Fall and Sun

Frank had noticed that he was feeling a lot better than last week as well as being a great deal more productive. Granted, last week was essentially a train wreck based on everything that was going on, but it should not have had an adverse affect on his attitude.

This morning, for the first time in over two weeks, Frank and Allison enjoyed their morning walk together. During the persistent rains of the past couple of weeks, Frank had refused to go on the walks they had become accustomed to, under the reasoning that the walks should be enjoyable, and not miserable. That being said, they set out this morning a little before 6 a.m., and away they went. Some pretty significant changes from the last walk though. As its now a little later in the year, its still dark. Frank was glad that Allison had the foresight to wear her white hoody, not that there was a great deal of traffic going through the subdivision.

Another change was the temperature...a pretty big temperature swing from those walks of late summer. Both he and Allison wore hooded sweaters, and they really felt good. The two of them did the short walk...no sense in overdoing the first day back.

Frank looks forward to this time of year, the early fall, when there is that oh-so-subtle bit of a nip in the air. There is a freshness about that is so unique to this time of year. Especially noticeable this morning was the smell of freshly-cut grass, as he and his neighbors finally had the chance to mow the yards since the rains ceased.

Another aroma is the smell of tobacco curing in the smoke-filled barns. Frank refers to this as his opportunity to get his nicotine fix for the year. During the fall, the smoke lies like a blanket on the valleys around his native Middle Tennessee, almost as if it is readying the ground for the colder air to come. Frank remembers his one bout with the labor intensive job of harvesting tobacco some, wow, almost 30 years ago. A smile creeps across his face as he remembers how the smoke poured out of that barn as he and his friend stood in front of those huge opening doors. Was that really almost 30 years ago? Need to check the math on that.

As he and Allison arrived back at the house and she had scurried off to get her shower, Frank began preparing breakfast for the two of them. "That felt pretty good," Frank thought to himself as he sliced the sausage. "Even though it was cool, the sun felt good as it came up." This got Frank to thinking, "I wonder if there's any evidence that the sun shining has a positive effect on the human attitude? I'll have to look that up over lunch."

So, while eating his Wendy's medium number 2 combo meal with no cheese and a coke, Frank typed into one of those search engines "sun's affect on attitude." After searching though the results, he came across the following quote from a medical publication:

"If light does make us feel better, it probably does so by acting at the hypothalamus, probably at the suprachiasmatic nucleus, and it probably affects the serotonergic neurotransmitter system."

Huh? Now that's a mouthful! Not exactly the most conclusive statement, is it? Well, Frank doesn't know a great deal about the hypothalamus or the suprachiasmatic nucleus, but he does know that he's having a much better week. That's a good thing, he hopes his serotonergic neurotransmitter system is enjoying it as much as he is.

Routines

It's been a long week and it's only Thursday. We've all had them...those weeks that drag on and on, one crisis after the next, another fire to put out over there as soon as you get this fire put out.

To start with, its been raining for over a week in middle Tennessee, which always seems to drag Frank's spirits down. On top of that, Frank is having one of those weeks...and to his own chagrin, most of it is self-induced. Not all of it, but definitely a large part of it. What is driving Frank absolutely nuts is that he began the week with good intentions, excited about the positive changes that were in front of him...little did he know.

About a month ago, Frank decided that new computers were in order for the office. Something that should be done at least every 3-5 years. Its been 4, so Frank figured now was as good a time as any to do the deed. So he, with the help of his faithful IT consultant Dave, ordered what some would term "whoop-de-doo" computers...those wonders of technology with all the bells and whistles. They arrived last week and the install was to begin on Monday.

Monday rolled around after much anticipation on Frank's part all weekend and Dave arrived about 10:00 a.m. Perfect, absolutely perfect. Dave started to work and started moving data files and icons to temporary locations on the server and life was good. Somehow though, over the next two and a half days, something went off course. No single event to point to, but it just didn't seem to be going as smoothly as Frank thought it should.

And the rains continued.

In the midst of this conversion, some of the "high-maintenance" clients that Frank's office serve had crisis in their own operations. Some, self-imposed; others, not their fault, but nevertheless, a crisis. All these crises had to be dealt with and required Frank to devote some attention to each. Nothing earth-shattering, but a definite diversion.

And the rains continued.

Frank has been working on a very large project, and near the conclusion last week, a situation cropped up that is going to delay the project. Frank is probably making more out of this than need be, but it is requiring additional time and resources to resolve. Frank would really like to move this project off his desk, but until this aspect is resolved, the project is not moving.

And the rains continued.

And yesterday, just to add insult to injury, the roof started leaking in the lady's restroom of the office. And we're not talking one of those occasional drips, we're talking major...to the point the moisture that accumulated demolished a ceiling tile. Another fire to put out...but at least there was ample water available.

So, after a very long day Frank went home, had dinner with the girls and Tammy, and relaxed for a while, before going to bed around 9:30. Enough is enough.

This morning, Frank got up and cooked breakfast for him and Allison and had his morning coffee. It occurred to him that most of the issues that had, for the most part, ruined his last three days were a direct result of a routine...a routine that had changed.

The routine of Monday morning had been disrupted due to the computer change-out. Payrolls were not done on the schedule that he and Glenda had established, bank statements were not reconciled on a routine. Even though the work was done and by deadline, it somehow just wasn't right.

The challenges presented by the clients were disruptive and required attention to be diverted...a precious commodity that Frank didn't have a surplus of, that extra attention needed to address these situations. But, somehow Frank mustered up the needed resources to assist his clients.

