Don Kowalewski
Writer. Ad Sales and Marketing. Social Media Content Creator. Aeropress Coffee. Makes the best salsa in the world.
I Love Don Week: I’ll Spoil Myself
Longtime readers of Don’s Ego (my former blog) and Kaleidoscopic Raygun know that the week leading up to July 11th is known as “I Love Don Week.” It’s a chance for the world to celebrate me. Buy me gifts. Shower me with praise. Tell me how great I am and how I’ve impacted their lives in a positive way. It’s fun for everyone. (Wait …keep reading …remember, I try to make a point with every blog entry.)
OK, it’s fun for me. It’s annoying to my wife because every day I act like a kid at Christmas with my hand out looking for a new gift or token of appreciation.
Funny thing is …a few of you have noticed I’m not making a big deal out of it this year. Why, you ask? When it should be the biggest “I Love Don Week”, ever, as I am less than 48-hours away from turning 40!
Is it because I’m depressed about turning 40? No.
Is it because I’ve out-grown the childish and egotistical idea of an “I Love Don Week?” Hardly.
Am I too busy with 40-year-old grown-up commitments like work, family, and charity? Nope.
To tell you the truth, it’s because I do want to make this the biggest and best “I Love Don Week”, ever, and the pressure is getting to me. I could easily make a gift list. I could recount the highlights of the past 39 “I Love Don Weeks”. I could set goals and make lofty proclamations about my “next 40 years.” I could list my many accomplishments from my first 40 years on this planet.
Problem is, I want to do it all …gifts, praise, goals, adoration, philosophizing, and reflection. That’s alot to pack into 7 days. It should’ve been “I Love Don Month”. But too late for that.
I want it all, and I’m going to do something different this year, too. I’m going to give myself a gift. I’m going to shower myself with praise. I’m going to marvel at everything I’ve done this year and for the past 40 years. And from this self-centered, ego-stroking love for myself, I’m going to burst forth with optimism and energy into my 5th decade and beyond.
Um, yes. That is a great gift I can give myself, and we can all give ourselves. Self-praise. We live in a world where a television shows us a constant stream of people living a better life than we live, with better cars and better houses and better spouses and adventure and success. But let’s not believe it.
“Celebrating yourself” is just another way of saying, “count your blessings.”
Let’s celebrate ourselves (but please mix in a couple minutes to celebrate me, still). I’ve been big on making lists, lately. And I’m still struggling to actually do the things on those lists. But this week, during “I Love Don Week”, I’m going to make a list and I don’t care how long it is. The list is going to be “Great Things I’ve Done This Year and Throughout My Life.” The list won’t be mindless celebration, either. It will be a wake-up call. Like, hey, Don …in 40 years, you’ve done all this. Now …top that! Spend the next 40 years doing more things and better things because you hardly knew what you were doing during those first 40 years.
The list starts with this …Happy “I Love Don Week” to me!!!
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I Love Don Week: Me, Me, Me Monday
Sometimes, you gotta be selfish. Sometimes, you gotta make a list of things you’ve been putting off (or avoiding) and stop worrying about the every-day commitments you’ve made, and the things you’ve defined as important (job, family, eating, sleeping, etc), and knock a few of the outstanding to-do items off your t0-do list.
Like, this morning, I decided to organize my video files from my 2012 family vacation (been putting this off since last August, fyi) and finally burn them to DVD. I had big plans to edit them perfectly and get rid of the garbage footage (you know that footage …where you accidentally left the camera running and laid the camera down and it shot nothing but the ceiling for 20-minutes and the audio was nothing more than you saying the word ‘strawberry’ over and over again because for some reason, at that moment, the word ‘strawberry’ sounded like gibberish and, hey, you were on vacation, and nobody was around, so you just kept saying ‘strawberry’). I was going to expertly combine my Sony Handycam footage and my iPhone footage, and my wife’s iPhone footage …and her digital camera stills and video …it was going to be the ultimate DVD experience of my vacation. There was going to be music …Carly Rae Jepson’s “It’s Always a Good Time” playing under a series of pictures, to be exact.
That never happened. And while I don’t sit and dwell on it day after day, somewhere in my subconscious, the fact I haven’t done this is there. Tormenting me. Telling me, “you’re a failure, Don. I’m just another thing on your list of ‘big ideas’ that you didn’t do and I’m dragging you down.”
