The Success of the Journey

Scott lost the election to a 7th grade girl which wasn't a big deal.  He wasn't upset over it and I am so happy that he ran for office.  I hope all my children participate in school elections.  It is such a great experience to come up with a speech, campaign and help change the school for better in their message. Total success.  Scott is someone who would be happy with just 1 buddy. In kindergarten he had his 1 great friend, same through elementary school.  He hangs out in groups but is like Danny that he needs 1 good friend.  The election was an opportunity to reach out to different groups, different people and that is perhaps the greatest life lesson we can learn in life.  A lesson that can be hard for anyone, especially a middle schooler.  He can be overly competitive and all about the end result instead of the journey and I feel like this was all about the journey.  It came at an amazing time that our family was talking a lot about kindness and that was the focus of his campaign.  So proud of him, so proud of his growth.  One of the best things he has had the opportunities to do in 6th grade.  He already is talking about ideas he has for next years election.  Not sure if he will do student council or not for his elective. I think they have a meeting on Friday to go over electives but really wants to do jazz band which takes up 2 electives because you also have to do normal band so we shall see.

He is trying out for Jazz Band today and has been working hard on that.  Danny has been teaching him piano but it might be time to get a real teacher.  Scott has a hard time working through hard things.  Life generally comes pretty easy for him and when something is difficult he can get easily distracted or frustrated.  He would practice songs and then just play the parts that he got over and over and over again ignoring the parts he didn't get.  On the way to school today we talked about what he learned about himself as he learned the songs.  Recognizing how to get through difficult things was a point brought up.  Whatever the outcome I am proud of him for trying out.  I think he grew a lot as a pianist and person this past month.  He left a lot of it til last minute underestimating that it would be difficult which was a great life lesson. 

This is often the focus I take with swim parents.  So often they are focused on the end result of getting a certain time or certain place.  The placing is often out of the kids hands.  While it is good to learn to race, their success can't be measured on another's performance.  A certain time is often dependent on the journey so I think it is so important to not underestimate or applaud the journey, learn from the journey and grow from the journey.  He definitely grew from the journey of trying out which I hope he applies to life.  I think jazz band would be great for him so hope he makes it.  He needs something to help motivate and push him in piano.  If not this, hopefully we can find something else.  Maybe lessons or another group so we shall see. 

Hanna Ruth

Hanna is 6.5 months. I can't believe how fast the months have gone.  She is an absolute angel.  Sometimes people post that or say that about their baby, but she really is.  I have thought about what makes her the easiest baby.  Some of it is relativity.  A 6th baby everything is second nature.  You go to the store with a spare diaper in the car and the easiest thing is your baby.  Some of it might be I yearned for her and prayed for her and thought I would never have her.  She is a miracle.  Some of it might be that my last baby was born at a time when life was so physically and emotionally busy with being a caretaker for my mom and dad.  I think those things all attribute to the ease of her, however, she is just the best.  An absolute angel who I love being with and caring for all the time.  She sleeps though the night, rocks herself in her carseat, comes with me wherever I go and very rarely cries.  I am so grateful!  I love her so much!  She is just starting to try to army crawl to her destination which is usually a toy on the ground.  Not a baby toy, but something she can play with like a scooter wheel or nerf gun that a sibling left out.  She gives the biggest smiles.  Anyone who looks or smiles at her is sure to get a big grin back.  People just love it.  Strangers just look at her and are filled with her big grin.  It exuberates happiness.  I hope she has that in life.  I have thought about gifts and one thing that I am so grateful for is that I love being around people and generally love life.  Don't get me wrong in that I don't love the moments of kids fighting or piles of wash or cleaning my home for the millionth time.  Those moments unravel me but for the most part I am so grateful for life and the adventure of life.  I hope she has that.  For now, we are so filled by her.  Love her so much!  So grateful for our caboose.  Miracle from heaven.

Buying an Answering Machine

I have waisted countless hours (not exaggerating) of my life with both comcast and ATT.  Danny bought a second dental practice which needs the same carrier.  Unfortunately, one had ATT and the other Comcast.  After doing my homework and comparing the two companies we choose Comcast.  I was afraid they would cancel the ATT service before we switched the practice over to Comcast.  Everyone assures me that willn't happen.  I wanted to overlap the service for a week just in case they screwed up. Again, reassured that would never happen and isn't possible because the number has to be released from one to another.

Well, Danny went into the office and voicemail and call forwarding were cancelled.  Comcast couldn't set it up because their phone lines weren't in and ATT couldn't reinstate it because they had released the numbers.  I called one and they said I had to reach out to the other.  Neither could do anything.  A tech came to install Comcast and came too late to do anything.  He was rescheduled and didn't show.  The date was days away and when I tried to move it sooner, they couldn't do it because the other carrier would then push the date back a mandatory 5 more days.

It was CRAZY!  Nobody could help.  I was willing to pay.  I was willing to do whatever but they just blamed the other and said there was nothing they could do.

Well, I have had these crazy experiences lately that test my patience to the max.  Make me want to hit my head against the wall.  With people, with businesses, with doctors appts, with pool issues.  I step back and wonder if I am going crazy then I realize that I am praying for more patience and keenly aware I need to work on patience and recognize that these are indeed helping me gain patience amidst loosing my mind.

So after getting nowhere.  After managers managers want to help me but just can't because the account is frozen on both ends, I go online to look for an answering machine.  Office Depot has one but it isn't in the store.  In fact almost every company has them but only avaiable online unless I want a pretty expensive whole phone system.  After 5 simple minutes of looking Walmart can get it delivered to the store same day which was just a couple of hours left for less than $20...AMAZING!

Put in my credit card, they sent me a text and I just go pick it up at the desk.  So did I learn my lesson of patience?  Yes!  I learned that sometimes we have to think outside the box.  Instead of getting frustrated that there must be a solution, sometimes there is a much simpler solution down a different road.

So as much as my day was a total waste, spent on the phone with companies who were useless, I learned to not bang my head against the wall.  Not even loose my cool and just find a solution.  If only I thought of it right away, but then I guess I would have missed out on the important lesson of owning a business. Just get it done.  Think outside the box.  There is always a solution. Empowering I tell ya!