3rd Blog Anniversary

It has been three years since I made the decision to start blogging again. At the time it was a means to keep my mind busy while working the night shift and, honestly, I didn’t expect it to last too long especially after I started working during the day again. Over the years there have been many moments when I have fallen behind, when I have questioned whether or not I wanted to keep posting, and if this was all worth the time and effort. Those doubts have surfaced more times than anyone realizes.

However, what was once a means to keep my mind active and prevent creative constipation is now much more than those basic founding reasons for keeping this blog going day after day. I have spoken on the importance of keeping a daily record of my life, no matter how mundane it may be, but there is also the simple fact that this has given me, for the most part, a routine amidst the sporadic chaos, a means to think through certain topics and situations, and, occasionally, a venue where I can vent both and share the good and the bad. While there have been moments that I have bit my tongue before writing (despite one of the main ‘rules’ that I set for myself in the beginning), this has been largely a free flow of topics and ideas.

Over the life of this blog, things have also evolved. What was once a free form venue with few rules, has morphed into a loose structure where there are certain topic for different days. This schedule has reinforced the original purpose of the blog in that not only am I forcing myself to write every day but I am pushing myself to consider specific topics every week. As has been evident, some weeks there is more fodder for a certain topic than others but, in general, it has pushed me to learn different things about topics which I am already interested in as well as give more thought to some of the routine events in my life. As a bonus, it has also given readers more guidance as there are some people who avoid certain days while other that only read about a topic or two that I cover.

At this point, I don’t see much changing in the coming year on this blog. While I am not in a position to guarantee anything, I plan on maintaining the daily pace, sticking to the 400 word minimum per post, and continuing to write about the weekly topics that many of you have come to expect. Beyond that everything is still up in the air. So, at this point I will finish this post with a simple thank you to all that have stopped by, those who read regularly, the people who leave comments (here, on social media, through email, and in person), and the people in my life who both inspire me to keep writing and tolerate the commitment that I continue to make to my writing.

For The First Time In Years…

Even though I have little recollection of the past couple of months, somehow we were able to pull together a ‘successful’ Red Cross Blood Drive at the lodge yesterday. When I first got involved in the project things went rather smoothly but as the days and weeks passed it was one thing after another pulling me away from making sure everything came together. By the time I woke up yesterday, we had 18 people signed up for the drive with a few expected to walk in the door sometime during the day.

I got to the lodge about 90 minutes before the official start time and attempted to organize things at the sign in table and get the signs out in front of the building to sway in the windy rain. It wasn’t the best day for foot traffic but it was nice being inside and greeting the people as they walked through the door. With everyone in place I began having people sign in and for the first time in years, we had a blood drive happening at the lodge.

We started the morning with 18 people signed up for the drive and by the time the tables were being folded, we had 23 names on our list. I had wanted to see 20 pints donated in our first year and we would have reached that number had everyone been able to donate. However, for various reasons (living abroad, illness, and high pulse rate) there were 7 people who were unable to give.

That would have put us at 16 but there were also two brothers who really dedicated the time to donate and signed up for a double red blood cell donation. The donation time is twice as long as and much more complex than a regular donation. Since they each count as 2 pints, we just fell short of our goal with a total donation of 18 pints. This included a final draining at the end of the day when I was laying on the table for the first time in over a decade.

Could we have done better? Definitely but this is a good start to what we would like to see as an annual event. We were all learning as we went along this year and now that we have at least a little experience, things should only improve from here. I think next year (mark your calendar for the first weekend in October) we should set a minimum of 30 pints. I know I am going to try and do my part by doubling my donation!

First Full Day Of Fall

It never got too hot this year and so the transition was not as noticeable as it has been in the past but today was the first full day of my favorite season. The weather is getting cooler (comfortable for me) and the leaves are slowly catching fire as the air becomes lighter and crisper as the pages of the calendar float into the past. It is a time of year when people seem to try and embrace the last semblance of warmth before shutting out the world hibernating in the warmth of their homes.

There is an openness to the fall that is more welcoming than the other seasons of the year when we tend to embrace the opportunities to be out and spend time with the people close to us. One would think that this is a characteristic of spring or summer but during those times we tend to want to get away leaving behind our homes and apartments. Those are the seasons of exploration, fall is the season to embrace what we have and enjoy the place where we live.

I have always enjoyed the fall as a time to begin a new year. I guess it was from all the years spent in school when I was able to start things all over again. Of course, as I have gotten older this seems to be right around the time of year when I would start a new job… at east all the ones where I have spent a reasonable amount of time. Now, it is time when the lull of summer comes to an end and the PR programs ramp up again in the final quarter of the year. Work is not the only place where the activity picks up as we are also back to our usual routine at the lodge as we work toward completing another successful year.

So, while some may look at spring in the same way, I see autumn as a time for new beginnings. At the same time, it is the season when we are all brought back together. It is a time of great comfort and a lot of activity. It is a busy season but also one that allows me to relax in the fact that I am never without something to do, somewhere to go, and people to be with. Fall is, by far, my favorite time of year for precisely those reasons.