Not All Peaches & Cream

On By jeff ludlumIn scienceLeave a comment

Feeling the flip-side acutely just now. Rough night on a couple levels, one kid in particular, Number 3, she lost her frickin’ mind as the evening waned.

It put a thick coating of woe on everyone. The other two seemed no worse for the wear. Me, not so much. Foul mood to bed, never a good thing.

Then in the morning, the two kids that witnessed the meltdown, they mentioned it to Number 3. She started spinning again, threatening another crash; thankfully it was a shallow spiral, and she shook it loose (with some help).

All this in the first hour of getting the house going for another day of “Shelter In Place”, “Work From Home”, “Learn From Home”, all running in parallel.

All pretty standard, really. Three kids under 10, shit happens, feathers frequently ruffled, perseverence the order of the day, every day.

So what’s the point?

Someone recently said to me, “You know, you project this Positive Attiude, send out all these Good Vibes, but your own attitude and response to things isn’t always so great.”

That’s EXACTLY the point. I do what I do and generate the ideas and thoughts and motivators and props, and really most everything coming out that’s GOOD?

It’s my fundamental effort to direct my OWN attitude, push myself in the right direction, keep myself going in a positive direction.

I’m sure I’ve shared this before, but it certainly bears repeating.

I do NOT think life is all peaches & cream.

But I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let the struggles, the misfortunes, the failures, the difficulties have the last word.

Churchill is famously quoted as saying, “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat…”, when he took over as Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1940, with the nation (and the whole of Europe) already embroiled in war with Nazi Germany.

So let’s be clear, I’m no Winston Churchill; but I do understand very well his mentality and his resolve. And I offer the bright side, the glass half full, a single candle even in the seemingly immutable darkness.

Because even thought it’s often not easy, even though difficulty and even suffering are all too common, what will prevail? GOOD.

Good will prevail. Let’s make it so as best we can every hour, every day.

Easy Is OK

On By jeff ludlumIn Attitude, examples, Happy, Insight, leadership, mental health, scienceLeave a comment

Sometimes it’s ok to go the easy route. In fact, it’s the smart thing to do if you know the outcome will be to your liking.

If you take the tried and true path, it might also afford you more time for other things; maybe those new and more challenging things you haven’t gotten to.

Simple example? Maybe using the “Popcorn” setting on the microwave. Follow the guidelines, easy peasy, perfect, completely-popped popcorn.

Been making a lot of that lately for kid snacks during the “work/school day” at home while we shelter in place from the Coronavirus.

Taking the easy route is ok. If you get the chance, give it a try.

Romance Sprinkled Respite

On By jeff ludlumIn Attitude, Happy, lifestyle, mental health, PlaceLeave a comment

Gratitude to start the week. Gratitude to start every day. Extra bunch of grateful just now, after a short weekend escape sans children.

Grateful to my beloved for planning it.

Grateful for the support for the kids so we could get away.

Grateful for living so close to a very different, wild, and beautiful place.

Grateful for the walks on the beach, for the conversations.

Grateful to have the chance to be just the two of us, reflecting and remembering and rekindling and refocusing an resetting our coupleness, romance advanced, time well spent.

Just GRATEFUL. To be fortified. Recharged. Ready now once again.

Into Week Three, we continue in this COVID-19 Shelter In Place, Social Distancing, in collective efforts with our global cohort, to beat this virus back, stay safe, and save lives.

A few images linger…

Slow.
View.
Flock.
Last stop.
Back home. GRATITUDE.

Good Where You Least Expect

On By jeff ludlumIn Attitude, culture, faith, Happy, Insight, leadership, mental health, parenting, politics, scienceLeave a comment
How to discern good, how to find it, especially during difficult times? How to hear the truth above the din of naysayers? The reading from the Gospel of John 7, one of the phrases stands out for me: “…no prophet arises from Galilee…”, said the Pharisees of Jesus. This was in response to some saying, “Listen to how he teaches,” and others saying , “perhaps he is the Christ.” In other words, good can’t come from there. You’re mistaken: what you think is wrong. I find the exact opposite to be true from this excerpt. I find instead this lesson: maybe Good reaches us, maybe God speaks to us, sometimes from the least expected places. We’re in the midst of a life-changing pandemic right now. Even if we don’t get sick ourselves, even if our loved ones stay healthy too, most everyone’s life is turned upside down right now. We don’t know how it’s going to play out. We have to wait and see. Even in the dark, in the dirty, the dull and bland and difficult, we might find a bit of wisdom, some unexpected beauty, a splash of color. In the midst, let’s look for the lessons about how to cope, what changes we can make, to the what and how of the moment, and let’s cope and support each other and learn the lessons. We’ll be better for it.

