Don Kowalewski
Writer. Ad Sales and Marketing. Social Media Content Creator. Aeropress Coffee. Makes the best salsa in the world.
I’m Mr. Myagi’ing My Knee
In August, I hurt my knee while hiking on vacation in the forest. I was moving at a good pace and attempted to jump from one rock to another and … slipped. I knew it immediately. But it felt “OK” and I thought, “I’ll just walk it off.” Turns out. When you’re 53-years-old, like I am … you can’t just “walk it off” and “rub some dirt on it” like in the old days.
Day after day. I kept hiking. And when I got back from vacation, I still kept hiking. And added wind sprints to my morning workout. And lunges. And jumping jacks.
The knee got worse and worse and I’m not kidding you … a few weeks ago, I thought for sure that full knee construction was in my future.
The Golf Cart
My baby brother turned 51 over the weekend. I’m a little over 2 years older than my brother, but throughout my life, I’ve always relied on him to be the steady-hand. To always be more thoughtful and considerate than me. I think-of-a-thing. Act impulsively. Make a rash decision. Sometimes act in anger. Fail to listen. Instead of count-to-ten I say 1-2-3 go! So over the years, when I’m “thinking a thing”, I’ll call my brother and say, hey, here’s what I’m thinking … what do you think?
Is it an insult to say I kinda thought of my brother as my “sidekick?” Because I don’t mean it to be an insult. I think of a “sidekick” as someone who, without there being a “sidekick”, would make the “Lead Character” (me) pretty boring. And as they say, we’re all the hero of our own story.
It’s awesome having a sidekick, er, I mean a little brother. When we were kids, he wanted to play with whatever toys I was playing with, so together we would coordinate our birthday and Christmas lists so we got more action figures as part of sets. A boy, by himself, can only have some of the Star Wars action figures and vehicles. A boy without a brother can’t get all the He-Man toys … nor all the G.I. Joe guys and the G.I. Joe tanks and helicopters and hovercrafts. But if one of us gets any particular toy, then we have that toy.
HAIR-DO INSPIRATION
I don’t talk Politics on my Blog, but I do talk hair, hair care, and styling. This toes the line, I know, but I think my next phase of hair-cut and styling will be inspired by current Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson.
We all don’t agree on Politics, anymore, but who can argue he doesn’t have a great head of hair. Can I pull that off? It’s kind-of News Anchor meets midwest dad. I have more forehead and I’m receding a bit more than 54-year-old MJ (I’m 53), but I think we have equal amounts of grey (hard to comb and style) but plenty of brown.
MJ is commited. He grows it long. I wish I could meet him and ask, “Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker … will you pull your bangs down and let me see if they go to the eyebrow? Mid nose? Or do your bangs stretch to the tip of your nose?
New Year’s Resolutions Heading Into Q4
About 80 days until the end of the year. Which means I’ve had 280 days to do this stuff and here’s where I am. And … I’m adding some stuff. Adding…
- Rehab My Knee Daily: Knee machines. Stretches. Ice & heat. Ibubrofin for 10 days on / 10 days off. Repeat. Wear a brace. Don’t sit with my legs crossed.
- Sugar Free Don: No candy. No cookies. No popsicles. No unecessary sweets. I’ll still have beer and bourbon … but less and less often.
- Vegetables, Fruit, and Nuts Daily: Make my super smoothie with cucumbers, spinach, celery, and carrots. Throw in a couple rasberries, strawberries, blueberries, and a banana (that is my sugar)
- Daily Rosary: Started this with 100-days left in the year and I’m doing the 100-Day Rosary Challenge (it’s my S ilence as part of Miracle Mornings)
Now to the rest . . .
Read MoreAll In on AI
I’m not calling it “SI” unless everyone really starts calling it that.
But I’m all in on AI.
I’m using Gemini (Pro) at work because my company gives me it. I’m using ChatGPT on my iPhone and pushing it to it’s limits on simple tasks. I’m using Gemini on my phone with my personal Gmail …which I also have baked into the dashboard of my new Buick and that’s kinda blowin’ my mind.
The newest edition to my personal AI adventure is Facebook’s Muse.
It’s Q4 and I Have Some Plans
Tomorrow I’ll update the world (aka 4 regular readers) on my status of my New Year’s Resolutions, Mid-Year Resolutions, and Long-Term goals but today, as we start Q4, I’m adding some things to FINISH STRONG!