Do you have a list like this? My guess is, you do. And how many things are on that list? For me, the list is too long. Some of the things on it include…
(a) call your cousin Jim (seems simple enough, right?)
(b) edit/create your Maui vacation DVD
(c) write that screenplay – seriously, it’s the next Groundhog Day
(d) write those easy MSU Alumni blog entries …NOW!
(e) start that sales book, which you can write simply from blogging every day
Oh, and the list goes on. Trust me.
Now, I’m not saying you can do everything you want to in a lifetime, but when I think back on the things I’ve done that happened in bursts of inspiration, I kinda amaze myself. Like, did I really try stand-up comedy for 6-months? And, did I really take an improv class and did our troop perform live a few times? Did I really star in a musical or two? Did I really write a book and help contribute 1/2 of another book? Did I really marry the girl I had a crush on since the day I met her in 10th grade? Did I really say those things at those weddings and funerals and nobody told me I didn’t make any sense or that my voice was annoying? Do I really have all these people as friends? They don’t hate me? Really? Did I really complete 3 triathlons? Did I really run a half-marathon once?
My point is, yes, I did all those things. And because I did all those things, I’m happier, today.
I’m not a famous comedian. I’m not a highly-regarded public speaker. I’ve never set any records with my triathlon times. My wife and I don’t appear on the cover of US Weekly or People, nor has Oprah interviewed us about how perfect a loving relationship can be.
But ya know what? That’s OK. I don’t think I did all that stuff for fortune and fame. I did it because it was something to do and I had dreamed of doing it. I don’t wonder what my life would be like if I had only had the courage to ask her out on a date. I don’t wonder if I could’ve been a great stand-up comedian.
Those are “big things” …but for me, burning my vacation footage to DVD is still an accomplishment.
Sometimes on rainy days when we’re stuck inside, my kids ask me to play some of my old DVDs that have footage from when they were babies. Here again, I wanted the video footage I took of them to be something along the lines of Citizen Kane meets The Wonder Years and ideally I’d want the crappy footage edited out, and each DVD to have titles and the chapters on those DVDs to be titled, and I’d want narration, and …
That was never going to happen. However, on those rainy days, when we’re watching some jumpy, poorly lit footage of my wife and I giving our oldest daughter her first bath, or I’m looking back at footage of my, then, 3 and 2 year old dancing to The Wiggles while my very-pregnant wife looks on in the background, it doesn’t matter. We love every minute of it and all the memories it brings back.
So today, and this week as I march towards my 40th birthday, and for the rest of this year and the rest of my life, I’m going to do things as best as I can do them in that moment, knowing days, weeks, months, or years from now, they’ll be perfect …for me.
Things I Did: Business Trip to Wisconsin, Part 2 (Curiosity is an Asset)
The masses have spoken and they’ve said, “Don! We must know more about your business trip to Wisconsin.” Well, OK, you (read: my kids) asked for it, so here you go. Following my 15-minute “burst” life project plan, the cropping and PicStitch‘ing of these photos took most of the time it would take to write a blog …but you’ll notice, my fascination with beer signs and things-on-roofs were highlights for me.
Mostly, this blog is some more photos, but remind me, I have FOUR amazing stories about why Wisconsin people are the nicest people in America. It’s as close as you can get to Canadian kindness in the U.S., is my guess.
Oh, and I decided last night that every one of my blog entries is going to have “a point”. A reason for being posted (other than as a photo album for my kids). So, what’s the point?
Observe life. Make art. All of life is art, if you look for it. For my children, I’m hoping that showing them these pictures and this blog, and telling them stories will somehow cultivate in them a sense of curiosity and wonder. If I were to look at every business trip as a jail-sentence, I’d mope around and go into my daily meetings lethargic and trapped. Instead, because I was focused on the interesting things, I put my mind in a “discovery mode”. Like anything, curiosity takes practice, and the more curious you are, the more likely you are to ask questions. Sometimes I give my 10-year-old grief for asking silly questions …questions I know she knows the answers to. Wait. Before you ridicule me, just try this one on for size.
Daughter: “Daddy. Are we going to have fireworks on 4th of July?”
