A Different Perspective
9:15am
A year ago today, I arrived at Disney to seek refuge from a hurricane that was approaching from the gulf side of Florida. I was grateful for the opportunity to use Disney as my safe haven for a few days. This was also the day I had my first call with pastor Doug about my feelings with church. I had been out of going to physical church for 3 months by that time. It was a comfortable time for me. He had asked if I felt like I was growing. Especially growing closer to God. Absolutely, yes I was. And I still am today. At the time, I felt like I didn't want to stay in my comfort zone for too long since I don't typically grow much when I'm comfortable. I wondered back then if I'd know when I wasn't growing anymore and would need to perhaps return to physical church. A year later, I continue to grow. I've never been closer to God, and I'm still comfortable. So, can I still grow when I'm comfortable? Apparently I can. Am I still in the calm before the storm? Is a storm even coming? Or am I simply finding peace with where I am with the church today? God knows what I need and where I need to be. I trust Him with this ❤️
11:45am
I've been troubleshooting an issue at work for about a week now. I was finally able to schedule a meeting to have someone demonstrate their experience as I observe. The trouble with scheduling is two fold. Part of it is the users work for a different company. The other part is the time zone. But I finally got a reply today and setup a call for this afternoon.
I got a fantastic night's sleep. And I did not use the white noise app. This is the first time in about eight years that I didn't use something to block outside noise. I'm optimistic about this new chapter of my sleep. This makes my heart happy ❤️
12:15pm
I'm trying a new thing with how I focus on various things. Today, I've taken off my Apple Watch so I don't know when notifications pop up. The other day, I adjusted my notification settings. But there were still some things distracting me. I had already reduced how often I accessed my phone. But those watch notifications kept me aware that something was waiting for my attention. So I'll try going without my watch for awhile. Other than notifications, I'm also trying to adopt the idea that certain things have their time and place. So I check my email far less. The same goes for messages from social media. And I scroll the feeds far less now. These changes seem to be helping with focus. I feel less distracted. But my mind continues to run all the time. Have you noticed I'm back to journaling most days...LOL
4:45pm
The meeting went well. They were victim to a known bug in the application. It's a silly bug that I'd really like to fix. The workaround is why it hasn't been fixed yet. But I asked if I could go ahead and squash that bug...LOL I hate for users to think their issue is user error. Most computer problems are system errors. Even if it isn't a bug, it could also be a poor user interface or experience. The only actual user error is when they are deliberately doing something wrong or just don't care...LOL Systems are too complex to assume the user is the one who actually caused the error. Not many in my field feel the way I do. Most software engineers and I.T. folks blame the user by default. That isn't just cliche. That has been my experience with colleagues my entire career. I respectively disagree with their disrespect for end users...LOL Without end users, we wouldn't have a job...LOL
8:05pm
The popular definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result. I say insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting the same result. No matter how precise we do something, things aren't the same each time we do something. Life is too complex for anything to ever be the same. We must adapt and change consistently. Consistency is what brings about the best in life. Doing the same thing, so long as it's a good thing, will bring about a different result because we are growing through the process.
That thought took me back to the concept of you only live once. Most take that to mean one should go and live a little...or a lot...LOL I've said this before, YOLO beacons me to live out a life doing the right things. Since I'm only going to live once, I'd like to do what is most important. The world can't tell me what that means for me.
9:50pm
Rather than feeling guilty for the gift, I'll accept the gift with gratitude for the grace extended. Not only does guilty take away the intended joy the giver is offering, it also takes the joy the giver is supposed to feel when their gift is given in grace.
The exception is when I discern ill intentions. Some give with expectation of something in return. In that case, it isn't a gift at all. Instead of guilt, I'll feel suspicious...L0L
Anyway, the Dodgers clinched the NL West title ❤️
10:30pm
As noted earlier, I'm back to writing most days. I've had a lot on my mind throughout the day. I'm grateful for this medium to find balance with my thought life.
I still intent to wrap up the journal entries about our August vacation. There are still a few days I haven't journaled yet. There was the day of cherendipity. And then my travel day home, featuring Bingford...LOL I hope to finish writing all of that up soon. Since those entries are so far apart here on my blog, I'll most likely create a special page that brings them all together somehow. I have included links to them at the bottom of each. But I think a nice little summary page will be good too. My future self will appreciate that...LOL
Communication is hard. We each have a different perspective and ways of understanding. And as I feel I may have communicated in today's entry, I often see things from a different perspective than the norm.