The large project would get done on schedule...Frank remembered that he had a colleague that could help him with the problem aspect. It may require some more work, but with careful planning and scheduling, the project should be off his desk by Friday evening.

The roof...Frank talked to his landlord last night before throwing in the towel for the day, and was told that a roofer had been contacted to give a bid. The leaks had stopped this morning and the ceiling tile would be replaced.

Frank has a friend that is highly involved in project management. After this week, Frank has developed an appreciation for those that can move from one project to the next, or better yet, manage several projects at one time. Each project has its own set of challenges, its own set of fires to put out, its own set of positive changes when finally completed. How in the world can someone make a career out of dealing with all of those aspects day in and day out?

But then Frank, after swallowing down the last bit of coffee, reasoned that some are talented in that arena, while he likes his routines and lists. Life for Frank will assume more of a routine soon and he will be more in what some term his "comfort zone."

Until then though, the rains have stopped.

50 years

Frank is beginning to get back into a routine...a routine that has been somewhat disrupted for the better part of the past month by the preparations leading up to his parent's 50th anniversary celebration. He and his sister, Tammy (not to be confused with his wife Tammy...) have been planning, along with their respective spouses, Tammy and Scott, this celebration for the majority of the past year.

It was a nice affair. Held in the fellowship hall of a church, catered, with a brief program, it allowed for the gathering of friends and relatives from the past 50 years. There were about 70 people there, some Frank hadn't seen, or thought of for that matter, in quite awhile. It was really good to meet some of his parents new friends and remember and share for this joyous celebration.

Frank took it upon himself to produce a video of images and pictures from those years and set it to music. It turned out good, or at least that's what everyone told him, and Frank took a great deal of pride in his work. Having worked though volumes of loose pictures, submissions from family members and friends, and trying to whittle down to a reasonable length, it was a work of monumental proportions. How does one go about condensing 50 years of images to a short video?

This morning, over coffee and doughnuts, Frank began thinking about 50 years ago. What was going on in 1959? That year, Cuba was taken over by Castro. Rock and roll legends Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper were killed in a plane crash. The first Daytona 500 was run. The Cold War was approaching its height and the Vietnam War was beginning. The phones, where available, were rotary dial, Eisenhower was President and there was an up and coming star on the political stage, a senator from Massachusetts, John F Kennedy.

But, there were two people in love...her a southern belle from Tennessee, he a soldier from western Pennsylvania stationed at Ft. Campbell, KY. Both young and eager to set off on their on, but I'm sure as we all are at such times, somewhat scared and apprehensive as to the holdings of the future. Before long, their marriage was blessed by two children, Frank and Tammy. There were challenges, there were hardships, but they filled their home with love. Before long, the kids were grown and on their on, and soon they were again blessed with children...grandchildren this time. First came Allison, then Jonathan and Kaitlyn and surprise, surprise, here comes Kendall.
When the grandchildren are about, there is a twinkle in the eyes of the grandparents that cannot be put out!

So, here's to 50 years of marriage...a milestone? absolutely. Is it something we can all aspire to achieve...yes. Thanks Mom and Dad for marrying, for loving, for facing the challenges and providing a loving home. Thanks for being there as we entered adulthood and letting us spread our wings...but, being available to pick us up when we fell. Thanks for being there to share the joy of our children, the challenges we face, and for just being our friends.
Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad...enjoy your vacation!

Note to Self

Frank is one of those list makers. You know the sort, they have lists created for the purpose of keeping up with all those "to do's" that seem to accumulate in all of our lives. He has lists that detail items he needs to get accomplished at the office, items he needs to get done at home, people he needs to call, or talk to, and even lists that keep up with lists.

Frank has read quite a few of the Getting Things Done books by David Allen, the consummate list maker. It occurred to Frank this morning though, that one list that is absent is the list of contacts that have been lost over the years. Frank was thinking about a friend he had made on a high school trip some 30 years ago. They had stayed in contact pretty well, getting reacquainted during the college years after she moved to Florida. But, contact was lost as they both began their careers. She, in medical technology, he in retail management.

She had returned to the Tennessee area with her husband in the early 90's, and had two children. Frank and she had re-established contact when he and Tammy had moved to Nashville in '95, and she had even provided childcare briefly for their oldest daughter, Allison.

But, as with many friendships, they had lost contact. The last Frank had heard, her family was doing fine, and by Frank's calculations, Michael, her oldest should be close to graduation, if not already.

With the advent of Facebook, Frank has managed to re-establish contact with several friends and acquaintances from high school and college. Some, he hadn't "talked" to for over 25 years. It was truly a wonderful thing to re-connect and relieve some of the "glory days" from days gone by. But, others, would enter Frank's memory banks and he would wonder, "whatever happened to him/her?" ... only to dart out of the mind again as Frank took on the issue of the moment.

This has especially been driven home as Frank and his sister have been working on their parents 50th anniversary party. Frank has taken on the task of trying to locate his Dad's best man, a gentleman by the name of William Jordan. Very little information as he and Dad were in the military together when Frank's mom and dad were married. The only tidbit Dad could provide, "he was from the New England area."

As you might imagine, there are a lot of William Jordan's in the world, on Facebook and elsewhere; so, essentially, Frank is going to come up short on this task.

But it got him thinking...what about his own best man from 20+ years ago? Even though they were cousins, he and Paul (the best man) had lost contact...careers, families, etc. had taken another friendship hostage. Almost like history repeating itself in a way.

So, note to self...write down those contacts that have been lost, and see if they can't be re-kindled; see if you can find those friends from days gone by. The longer you wait, the harder it will be.