Why not?
It’s fun to see how much we can accomplish in 90-Days.
So here goes…
- Rehab My Knee: I have a bad habit. When my knee starts hurting, I just “power through”. This happened a couple years ago after my summer vacation where I love hiking in the deep woods. When I was in my mid-40s, I liked to “bound” through the forest. Now? At 53? When I “bound”, I guess you could say, “I’m bound to hurt myself.” And I did. Hopping from a rock to a log I slipped and hurt my knee. Did I relax? Take a day off? A week off? Hell no. And now I’m hurting. Sooooooo it’s back to heat and ice. Heat and ice. Ibuprofen. The other bad habit I have is sitting cross legged – and that’s very hard on the knees. I’ve got weight machines at work, so I’ll do the leg curls and presses. I’ll walk a little slower. I’ll stretch. Last time I did this … I got me knee back to 100%
I Want to Really, Really Learn Stuff
I’ve been thinking about this alot, lately. What do I really know about anything? As most people know, my biggest fear is dementia, memory loss, or developing Alzheimer’s. What I loosely know about it, and from what I’ve seen, those things are marked by completely forgetting things we once knew well. I know, I know … it refers to names of kids or family members, or routine tasks, or not being able to find my way home.
But what I’m also obsessed with is my brain. Exercising it. Memorizing things. Sleeping right. Eating brain food. And above all, learning things.
Sometimes I feel like I don’t know anything.
New Year’s Resolutions after 2/3rds of 2026
For some reason, my New Year’s Resolution Updates are my most-read Blogs. So, OK. Hello to seven of you.
Not only has another month gone by, it’s September 1st and we’re 2/3rds of the way through 2026.
Ahem . . . my 2026 goals. Not exactly crushing them, but I’m ticking some things off my list.
Here’s one thing I did . . . I put my Resolutions into a spreadsheet. This is like organizing your desk and sharpening your pencils when you sit down to do your taxes (aka procrastination), but I think that’s human nature. Because, making the spreadsheet (like actually doing your taxes or balancing your checkbook) forces me to come face to face with my failures. As the kids say, whatevs. Is what it is. The spreadsheet does feel a little like “winning.” It’s a conglomeration (I know fancy words) of New Year’s Resolutions, Lenten Promises and my soon-to-make-me-famous “Resolution A Day”!
The biggest thing I’m missing is (a) look at my list every morning, (b) look at my list every night, (c) track my progress and activities, and (d) execute. Did I say “the biggest thing?” I think I meant to say the four biggest things.
Read MoreGreen Like Me: I’m Gonna Compost
I’m saving the world! You’re welcome.
I’m going green, baby.
Recycling stuff. Composting stuff. Picking things that are sustainable (I think that means “green”) and fully biodegrable if and when I throw it away and, basically, just no plastics (remember I already made that proclamation).
I also know it’s impossible to be completely green, but as they say…
Every little bit, counts.
What Does it Mean to Be Intentional or Live Intentionally?
Without looking it all up again, for me? Being intentional or living intentionally means thinking about my actions, my words, and my decisions so that they align with my values. It means not just meandering through life willy nilly and randomly. It means, in a way, giving every activity I do the ol’ Marie Kondo treatment and “thank” the thing or the activity for making my life better.
Read MoreHighlights from my 53rd Year
As of the writing of this Blog entry, I’m officially 53-Years and 1-Day old. Yesterday was my birthday. A favorite “thing” I do with my family is “Best and Worst”. We did it for years at dinner. I’d ask everyone … best part of your day? Worst part of your day?
My kids know, now, they better not let a conversation slow down because I’m gonna bust our “Best and Worst”. When they were little, it was the “day”. And my wife and I participated, too, lest you think I only tormented my kids. I liked it as a chance to reflect and think. Show a little gratitude for little things. Look for ways to improve or realize that the “worst part” is often fleeting. Good things and bad things happen in a moment, and we often miss them or dwell on them, respectively.
It backfires sometimes because last night, sitting having dinner with my family, my daughter said, “OK, le’ts do Best Part and Worst Part of Dad.” It spiraled into a celebrity roast, of sorts … not the feel-good moment I was looking for.
