beBetter 

The COVID-19 pandemic has quickly altered our course and coping with a new business model focused on managing a productive remote work environment is our new reality. This is on top of the technology transformation that is already underway in our profession and for all business enterprises. We have a new norm overnight, and that means things will be hard and we are going to make mistakes. 

I’m on my four-wheeler today as I head towards my favorite oxbow lake to see if I can catch my favorite fish, crappie! It has been raining for days so the four-wheeler trail is a muddy mess, but I’m smiling all the way back to the lake. It is so much fun to get on this lake all alone and enjoy the sights and sounds of God’s beautiful creation. Catching a few crappie will be the icing on the cake.  

Have you ever taken a shot to the gut? The kind that literally takes your breath and leaves you gasping for air? I had such an experience recently, and I found myself gasping at how far we have to go as a profession when it comes to female talent.

Dressed for work, I’m walking into the den to kiss CeCe bye this morning.  I get two steps into the room and hear, “Ha! You changed your hair!” CeCe, as you might have noticed in previous blogs, is the most observant person I have ever been around and that includes my Mom, who always knew when we were up to no good. 

It’s my first trip back into our cabin after seven months of flooding. I have no idea what I’m going to find besides lots of Mississippi river mud. As I drive up, I’m pleasantly surprised to see that everything appears to be in great shape other than the heavy mud on everything. 

It’s a steamy August morning, and I’m on my way to Eagle Lake, MS. A high-power pressure washer is loaded in the back of my truck, and I expect it will be my companion for the next six to eight hours.

From my experiences, many of which I have shared in this blog, I think God sees the need to serve me some humble pie fairly frequently. My recent experience in church was so funny, all we could do was laugh – and snap a picture to share at my expense, of course. 

CeCe and I are driving in from the Fraser River Valley area to the rental car return at Vancouver Airport in heavy traffic. What should have been a 2-hour drive has turned into 4 hours of stressed filled stop and go. Five days earlier, we had rented a car in downtown Vancouver to enjoy some scheduled vacation time fly fishing and hiking, which happen to be our favorite things to do together. Our rental car is practically brand new and loaded with technology, including a GPS.

We have all heard the phrase “no pain, no gain.” And the promise of greater rewards for the price of painful work has certainly proven true in most aspects of my life. But how does “no pain, no gain” apply to the future of our profession? 

Gosh, it’s already 7:45 a.m. as I jump into the shower after a quick shave. I’ve got little time to spare before an 8:30 meeting. Shampoo my hair, quick rinse and reach for the bar of soap. No soap! Dang, I had this same problem yesterday and forgot to put a new bar in here. I’m not using CeCe’s perfumed bath wash again — I got some strange looks yesterday. Nope, I’m going to step out and get a bar of soap.

It’s day two in Newport, Rhode Island, and simply a beautiful morning right before sunrise as I prepare to take on the Cliff Walk at The Chanler. Yesterday, I walked and jogged about two miles out on the Cliff Walk when I had to turn back so I could be at my meeting on time. Today, I am starting just before daybreak so I can go the full three miles out and back as I am determined to see the beautiful point of this amazing Cliff Walk. I know from yesterday that I will incur sidewalks, dirt paths, tunnels and some treacherous rocks on the way.

As I finish up reconciling our personal accounts to provide our tax department with our tax information, it's evident that CeCe and I both have spent too much money on certain aspects of our budget. We were not good stewards of our blessings this year. I’ve noticed that as I near retirement, I am more sensitive to this stewardship than in my youth. If only we could have more wisdom in our youth!

One of our family traditions at Christmas is to host the kids and grandkids a couple of weeks early so they can stay home on Christmas Day and enjoy Santa and all the festivities that we are blessed to enjoy. My favorite time is when I read the Christmas story to our grandkids as they listen so intently. (I’ve also learned they are even more attentive when they know the gift exchange is up next. Ha!) They love seeing the pictures of baby Jesus in the manger. And for our family, it is really important that they understand the real reason we celebrate Christmas.