*** note: she KNOWS we’ll have fireworks, and sparklers. And she KNOWS every year we light some juvenile noise maker fireworks and I sing songs and make speeches and everyone laughs. ***
Me: “You know the answer to that. Why do you ask?”
Truth is, it’s how she tries to strike up a conversation. So I coached her a little and said asking questions is OK, but make them count. Ask me if I’ve already bought fireworks for Up North. Ask what night the city’s fireworks are. Ask why we have fireworks as a tradition on 4th of July (because I honestly don’t know the actual reason, and when it all started, but I would want to find out).
So my point of this blog …let your curiosity run wild. Look at things. Wonder about things. Ask questions. Strike up a conversation and ask real questions (not, “how’s your summer?” but maybe, instead, “where are you going on your next big family vacation?”)
Why is there a cow on the roof? Why is there a hobo on the roof?
Now … on with the photos.
Oh, and yet another trip where I was able to catch-up with an old friend. Here’s me and Dave at the opening night of Milwaukee’s Summerfest, supposedly one of the biggest music festivals in the world. I was able to see a singing DJ guy and watch a buncha kids rockin’ out to bands I don’t recognize, and as I approach my 40th birthday, that helped me feel nice and old. Also, yes, I know my hair is messed up in a weird way in this photo …I almost didn’t post it, but heck …at least I’m 40 and still have my hair. Right? Sorry, bald guys.
Things on roofs.
I felt obligated to, at least, put a cheesehead on. These things aren’t a novelty in Wisconsin. In fact, when I was in Milwaukee’s business district, I saw many men in suits with cheesehead hats and they would tip them and bid “good day” to passing damsels.
That’s allz I gotz for now. Seriously …remind me to tell you about how nice people are in Wisconsin.
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Things I’m Doing: Singing Patriotic Lullabies
For better or worse, when I’m home, when I put the kids to bed, I still say prayers and sing songs. Yes. I sing. And so far, none of my kids have woken up and complained of nightmares. I’m not Frank Sinatra. Heck, I’m not even John Mayer (who is, I think we can all agree, an awful singer with awful songs …right?). But I hit about 70% of the notes I’m trying to hit and the kids haven’t complained …and my wife has never had a heart-to-heart and suggested that I read poetry, maybe, instead.
This week is a theme week and I’m singing “patriotic songs” in honor of the 4th of July, which I explained to my kids is the day American invented fireworks and hot dogs, and it’s also the day of the “great furniture store sale”, a day in American history when the people took to the streets and burned chairs and couches and demanded lower prices on furniture – and that, kids, is why you hear so many furniture ads on the radio right before the 4th of July.
I think kids should know their history.
Last night (because I have 3 kids and I sang each kid two songs), I burned through 5 classic Americana anthems (I think “anthem” is the right word). Should’ve been six songs, but one of the girls wanted to hear “Grand Ol’ Flag”, again. I think I know enough songs to sing some new ones every night, but am I singing the right American songs? For example, today I’m going to teach myself (well, remind myself) “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “The Caisson Song”. Maybe even “Wild Blue Yonder.”
But now this is where you come in, dear reader. Keeping in mind I won’t sing anything by Lee Greenwood or Toby Keith or anything written after 1950 …what am I missing? I’m looking for “standards.” I won’t be up there singing James Brown’s “Livin’ in America” or “We Are the World”. Do you get what I’m saying? Do you get what I’m looking for?
Here’s my set list. What should be added (besides a drum, flute, and a guy carrying a flag)? Thanks for your help, and God Bless America.
“God Bless America”
“The Star Spangled Banner”
“Grand Ol’ Flag”
“Yankee Doodle Dandy”
“My Country ’tis of Thee”
“The Caisson Song” (if that’s actually the title)
“Wild Blue Yonder”
“Battle Hymn of the Republic”
“America the Beautiful” (that’s the one that starts ‘oh, beautiful for spacious skies’ …right?)
(EDIT, ADDITIONS)
“This Land is Your Land”
“Anchor’s Aweigh”
“Ballad of the Green Berets”
“Over There”
“When Johnny Comes Marching Home”
“The Marine Corps Hymn (From the Halls of Montezuma)”
See? This list is woefully short and I know I’m missing some staples that “every American should know.”
