Of Pens and Swords

It has been a while since I posted. In reality it’s probably only been a couple weeks, though it’s seemed longer in many regards. The whole pregnancy is fun (for me anyways) though it’s a little stressful in knowing that in another month or so, we’ll have a spawn around.

Work has been going like mad, though, I am at the crest of the hill of the year, and it should be (should be) relatively downhill for the next 9 months. I can’t see any other big projects coming down the chute. This is good, because next week I start up school once again. I’d like to be able to take care of some of that workload here at work as often as possible. It’s going to keep the pace maddening still, but I again see the last of this particular mountain. A little more than a year, and I should be done with the first BAS. If I work it right, I might be able to pull off this double major with little extra work.

I know this is going to be harder than I just made it sound. It’s going to put a little bit of a strain on Jess and I, especially with having a new baby. It’s just going to mean that I manage my time a little more carefully than I have in the past year and a half, that’s all. It’s also nice knowing that Jess will be there and supportive. I think we both see the same big picture and understand the sub-goals in getting to the next goal. It will significantly help in getting there knowing that one key facet is going to be our support of each other.

The other key area of support is me supporting Jess in any way that I can. I used to joke about how I had a woman who actually complained if I did any housework…well, now with her being in the last month of being pregnant, it’s something I see as important in helping her. She still doesn’t want to let go of the reigns though :) even though she’s hurting. I try and tell her to relax, leave me some work, and just stay off your feet…I think she’s going to need more peer pressure hehe ;) I do what I can while she’s not looking though ;)

One of the ten side projects that I have in mind that aren’t really critical in any way is my want to put together a sort of family constitution…something that’s flexible enough to stand the test of times, and be updated when times change. It’s something that I want to be able to show the kids, and be able to explain what a lot of the decisions that mom and I make are based off of, so they know we’re not just making things up. Things like:

1. Don’t ever spend more than you make. Always save a little of what you make, even if it is a small amount.
2. It’s ok to only have one good friend. That one good friend is better than having ten bad friends.
3. Always look people in the eye, even if it’s people you don’t know.
4. Have the courage to speak when you know something is wrong, especially if it can or will hurt other people.
5. Don’t lie. There will be times in your life when your integrity will be the only leg you can stand on, and it has to be a strong leg at those times.
6. Always stand behind your actions and decisions, good or bad. Along with Integrity, having a strong character will also persevere.
7. If you make a bad decision, own up to it, and do what you can to immediately correct it. Don’t hide the fact that you made the decision in the first place, but instead own up to the fact that you’re fixing it.
8. Learn to be self dependent. You will always need to depend on somebody else for something, usually goods and services, but non-tangible things like your feeling of self worth and love of yourself have to come from you, not somebody else. Those dependencies can and will be broken, and that can and will break you if you rely on them. Inversely, don’t be afraid of letting someone help you in a time of need. Nobody else but yourself is going to look at that as a bad act.
9. Don’t be afraid to make decisions.
10. Realize that there is a big picture out there, for you and for the ones you care about. Strive to see that big picture so you know where to steer yourself in life.
11. Don’t forget to play.
12. Learn and have patience. Making decisions too quickly can be worse than not making a decision at all.
13. Don’t surround yourself with people who only think like you do. Having conflicting ideas spurs thought and innovation.
14. Listen to others. Don’t just wait to speak.
15. Learn to both accept criticism and to identify things that may have to be changed, then act.
16. Don’t blame problems that you created on others. If you buy hot coffee and then spill it on yourself, realize that you expected the coffee to be hot; it’s inherent in the nature of the cup of coffee. Realize that maybe you should have used the cup holder instead of pinning the cup between your legs. Don’t blame the maker of the coffee for your mistake.
17. Repay acts of kindness with appreciation.
18. Make sure that you can define what makes you happy by yourself. If you can’t do it, nobody else will ever be able to. Happiness is one of the things that you have to be self dependent with. See #8.
19. Don’t be afraid of exploring the world past your doorstep.
20. Re-evaluate and maybe redefine the Status Quo every year or so. Not many things will stand the test of time without needing to be at least tweaked a little.
21. Don’t get wrapped up in drama. Drama is only one person’s way of trying to suck more into their circle of influence. Doing this, however, can push out the things in that circle that you should be really concerned with. It doesn’t increase the size of your sphere.
22. Be able to identify those things in which you can change or influence. The things that you can’t, don’t worry about…keep an eye on them, but don’t stress. You can’t change the fact that it’s going to rain, but you can dress appropriately.
23. Don’t belittle people just to make your self look better. It has the opposite effect for one, and two it’ll take away a possible alliance that you could have fostered.

Anyways. I could probably go on. I could probably consolidate these 23 items into 10 as well…it’s just a brainstorm that you see above. They are things that I think are important. They’re things that I’d like to teach my kids.

I do a lot of brainstorming. Most of it is of no consequence, it’s just a way to keep my mind moving…I like to do math a lot, for those of you asking. I also like to create problems in my head, and then figure out how many solutions I can come up with. I do this a lot when I’m driving.