Simple Joys and Learning to Surf (Metaphorically) in Everyday Ramblings

I took this Sunday morning walking over the big hill to the grocery just at sunrise.

Mrs. Sherlock is in Japan and she sent me an email yesterday saying that she had ended up at the same hotel as our President in Tokyo. The implication was…no matter how far you go… still it was nice to hear from her and have her check in. She promises she’ll be home for the next few months.

The most amazing thing happened at work yesterday. I am in charge from a production point of view of a big complicated Oracle software module and it has lots of useful and good data in it. My relatively new boss, (Nimrod’s boss) is a metrics wonk and is always asking me for numbers.

But because of politics that started long before I did and spanning the retirements of some truly unique individuals I have never been given the tools to get that data out in useful ways.

About 18 months ago they gave me a tool but there were things that needed to happen, access given, joins made, etc. etc. that were not given.

So I have been developing workarounds to get the reporting done basically manually. And promises, lots of promises that as soon as this is addressed in another area and that is addressed and…

Yesterday I got my join!!! I can run one report that in the past has taken me three days to create in about umm 30 seconds. Well maybe 5 minutes total with formatting.

And then on a dark cold night on Monday when I got to the studio there were two space heaters on and the room was toasty and that thrilled my students. The new studio manager appeared with another one and said the building heat was out but that it would be fixed by today and then he told me that they had acquired chairs for me. Chairs! I have been asking for chairs for about a year since I first signed a contract with the studio. Folding chairs. I have so many students with balance issues that having chairs is really helpful.

In my work class I have plenty of chairs but nothing else and I have been using them. At the studio now I have blankets and blocks and straps and bolsters oh my… I am teaching my first class with the new chairs tonight.

My classes are getting bigger. I haven’t had a class where no one shows up for about 9 weeks and that is a huge relief. Of course it is fall and that is always the time one gets the most students so we still have to see. I don’t pay anything for the room at work and my students donate say $5 a class, which adds up and helps. It is a deal for them and a boon for me.

Emotionally teaching at work is still a big deal for me, I love it because the bodies are younger and we can do more but it is fraught because, well, it is work. Oh and I am older, that is a new dimension for me, being significantly older than my students.

The net result right now? I eat everything in sight on Mondays.

I need to feel my way through all these complex emotions and plan reasonable balanced meals for Monday if I am going to get to my goal weight by the end of the year.

Oh well, as I heard in one of the talks yesterday on Psychology and Spirituality…”Calm seas do not create skillful sailors.”

And also… “You can’t stop the waves but you can learn to surf.”

The cats are still not adjusted to the time change and are getting me up way too early. I am using the time to meditate (I figure that is my best revenge for the behavior of my former Zen teacher and therapist) and to work on my anatomy courses.

Chairs! I have chairs. Oh the simple things that bring us joy.

Last updated November 08, 2017