Help!
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Things I Did: Business Trip to Wisconsin, Part 1
I’ve decided I’m going to blog about my business trips. Not the “business” part, but the other parts that happen when I’m not working. This blog is mostly assembled for my kids …like a bloggy post-card. But if you like it, hey, more power to ya.
After about only 2-hours in Milwaukee I quickly came to the conclusion that, if I had to pick a new place to live (maybe because I turned states evidence against a mob boss and had to relocate my family with the help of the FBI), I’d pick Milwaukee …or some place in Wisconsin. It’s beautiful. It seemed lacking in humidity. There was cheese. Cheese stands and billboards for cheese and a complete and total statewide pride in cheese. I thought this was the stuff of legend and myth, like, “Seattle is known for coffee,” or, “make sure to get some authentic BBQ in Kansas City,” …and I’m sure those myths are true. But the cheese thing in Wisconsin? It’s everywhere and …it’s …awesome.
Wisconsin is awesome.
I forgot a belt for my trip.
Getting to Wisconsin means having to go through Chicago, and that was torture. I spent 3 hours each way in Chicago traffic. Next time, I’m taking the ferry.
I saw a giant cow statue.
In the quaint town of Fond du Lac, there were bikes hanging from trees.
Maybe I don’t notice it in Michigan, or in the other states I’ve visited, but at some point in history it was a big deal for a beer brand to claim a bar as a “Schlitz bar” or a “Pabst bar” …and times have changed and the windows are littered with your typical Budweiser and Miller neon signs and specials, I was fascinated by the old timey beer signs that still hung outside of dozens of pubs I passed.
Before I left for my trip, my 6-year-old said, “oh, boy, Daddy …Wisconsin! Bring me back some cheese.” I don’t know how she knew about this, but she knew even more than I gave her credit for. In Wisconsin, see, it’s not just a well-aged joke (ha! a cheese pun), but they truly love and celebrate their rich history of cheese. Every highway exit seemed to feature another cheese outlet, and this particular one I stopped at boasted over 150 varieties. It wasn’t an exaggeration. I opted for some beef jerky (because cheese doesn’t travel or ship too well), and some rice popcorn.
Another thing I try and do whenst traveling is visit local eateries. A man can only eat at Applebee’s, Chili’s, and Outback Steakhouse so many times before he snaps. And I’m not saying those places are all bad …if I grow tired of variety and the unknown and just need something familiar, the appeal of those places is their familiarity. However, in Milwaukee a friend of mine said I must eat at Sobelman’s, and their signature burger featured three kinds of cheese and jalapenos. It was incredible. Not to mention, the bartender and the waitress who chatted me up were ridiculously friendly. The friendliness of Wisconsin will be a topic for another blog post.
In the end, it was a great week. More to report tomorrow.
Things I Wonder: Are 15-Minute Bursts Working?
In two recent blog entries I talked about “getting stuff done” and how most of it is simply making a list and doing some of those things on the list. I wondered if, sometimes, we (certainly me) don’t accomplish things on our list because the list is too robust and out of our reach. If “run a marathon” is on my Wednesday “To-Do” list, well, guess what? It ain’t happening. Because if I did get to “run a marathon” today, I’d have to add “finish last will and testament” and “tell my wife I love her” to the list because those are things I’d want to do right before I died trying to run a marathon.
I think I could walk a marathon in my current state …but there would be no running.
Making a list, however, is a great place to start. Once you have a list, at least you’ll have a road map. And if “run a marathon” doesn’t get accomplished, you can adjust. Keep “run a marathon” as a long-term goal, but for your daily to-do list, make it “run for 15-minutes.” Eventually you can make that “run 3 miles” (which I won’t be doing in 15-minutes …more like 30-minutes …but that’s OK …it’ll take two of my 15-minute bursts, and it’s something I want to do).
For example, I’ve always enjoyed writing nonsensical things at spunkybean and sometimes people read my various recaps. It keeps my creative juices flowing, helps me write my other stuff, and it’s fun. A few people had asked me, “where are you Bachelorette recaps?” I had no excuses other than I used to spend an hour or more writing those things and making sure they were perfect, and funny, and then I’d want to make sure keywords and hotlinks and images were included, so I built up this “fun” bit of writing I’d always done into some huge, make-it-or-break-it project with a deadline. I started to stress out as if I was writing the State of the Union for the President when, in reality, it was nothing more than a sarcastic, silly recap of a ridiculous TV show.
