Do the math, he’s living without margin

Florida living
Last night, a 30 minute bike ride.

 

When he does the math it doesn’t add up. He’s living without margin. This, coming from of all people, a high school math teacher.

It was a parent/teacher conference a week or so after the official date. i love that the teacher’s are flexible to do whatever it takes.

i had no academic issues to discuss so i went straight to the small talk and “where are you from” kinda stuff. His candor was delightfully tension reducing. Honest, open, vulnerable – trust’s main ingredients.

PS. We all struggle with finding margin in our lives. Margin is defined as breathing room in our day to day responsibilities. Case in point, i can’t remember the last time i got eight hours of sleep in a single night.

 

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This website is about our mental attitude. To leave this site to read today’s post on my physical health website, click here.

We never see it coming

palm trees and airplane
Yesterday doing email on a raft in the pool, a jet in upper left corner.

 

i think the reason i put off living vibrantly was because i was so busy trying to survive the day-to-day.

Because my life wasn’t vibrant, i kept things set to survival (busy) mode. Obviously, now is not the best time to live vibrantly, right? i’ll get to that later when i we get my life in order.

But then i thought what if this week is the best week that i’ll ever have in my entire life and i squander it and never regain it?

Thinking the best, most vibrant is ahead of us – and waiting for it – is dangerous.

That was really clear yesterday.

Yesterday, and the entire past week, has been crazy good.

Never saw it coming.

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Midlife denial is heaven on Earth

First day of school
Yesterday in the driveway before the first day of High School.

 

(This is the type of conversation i frequently constantly have with myself. And it’s this tough love that has helped me find the path less traveled.)

Midlife denial is heaven on Earth. We don’t have to think about the tough choices we should be making. This makes us feel better.

Coffee in the morning (and all day possibly). Alcohol in the evening.

Television, social media, food, work.

Medicated, entertained, and distracted.

Yeah, that ought to protect me us from making difficult decisions.

Denying something doesn’t make it go away.

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The speed of midlife

Honeymoon by bicycle
When will we make time to drink life in? To savor it. To suck the marrow out of it? Honeymoon photo, 1984. (Wedding was 14 months earlier)

 

The speed of midlife is fast.

And most of us like it that way.

Why?

Because it allows us to have a great excuse for why we aren’t changing.

“i’ll do it when my life slows down.”

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Most days look good on paper

CCFA meeting in Orlando
Yesterday morning at the Lake Buena Vista Hilton on Walt Disney World property.

 

Like most Americans, lots going on this Summer. Today, July 28, it’s time to head out for a run, then an 8am coaching meeting – i’m a guinea pig client for a former colleague. Then back home to finish a client proposal mid-morning and hit the gym before meeting with High School Counselor to pick ninth grader’s classes.

Looks good on paper.

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