beBetter 

Oh, how I love my first cup of coffee early in the morning. Sometimes, I’ll grind my own beans and make a big pot, especially if we have overnight guests. But for workdays, it’s usually just a Keurig pod. This morning, I walk into the kitchen, let Oliver out the patio door, grab my coffee pod, pop it in the Keurig and we are moments away from starting another great day.

“Will you hang these curtains back up? I have the hooks already in them.”

I gaze over at the pile of curtains sitting on our den couch and then up to the tall windows. I’m thinking this will require the ladder for sure.

“Sure, CeCe, that’s the very next thing I will do. Just let me finish with this blog.”

Three hours later, I had my blog draft ready, the dog walked, scoured my Ole Miss football news, paid some bills and finished a snack. Then the glare from the sun hits me right in the eyes as I walk by and I am immediately reminded of the glare that I’m going to get from CeCe when she walks into the room. Oops! I have completely forgotten the curtains.

This is Oliver, our five-pound Yorkie who just turned one year old. He is such a treat and has a boundless personality. He loves people and dogs. Jumping high in the air to pop bubbles with the kids or fishing with me on a lazy Saturday, he enjoys life.  

Today’s picture really caught my attention because of what Oliver is doing and how focused  he is on it. This is a regular activity, and it has paid big dividends as he now has lots of neighborhood friends, including several dog buddies that come over for playtime. Our neighbors have noted they can’t walk their usual dog-walking route because their dogs throw a fit until they go by Oliver’s house to see if he is outside for playtime. Ha!

CeCe has an upcoming medical procedure that many of us over the age of 50 endure every five years or so. And I just received notice that I have a very important meeting which will take me out of the state for three days which, as you might guess, hits right on the date of her procedure. 

CeCe is the guardian of her Aunt Kate, who is a resident at an independent living facility about two miles from our house. Aunt Kate is 83 and a retired teacher and principal. She is bright as ever, always keeps up with current events, however, she has begun to have short-term bouts with confusion. This has not really caused any real problems and she still drives her car for short errands around town. Well, no problems until tonight.  

"Wow, CeCe, you look like you have had a long day," as I come into our den after work.  

It’s Tuesday morning and I have just completed a blazing 3.5-mile jog. (I have to tell myself these exaggerations so I will go again.) Completing my stretching on our carport, I open our patio door and step inside. Before I can close the door, CeCe greets me with some bad news.

Last week, we had just cleaned up the duck eggs from our front yard when one egg exploded filled the air with a stench that nearly brought me to my knees. After hosing the sidewalk down, I ran into the house to get away from this smell that was continuing to make me gag.  

We have been excited the last few weeks watching a mallard hen nesting in our front yard rose bush. She has three eggs but we have not seen her on the nest in over a week. So this afternoon, we are checking one final time to confirm she has abandoned her nest. We were looking forward to seeing the little ducklings make their way back to the lake but it does not appear it will happen this year.

Well, I’m back on the ladder today working on the chimes that I hung a few weeks ago. 

It seems that I installed them with one strand slightly too far away from the other two, which resulted in chimes only during the biggest gusts of wind. CeCe says it takes a thunderstorm to ring our chimes. As you know, I was very proud of my original installation of these chimes. People have commented on them numerous times, although I don’t think they got to hear their sweet sound. 

As I push the spout down on my giant bottle of Aveda Rosemary Mint shampoo, a big generous blob of shampoo runs into my hand. Now I know this is more shampoo than I need for this thinning hair of mine, but something always prevents me from stopping with just a half push. I love this shampoo — its smell is incredible and I believe it gives my hair a little more body. 

Sitting on the balcony of an 18th-floor condo overlooking the beach, it’s a great time to reflect, recharge and THINK. We are on our annual Havens Beach Retreat with almost 40 family members including kids and grandkids. Mom and Pop Joe are the headliners and run the nightly domino games. What a blessing with a mixture of fun and chaos!

My workout is done and it’s time to jump in the shower, refresh and head into the office. I’m really excited this morning as things are trending to more and more in-person meetings and opportunities. Even introverts like me need connections and when we interact, it helps us grow faster towards our full potential. But first, back to the shower.