So, I added “write recap of The Bachelorette” to my daily 15-minute burst to-do list, and viola! I spent 20-minutes Monday writing something. Then 20-minutes yesterday. And …if you go to spunkybean, you’ll see a Bachelorette recap.
And what about the rest of the stuff on my to-do list that I didn’t get done? Because I’m accomplishing so many little “bursts” of things, and I’m figuring out how to make a realistic daily to-do list, I still feel better and accomplished at the end of the day. This week, I exercised Monday and Tuesday. I wrote both days. I managed my workday in the same way (I didn’t blog about my to-do at work, but I’m approaching it the same way). I feel great.
Today’s to-do list looks very similar to my list from last week and the weekend, but it’s OK. I’ve spent a 1/2 hour on each of these things and unlike before, sitting there thinking each is a mountain or marathon of a task, I’m nearly done with at least six things here.
*** and now I have :50-seconds remaining to finish this blog ***
1. Write a blog entry on amazing actress friend for MSU Alumni blog
2. Write a blog entry on amazing reality-TV friend for MSU Alumni blog
3. Start writing TV-show pitch starring amazing friend in wheel-chair
4. Spray roof with mildew/mold remover
5. Clean out gutters
6. Clean crud off gutters
7. Finish Bachelorette recap for spunkybean and post.
8. Embed Stephen Colbert’s eulogy into a new post for tomorrow.
9. Start planning coffee party.
10. Start planning bowling party.
See you tomorrow. Good luck with your list of :15-minute bursts of awesome.
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Things I Did: Switched Shampoo
This is difficult for me to talk about, but here goes nothing. I had dandruff. I itched and saw flakes and it was hard for me to go out in the streets. So I did what any normal dude would do …I switched to Head & Shoulders. Hell, it’s been around for 50 years (I didn’t look that up) and because of how prevalent it is, and all the commercials I’ve seen over the decades, I just assumed, “hey, every dude must have this problem and I guess this is what I should do.”
Flash forward 4 months (from when I switched to Head & Shoulders, not from this moment) and there I was sitting in my hair stylist’s chair and she says to me, “what shampoo are you using?”
“Why,” I asked with dread and apprehension in my voice?
“Because your hair is very dry and thin and weak,” she went on.
I immediately broke into tears and near hysterics and she and some other stylists had to restrain me and quickly took the gourmet coffee they give me and replaced with calming tea and invited me to the shampooing station. What followed, for the next few hours, was a recommitment to proper shampooing and conditioning, a pledge to use room temperature water (or colder) when shampooing, and overall, a commitment to better hair products.
I’m proud to say, 4 weeks later (which is right now, not four weeks from today), my hair is vibrant and alive and a source of pride once more. The ladies at the hair consulting agency (you may call this a “salon”) switched me to a mild Paul Mitchell product intended to build body and moisturize and I can tell you right now …it worked.
Thank you, Svetlana and thank you Paul Mitchell. It all goes with my “top-down” theory. It starts with your head of hair and if you get that right, it “trickles down” to your brain, your words coming out of your mouth, the sparkle in your eyes, the song in your heart (which, for me, is Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy” … always), and a pep in your step.
Thanks, dear readers, for listening. Thanks, in advance, for the supportive Facebook and Twitter comments. It’s been a rough month of June, but summertime and the rest of 2013 will be all right. No …it will be GREAT.
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Things I’m Doing: 15-Minute Bursts
I wasn’t kidding when I wrote yesterday’s blog post. I’m really going to try “15-minute bursts” of creativity and activity and see what that does for my accomplishments and to-do list. It worked great for one day. I didn’t get everything done on my to-do list, but I felt alot less overwhelmed and now, a day later, after accomplishing soooooooo much, I feel super optimistic and a little more realistic about the list.
Interestingly enough, one of my favorite bloggers (The Write Now! Coach) wrote something very similar, and I loved it. Must be something in the news that triggered a blog entry about time-management of all of us.
