him. If he really wants help, book him an appointment.'How do you know when to take someone in and when to leave it to the professionals? What if someone you barely know tells you you are the only one he can turn to? What if his own family members refuse to take him in? What if he threatens suicide or makes a comment about breaking into the home (his wife has legally restrained him from going into) and taking a rifle and shooting her? Or is it a duty to God to help everyone who asks for it? How do you know which it is? Do you let him into your home with your family in such a mindset? Or do you call professionals who know how to deal with situations like this to get him the help he sorely needs? I made this post of Facebook as this was happening with a friend of mine.  I emailed him:  “I don’t want to get into your business but xxx asked me what I would suggest in the situation with the gentleman you are helping. I wanted to email the info to you so you could read it over and really understand the situation. I know you’re being compassionate but you also may be putting your family at jeopardy.  I have 22 years as a criminal defense paralegal and during that time we represented many defendants who displayed the same behavior which friends and family ignored when they should have been taken as red flags and a violent outburst with dire consequences could have been avoided.” Continue reading

At first I was flattered when, coming back from the gym all sweated out and stepping into the grocery store, that a young guy walked with me from the parking lot giving me compliments. But then he kind of followed me in the store and was waiting when I came out. That’s no longer flattering that’s just stalky.

dollar-bill-on-the-streetAs I walked this morning I contemplated that since God is my supply, dollars will find me where I am if I’m having fun since that never fails. A singsong began in my head “Since God is my supply, dollars can fall out of the sky. I can find it in the street, I can find it in the road, I can find it in my mailbox and find it near a toad.” I made myself laugh. Then I found a dollar in the middle of the street.

Walking alone and being in the moment with what I’m walking past is a much different experience than walking with a friend talking about other stuff. Same with doing yoga or being in the gym: I don’t want to listen to earbuds, I want to listen to my body and get totally in tune with what it’s doing in the moment.

I did 13,562 steps today, just over 6 miles. I can do 2 miles a day just walking around the office here, but it’s most fun to walk when the sun is just coming up and the air is chilly. I went out back to water the north fence line before sunset and picked up about 30 small sprouted potato vines. Dig them up before they sprout and multiply!

RELATED:  Getting rid of the dreaded air potato vines

Reminder to myself

Spend less time figuring out how get something that isn’t coming easily, and spend more time doing whatever it takes to find the better feeling thought. Discover fun things to do to make you release resistance. Have more fun doing things that I’d do if the money didn’t matter.

 

Notes on the gym

I like the 6:30am crowd at the gym, only a handful of people. At 8:30am, folks are social, it’s crowded and may have to wait for a machine. The longer I wait after waking up, the less I want to go because my mind is working on all the projects I’m waiting to jump into.  I’ve always done yoga every day but only began working out at the gym when I hit 55. Sometimes I really dig it and sometimes I just endure it. To keep me motivated ,I’d like a workout partner if I could find an early bird like me, but it’s cool doing it alone as well

thoughts on daily walking and the Camino de Santiago Andrea’s May 2015 Editorial

Ganesh with bass 5-15 cover Hello and welcome to the May 2015 edition of Horizons Magazine. Last month I read Sonia Choquette’s Walking Home, about her pilgrimage on the Santiago de Compostela Camino  which is a 600+ mile walk across northern Spain to the North Atlantic Ocean, In the book Choquette mentions the Martin Sheen/Emilio Estevez movie The Way. I watched it and was inspired to further learn about those who pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. In The Way., Martin Sheen plays Tom, who comes to France to deal with the tragic loss of his son. Rather than return home, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage on the Camino to honor his son’s desire to finish the journey.   It was cool and synchronistic that I found the movie in time to get to see the routes she mentions. Later in the book when Sonia describes the church and the public mass at the end of the Camino, I know exactly the ceremony she’s talking about and get to relive it again.   Continue reading