wordsworth

J&E:

Having a little coffee. Tossing the tennis ball to Riley. Thinking about you all.

How was the band competition? Any stories? Did a tuba player trip on field, break his teeth, and require oral surgery?

The flight and the down time here have given me a chance to read more of Seven Habits. I got to around page ninety last night then got distracted. I began to wonder if there wasn’t a subtext to the message, a subliminal message. Where is the compassion? That’s what I am going to be asking myself when I get back to the book this evening. Too, there was one message in the book that falls short of what I have been recently taught.

The book from page sixty-six forward talks about using willpower to chose the right response to challenges like rude behavior, temptations of revenge, and the mysteries of sex, drugs, and alcohol. It was willpower in relation to “rude” behavior that got my attention. Willpower is often the only effective recourse to sex, drugs, and alcohol. But when it comes to rude behavior, one thing I’ve been told is that when I judge behavior I start with a basis for the judgement. So, it’s been suggested that changing the basis of my judgment, changing my belief, removes the need for willpower. Nevertheless, as I write this I see the importance of the habit of willpower and I’m glad you, Ellen, have introduced us to this book. It’s a fresh approach.

Lots of dogs here. Riley is a small Brittany. She is intense. Her favorite toy is a tennis ball. Any tennis ball. And she will freeze, nose pointed and eyes fixed upon the ball, for as long as it takes for someone to notice and toss the ball for her to chase. She has the bird dog gene for sure.

John is in eigth grade and huge. The two of us were sent to the men’s section of Kuhl’s last night to find a pair of shoes. Quess his size? Thirteen! Or, Forty-seven if you’re in Europe. Yeah. Thirteen. In the eigth grade.

The two of us were opening shoe boxes when suddenly John’s face registered complete surprise. He’d found a muddy pair of shoes in a brand new shoe box. Quess someone wasn’t exercising their willpower. Really. The muddy shoes were in almost perfect shape. The thief was simply ‘thrill’ shopping. Or, just shop-lifting.

Cody spent the evening with eight giggling drama queens. Really. It was a pizza party for the drama club and the other boy in the club failed to show. One boy. Eight girls. Hmmm. I think I’d join drama myself. Oh. That’s right. I did. Hmmm.

Leslie has a friend dad’s age that makes a simple bolo tie. I think I’m going to get myself one.

Mom’s awake now and taking charge. I think I’ll end here and pick up at another time.

Dadvid