Inspirations, COVID-19 Sequester Week Two

On By jeff ludlumIn Attitude, culture, family, Insight, leadership, lifestyle, marriage, mental health, parenting, scienceLeave a comment

Low simmer of stress. Emotional ups and downs for sure.

Overall Family Goal: Adapting, accommodating, making the best of the circumstances. Second week, the whole family home for work and school and life and staying safe. Keep life going forward for two adults and three little kids.

The Community Goal: “Flatten the Curve” and stay healthy, as the health professionals get a handle on the pandemic, save lives, and keep more people safe from the virus overall.

So, some wandering inspirations along the way…

Garage Office: do what you can where you are.
Do the simple things: replacing the hand towels a lot more often because we’re at home washing hands all day, everyday.
Creative lunch prep: eat what’s there.
Efficient Kitchen Service: keep getting better.
We’re still on the front end of this outbreak: STAY HOME
Get your steps in: I’ve been walking this backyard path a lot these past two weeks.
Glad to have more time with this one.
And this one too: enjoy the sun.
YES: Inspiration everywhere. This found on a walk this week.

COVID-19: Listen to the Science, Stay Home

On By jeff ludlumIn Attitude, Insight, leadership, mental health, parenting, politics, scienceLeave a comment

I live in one of the so-called “hot-spots” for the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States: Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Depending on where you draw the boundaries, we have about 5 million people in the are; there are more than a million in our county alone.

Our kids have been at home since they were furloughed from school on 03/13/2020; we’ve all been home since the county (and area-wide) order to “shelter in place” was released.

It hasn’t been easy, but it could be a lot worse. A LOT worse. My whole family is heathy, my wife and I can still work and get paid, our kids are doing ok overall with the sequester regime; we’re really blessed, given the circumstances, I say.

All that said, this pandemic and the crisis it’s created…it will fully be a defining time for multiple generations of people; here in the US, and around the world.

We are still on the front-end of events where I live; the same goes from coast to coast, Pacific to Atlantic, and North to South too. We really don’t know how many people have been exposed, or infected. Thousands have died already around the world; hundreds of thousands more have been stricken.

Here in America, there are cases in all fifty states. Nearly a thousand people have died already, and tens of thousands have become sick with COVID-19.

It’s VITAL that we all work together, all follow the orders and protocols that have been established, to slow the spread (“flatten the curve”), as the experts are saying, and save lives.

So let’s stay home, listen and trust the science.

Let’s work together, to help our communities get through this difficult time.

Lean into the difficulty, the changes, the hardships big and small.

Make it so, and thus, make it GOOD.

Lyrics Post: “Pokémon Theme”

On By jeff ludlumIn art, culture, musicLeave a comment

Over and over I listen to this with my son. It’s kinda catchy.

(originally by Jason Paige)

“I want to be the very best
Like no one ever was
To catch them
Is my real test
To train them
Is my cause
(Ooh)
I will travel across the land
Searchin’ far and wide
Each Pokémon
To understand
The power that’s inside
(Power inside)

Pokémon
It’s you and me
I know it’s my destiny
Pokémon
Ooh you’re my best friend
In a world we must defend
Pokémon
A heart so true
Our courage will pull us through
You teach me
And I’ll teach you
Pokémon
(Gotta catch ’em)
Gotta catch ’em
Gotta catch ’em all

Every challenge along the way
With courage I will face
I will battle everyday
To claim my rightful place
Come with me
The time is right
There’s no better team
Arm and arm
We’ll win the fight
It’s always been a dream

Pokémon
It’s you and me
I know it’s my destiny
Pokémon
Ooh you’re my best friend
In a world we must defend
Pokémon
A heart so true
Our courage will
Pull us through
You teach me
And I’ll teach you
Pokémon
(Gotta catch ’em)
Gotta catch ’em
(Pokémon)

Pokémon
It’s you and me
I know it’s my destiny
Pokémon
Ooh you’re my best friend
In a world we must defend
Pokémon
A heart so true
Our courage will
Pull us through
You teach me
And I’ll teach you
Pokémon
(I’ll catch you)
(Gotta catch ’em
Gotta catch ’em
Gotta catch ’em all
Pokémon…”

Glad to finally have a first-person glimpse into the wonder that is, Pokémon.