“You may be wondering, ‘How will I ever finish my book this way?”’Yeah, when you have a big goal like writing a book, taking baby steps does sound a bit counterintuitive. Think about it this way. If you wrote just 200 words a day—that’s less than a double-spaced page—you’d have a 73, 000-word book at the end of the year. Wow.” -Rochelle Melander, The Write Now! Coach
New philosophy …when planning a day full of activity and “bursts”, I think I need to be more realistic in defining those bursts. For instance, we can’t put “climb Mt. Everest” on our list and plan to spend 15-minutes doing it, with the assumption that, “hey, if I spend 15-minutes a day climbing toward the peak of Mt. Everest, and not a minute more, eventually I reach the summit.” While technically it’s true, it’s also not something that should be on my list for yesterday or today considering (a) I’m in Michigan, (b) I’ve never climbed anything and don’t have a plan, gear, or expertise, and (c) I have a job, family, and life to live.
The point is, long-term and “big goals” need a separate list.
(7.5 minutes)
If climbing Mt. Everest was my goal, maybe my list would include a bullet-item like, “check-out book on climbing Mt. Everest from my library.” That’s something I can easily do in a 15-minute burst and then I’m inching myself ever closer.
In reviewing my list, did I include a “Mt. Everest” item? Maybe. Maybe trimming the big bush in front of my house was a little over-reaching and was more than a 15-minute job. It took nearly 45-minutes. But ya know what …I couldn’t have stopped at 15-minutes. My front yard would’ve looked like crap. Heck. It took almost 10-minutes to get the ladder, hedge trimmer, saw, lawn/leaf bags, and my extension chord out.
In the end, I felt mega-accomplished and when I sat for a few minutes on my couch last night to watch a little TV, it was more relaxing because I knew I had a full day.
(10 minutes)
1. Write a blog entry on amazing actress friend for MSU Alumni blog
2. Write a blog entry on amazing reality-TV friend for MSU Alumni blog
3. Start writing TV-show pitch starring amazing friend in wheel-chair
4. Spray roof with mildew/mold remover
5. Clean out gutters
6. Clean crud off gutters
7. Finish Bachelorette recap for spunkybean and post.
8. Spend 2-hours writing for my writing/social media clients.
9. Embed Stephen Colbert’s eulogy into a new post for tomorrow.
10. Start planning coffee party.
11. Start planning bowling party.
(14 minutes)
I went back and proof-read this, just now.
(17 minutes).
And the fact I spent two extra minutes on this blog entry doesn’t bother me one bit.
Things I Will Do: Check-Off Everything on this List
One of these days I’m going to have a burst of inspiration and it’s going to stick. One of these days I’m going to change my life, take control of my life, stop letting life happen to me, and make life happen.
Is that cliche enough for ya?
Maybe today’s the day. Well, today is a day where I’m feeling shot-out-of-a-cannon and can’t wait for the day to get started. I’m going to sell. I’m going to write. I’m going to create. I’m going to tell a story. I’m going to call friends I haven’t called. I’m going to smile at everyone I meet. I’m going to set appointments. I’m going to close a sale. I’m going to have a great conversation with a good friend.
(4-minutes)
And I’m going to do it in 15-minute intervals.
As I’ve mentioned, I’m traveling quite a bit with this new job. I should’e marked on a calendar how many nights I’ve spent in hotels since March 1st. I’m guessing I’m pushing 40 nights away from home. Gulp. Well, for a while, I was using all the time traveling and driving around to listen to music until this last trip. Good friend Myndi suggested I start downloading some Podcasts and I had been ignoring that advice, and then I stopped ignoring that advice.
Podcasts are great. And there’s a podcast for just about any topic. I chose a few on writing and grammar (Grammar Girl, I Should be Writing, and Writing Excuses), a couple of funny and entertaining podcasts (Sklarbro Country and Comedy Bang Bang), and a few self-help and motivating choices (Get-it-Done Guy and Good Life Project).
These last two have been the most meaningful. Good Life Project podcasts are 30- to 45-minutes with an author or someone fascinating and it’s unfiltered insight into how their mind works. And what I like, is that I can take little bits of brilliance from each podcast and apply it. I can’t apply everything, but I can apply quite a bit. It’s like a reminder to step back and take a deep breath, and revisit your “plan” (if you had a plan) or make a plan.
