Gratitude!
Oh, how I love this subject! So much to be grateful for these days.
Let’s start with a quick update on the NOSE BLEEEEEED saga.
The post last week was all about the trials and tribulations of an almost daily occurrence of blood flow where it should not have been coming out. The update and really good news is my nose finally settled down with a daily application of warm Nasya sinus oil in each nostril since last week. Made by AROMABLISS this wonderful oil is the answer to my prayers. ‘Nuff said.
GRATITUDE!
Next, our raised garden of sweet peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants have produced an amazing bounty this year! Lots of hot days, water, and sunshine helped all of those plants to go nuts! Not only those plants but the marigolds we planted 3 years ago came back with a vengeance. We planted them along the outer edges of the garden to keep the insects away and those brilliant yellow, gold, orange, and reddish flowers really work!
The honey bees love them this time of year and we appreciate hearing the soft buzz as they move from flower to flower as they gather nectar. I attempted to create a short video with my iPhone and it’s challenging to track them when they fly around. Hope you enjoy the photos though.
GRATITUDE!
We’re in that funny period between summer and autumn when we still have warm-to-hot days with cooler nights. Temperatures in the Denver area are still in the mid-80’s and as high as mid-90’s! Nighttime temps drop to the mid-50’s which is great for sleeping. And, of course, we’re heading into prime aspen viewing season which means thousands of people go to the mountains each weekend from now through late October.
It’s still too early to see the brilliant gold and reds in the lower elevations, below 10,000 ft. but soon enough though the high country will see the first frosts and snowfalls, and that means those brilliant ASPENY COLORS will follow. Ashara, our three dogs, and I are taking a few weekdays the beginning of October to travel to the Telluride area. The San Juan mountains are full of aspen trees and according to predictions that timeframe will be in the middle of prime viewing.
We’re actually going to stay in Cortez because, well, Cortez! It’s within driving distance of where we want to go and far less expensive than staying in Telluride. We’ll take in the sights, sounds, really good food, do some easy day hikes with the dogs, and I’ll be packing my SLR and tripod for eye-popping photos. The entire area is highly recommended for exploring and getting away from the daily pace of life. Check out https://www.telluride.com for tons of information about the area.
GRATITUDE!
Finally for this post: my semi-annual review at work happened this week. Yes, I know, it’s September. This year was late due to other priorities that my management team had to engage in first. I met with my manager and vp where I led the conversation answering questions that were provided to me a week ago. Questions that help them understand where I see my career, which is winding down, is going; why I work at the company instead of another company; where I find satisfaction in my current role, and what detracts from feeling satisfied at work.
After much thought I proceeded to drive the conversation with my answers:
My manager and vp already know, ‘cuz I said in previous conversations with them, that I see my career completing in a couple of years. I’ll be fully vested to receive 100% of the 401K funds that the company matches my regular contributions. So, from a financial perspective, that’s a good reason for me to stay for a while longer. My retirement portfolio can use all the help it can receive due to economic headwinds over the past decade. And, who knows what will happen following November 5 this year!
Working at Charter Communications is steady and enjoyable, plus, the company values closely match my personal values of integrity, respect, dignity, and acting accordingly with fellow employees and management.
Plus, contributing to the communities we live and work in through volunteering at local organizations. That’s a really important value that I learned when working at Starbucks in Seattle. It’s HUGE and meaningful for everyone involved.
My current role of supporting applications and processes while important can be monotonous and doesn’t always utilize 40+ years of experience and skills. In other words, a detractor is I’m not challenged enough. In fact, I’d say it’s boring work. So, I stated what I’d love to do, that I have the background to be really good at facilitating large group strategic conversations and establish short, medium, and long-term roadmaps for the business. So, we’ll see what becomes of that. Other detractors include the 1-1.5 hour commute and the new 4 days in the office/1 day at home hybrid work policy. For the technology team, which is where I work, it was a 3/2 hybrid policy until quite recently. I mean, there were teams outside of the tech org that didn’t have any hybrid option, so this accounts for being fair across the board.
I still don’t like it.
That’s the balance of being pragmatic while supporting our family and being so close to ‘retirement’ I can taste it. For the next couple of years Ashara and I will continue to increase our coaching clientele while creating web-based learning programs that will be additional income streams. We love to travel around the country and want to travel across Canada as well. There could be a travel trailer in our future that would be larger enough to support 5 cats, 3 dogs, and 2 humans.
GRATITUDE!
Lots to be grateful for.
How about you my dear readers?
What are 3 things you are grateful for?
Reply to [email protected] and I’ll look forward to seeing your answers.
Remember to count your blessings and look for reasons to feel gratitude. EvErYDaY!
Glenn
Imagined and written by a real human bean.
