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At Home

Posted on Nov 8th, 2009 by IAAM2 : Workingthruit IAAM2
I have found myself lately feeling "at home" in environments other than my own house. A feeling of self containment/comfort that doesn't require the familiar to make it happen. This detachment from the familiar may have always existed but I wasn't really aware of the "feeling" until a few months ago. This sense of detachment is very liberating on many fronts. 

I could assume that this state is a result of living more in the moment. I have been training myself to be aware of my breathing at different times of the day and in different situations and this added awareness might be contributing to the shift? 
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Potential and All the Ramifications?

Posted on Nov 6th, 2009 by IAAM2 : Workingthruit IAAM2
A few years ago I created an outline for a book I wanted to write called "A Man's Guide to Unfinished Projects". I even went as far as to submit it to a publisher as an entry for a new writer's competition. I didn't place in the running and they wanted $75 for a critique (that I was not willing to spend) so I never found out if the idea had merit from a publishing perspective. The book's intent was to illustrate how easy it is to be stimulated by a project and how hard it often is to get it finished....

Friends and family, however,  thought the idea was very interesting and would make a great book to give to that family member that has a tendency to start projects but not finish them... ironically the book is in the same category...I still get ribbed about this from time to time...

Many of us are in love with the concept of potential. Opportunities to be creative and fulfilled. Many self help books are sold, art supplies purchased, vintage cars bought for restoration-etc etc the list goes on and on to address this concept of potential-fascinating...


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Daydreaming Alot

Posted on Nov 2nd, 2009 by IAAM2 : Workingthruit IAAM2
I find myself living more in a daydream state visualizing potential outcomes. I have always daydreamed but lately I have stepped it up a notch or two. I find the musings distracting at times-at other times fascinating. I have a tendency to get obsessed with certain themes-dive into contemplation and fact finding and either implement or move on satisfied I had at least explored the potential. 

Sometimes I am concerned the daydreaming is taking away from enjoying my day to day existence more fully. I understand the importance of an inner life but I also think it is easy to fall into a distracted state.
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The Garage Door and Me

Posted on Nov 1st, 2009 by IAAM2 : Workingthruit IAAM2
Last spring a strong gust of wind hit my garage door and as a result of one of the cables becoming disconnected the garage door fell down and hit my bicycle that was parked in the doorway. The bike escaped unharmed but the door got twisted and would not ride correctly on the track after that. 

I tried reinstalling the cable with no luck and having a strong respect for the kinetic energy inherent in the large coiled spring I determined to "adjust" the rollers and track and "make do" with a less than operative door!! For 4 months I struggled with the door every time I went to use it. Stubbornly I refused to get it fixed rationalizing that the garage is basically a workshop that is not entered everyday and that the repair was going to be costly. I procrastinated and paid the price in inconvenience and frustration.

Finally last week I had enough and picked up the phone and called out local garage door repair service. I tried to get an estimate first but they said until they saw the door they were not comfortable supplying one but based on my description of what had happened it shouldn't cost anymore that $200 so I decided to proceed with the repair. Two service guys turned up early on Friday morning and had the garage door operating much better in about 10 minutes. After a half an hour the door worked better than it ever has. They also knocked out a dent in the lower panel and made additional adjustments to prevent the cable from becoming unhooked. In less that an hour the service call was completed and the invoice paid. $94.50

In retrospect I should have called them right after the wind gust incident and avoided over 4 months of aggravation....next time I will know what to do.
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Tagged with: procrastination

Trepidation Averted?

Posted on Nov 1st, 2009 by IAAM2 : Workingthruit IAAM2
Over the past few days I have been "challenging" myself to live more in the moment and not fall into an "anticipatory" head space. Not an easy challenge and one at which I was only moderately successful. As stated in yesterday's blog entry my wife attended a murder mystery party last night which was creating a focal point for my anticipatory response (my favorite mental trap???) . In fact the build up was fairly intense which somewhat surprised me? The reasons were twofold: 1. Other than the hosts I knew none of the people at the party (who where for the most part good friends of the hosts) which "stimulated" my social anxiety response and 2. Being a murder mystery I was concerned at the "level" of participation and game playing that would be required. I did not want to put a bunch of effort into performing...It turned out my two concerns had no grounds for worry and any trepidation on my part was not warranted. I have to remind myself even though I may have feelings of trepidation going into social events they often turn out to be enjoyable experiences more often than not...last night was no exception. It was a bit of a stretch socially but well worth the effort. 
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Tagged with: socialization

Halloween Party

Posted on Oct 31st, 2009 by IAAM2 : Workingthruit IAAM2
Tonite my wife and I are attending a murder mystery party. I have a character to play (a playboy type) -so I will need to work on my costume today ( I have most of it determined). It has been a while since we dressed up in costumes so it might be a fun experience. 
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The Archives

Posted on Oct 30th, 2009 by IAAM2 : Workingthruit IAAM2
At the moment I am going through some old storage boxes I took out of my shed to see what I need to keep and what can be "recycled". One box contained receipts and income tax records from the 1980's plus employee performance review forms from my previous employer. Interesting things to sift through but I had to ask myself why I still have them? The reasoning actually escapes me at this time so I spent a few hours shredding the contents. I felt good about doing so in one hand (getting rid of clutter) but I was also a bit saddened that a "record" of my previous life is now gone. 

There is more of this work ahead. I have some fantastic collections of my children's art work and school papers. I have heard of people actually scanning and archiving the work electronically. There are some real treasures that I will probably keep in original form that I will need to scrapbook I think. Some I will take pictures of or scan and other pieces will probably need to be disposed of because they are deteriorating plus take up a fair amount of room.

The other area is toys. We have a couple of storage tubs full of the favorites-much cherished toys that we are keeping for sure but there are a number of boxes of less popular toys that need sorting,recycling or disposal. 

The de-cluttering continues-slowly with some trepidation......
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Trick or Treat?

Posted on Oct 29th, 2009 by IAAM2 : Workingthruit IAAM2
Standing on the corner
I gaze out
watching
listening
quiet
Standing on the corner
I stand
out
I gaze
quietly
listening
treat
or
trick
I wait...............
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Centering

Posted on Oct 28th, 2009 by IAAM2 : Workingthruit IAAM2
Over the past few days I have been cleaning out my garage in preparation for installing a gas fired overhead heater. I came to the conclusion this was the right direction to go in by "centering"  and determining I need the utility of a heated garage to move ahead on my sports car reconstruction. Given winter is so long around here I might as well have somewhere warm to work on my hobby. A good way to spend those cold winter days and evenings......Plus I get to utilize the government tax incentive for home improvement-excellent... 

I also have to "center" on some other aspects of my life. What do I need to do to move forward?
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Crossword Puzzle Problem Solving

Posted on Oct 27th, 2009 by IAAM2 : Workingthruit IAAM2
A couple of days ago I saw the DVD "Word Play" a movie about an annual crossword puzzle tournament-the players, background, lead up etc. It was an amusing exploration of a subject I know little about. I personally have no interest in solving crossword puzzles (at least at this point in my life) but an interview during the movie a well know politician provided me with an interesting piece of information that I found valuable.

He says he likes to solve crossword puzzles and he claims to apply the same logic he uses to do so in his day to day problem solving. When solving a complex crossword puzzles he takes the position of breaking the crossword down into more manageable components and solving small pieces of the puzzle first. This provides a foundation for him to move on in the process. When faced with a complex problem or challenge this logic really makes sense to me. By taking small incremental steps the process gets started-verses being mired down in the complexity of the undertaking...and not doing anything....
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Tagged with: problem solving
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