(9-minutes)
Gotta quick finish this up …I only gave myself 15-minutes to write and post this blog entry …and that’s because something in Good Life Project said I should break tasks into 15-minute segments. When we spend hours and hours on something, we’re either intimidated by the thought of spending all those hours or it’s self-destructive.
For me …it’s true. Every day I say, “I need to write on my blog,” and then I don’t because I see the task as being something that will take me nearly an hour …even though I know it doesn’t have to.
(13-minutes)
So, I’ll conclude with this. I feel better for not entirely finishing my thoughts and this blog entry and I have something “to be continued” on tomorrow’s blog. I set a timer for 15-minutes and those 15-minutes are nearly finished and I’ll quickly start my to-do list and blog a little more atcha tomorrow. Do you have 15-minutes, right now, to do something you’ve been meaning to do? Get started – that’s the most important part.
1. Write a blog entry on amazing actress friend for MSU Alumni blog
2. Call J.S.
3. Call M.W.
4. Write a blog entry on amazing reality-TV friend for MSU Alumni blog
5. Start writing TV-show pitch starring amazing friend in wheel-chair
6. Spray roof with mildew/mold remover
7. Trim big bush in front of my house
8. Clean out gutters
9. Clean crud off gutters
10. Write quick Bachelor recap for spunkybean.
11. Stop worrying that I didn’t properly link all the references in this blog entry.
12. Revisit this blog-entry and insert hyperlinks to all my references. Check spelling, grammar.
13. Spend 15-minutes promoting this blog entry via Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, and every place else I can think of sharing it in 15-minutes.
14. Read two blogs from people I hope read my blog.
15. Finish Bachelorette recap for spunkybean and post.
Phew. This felt great. And my coffee is still warm.
(17-minutes)
Things I’m Doing: Getting Better at Traveling
Traveling. Let’s talk about it. I know I’m not the only guy who’s ever had to travel, and I’m betting I’m not the only one who’s had to adjust. The first few trips made me feel isolated, incredibly guilty about leaving my family, and anxious. I couldn’t sleep more than two hours at a time. I stayed up too late (thinking that being “over tired” would help me sleep better) and woke up too early.
I’m on my way to remedying that, however. I’m taking control of my travel. If you travel, you have to “take control” or I think you’ll go insane. A few weeks ago, I met-up with my Uncle and Cousin while on a trip out east – had dinner with my Uncle two nights in a row, actually. And this week, while spending four days away, I met up with my old college roommate, Tim. I didn’t plan anything because, well, if you plan something to the minute, something will get screwed up. Instead I called him around lunch-time, said I’m in town, and he and his family happened to have a free evening.
It was great. We determined we hadn’t seen each other, and talked only minimally, in about 6 years …and, yet, we spent two hours together and it’s like we just saw each other a few weeks, ago. Laughed about our old antics (velociraptor attacks, Civilization in the MSU computer labs, and turning every life scenario into a scene from A Few Good Men), exchanged philosophies of life, and we even went shopping. Yes, seriously. We went shopping.
6 years is too long. On Monday, we only spent about 2 1/2 hours eating dinner and sharing a few beers, but I could’ve hung out with him for 6 hours or 6 days – which is why we said we MUST plan a big, group cruise at some point in the future.
To remedy my sleep situation, I also decided I need to exercise every night and then get to bed slightly earlier (rather than later) and limit my computer/TV/iPad time because that light is said to disrupt sleep patterns. I’m happy to report, I had two good nights of sleep. I still woke up, inexplicably, at 4 a.m. both nights, but I found it easier to get back to sleep.
I did exercise both nights. Did a very, very slow run-walk thing on Monday and had about a 13-minute pace. Tuesday I did some weights and then ran a mile. Check it out …I ran (well, jogged) a 12-minute mile at a 1.5 incline on the treadmill. Hey. Don’t laugh. It’s a start. And considering last week, out of the blue, I had a slight lung-blood flair up, this is a big step.
‘Tis a pretty boring blog entry, I know. And I could make it more boring by telling you about how I sorta have a crush on Holiday Inn, but I’ll save that for another entry.
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Don Kowalewski 