So, as Long as I keep Thinking

These past few weeks have been really good. I've had to make some adjustments to my schedule that I really didn't want to make. But I'm finding a balance and the good is outweighing the bad. And overall, things are going much better. Not that things were bad. I just felt very distracted. And I feel far less distracted now.

One major change is that I'm now a part of a small group at work where we meet first thing each workday and go over our individual goals. I've since set up a month, week, and day view of my work goals. I've established 3 high level goals I'd like to accomplish for the month. From those 3, I define what 3 things I can do for the week to meet those goals. And then each day, I tackle 3 tasks that support the week's needs. We all discuss each other's tasks daily in an informal way. And we offer our support if there is anything we can do collectively. Of course, there is flexibility in these tasks and goals. And unplanned things pop up daily. But talking about even the unexpected has helped encourage us when we don't meet our goals. I keep notes for all of these things and that has farther helped me document things in our project manager tool.

I'm considering adapting this in my personal life as well. At least the 3 things format and taking organized notes along the way. What I'm doing for work is going so well that it has made an indirect impact on my person life. So going that next step seems logical. I don't think I'll need a group to meet up with to discuss personal goals, though. That isn't a bad idea to have such a group. But I also don't know that it's necessary. For now, I like the idea of being more focused through this 3 things approach.

I've also changed how I do my lunch hour. For a while, I had been doing parts of the Bible study. I would just take notes each day and then type up my full thoughts on the weekend. During our sabbatical, I replaced that time with some deep-dive research with a primary focus on the church. I did that for 6 days and rested on the 7ᵗʰ. I continued doing that this past week. In my research, I found new questions to explore. I also moved my Bible study time to the evening after dinner and fully committed to each section at those moments instead of simple notes. I felt very connected to the lesson this past week. And I'm getting closer to finding a way to organize my other research. I feel so much more focused now. I feel a fire burning again.

I received the Palma 2 Pro yesterday. I'm glad I was home because Boox labeled it as requiring a signature. I didn't recall seeing that in the email. But since I decided to stay home, it all worked out. It is pretty much what I hoped for. It's a color e-ink tablet with the form factor of a mobile phone. It takes stylus input and has 5G wireless network capability. It fits nicely in my pocket along side my iPhone. It allows me to have the benefits of e-ink with the convenience of pocketable portability. I was able to take it for a small test drive today. Last night, I got it setup on my T-Mobile account with 5G data. I used that to read one of Cherie's blog entries while I ate lunch at Culver's. I also hand wrote my grocery list and checked off items while at sprouts after lunch. It worked perfectly.

People complain about how dark these color e-ink screens are. They claim you always need to have the frontlight on to use it, even in sunlight. That has not been my experience. I didn't turn on the frontlight even once while I was out today. The ambient lighting in the restaurant and at the grocery was pleanty to comfortably use the device. It is indeed much darker than a black and white e-ink screen. But it is far from a deal breaker for me. And I rarely use the frontlights on any of my devices, including the color ones. To each their own, I suppose. And I imagine the complainers are a small fraction of the customers. Otherwise the companies would go out of business.

I'm grateful to have a pocket device for on-the-go writing. I'll not do any long form writing, of course. But I prefer handwriting notes over typing on the tiny screen keyboard. The screen keyboard was all I could use with my tremor. But I've never enjoyed that. I love writing by hand. Especially now that my tremor is under control. I'm really glad I got this device. I hope it proves to be just what I wanted for its intended purpose.

This is a shorter week for me. Next will be as well. This weekend is our November vacation. It will be the dapper vacation we have been dreaming of. I'll be flying to California on Friday. We'll be doing Dapper Day Eve at Downtown Disney District Saturday evening. We'll probably pop over to check out the Dapper Day pop up market that evening too. Sunday is Dapper Day and we'll be all dressed up for Christmas. Oh, on Saturday, we are doing suspenders and a burgundy with white polka dot theme. We both have bowler hats for that outfit. My Dapper Day outfit is the one I wore for Christmas Day last year. She has a green dress and a plaid jacket that matches the theme. This is our first official Dapper Day event together. And it's her first of all.

For two days in a row, I've been complimented for my shirts. I've been wearing my retro Cuban shirts this weekend. It felt great to be complimented. I love how I feel in them. I think that is reflected in my interactions with people. Both compliments came after a pleasant ice breaker style intro to our conversation. I tend to do that more when I feel the way I do dressing this way. This is definitely a me thing. Exploring this these past few years has been amazing.

Something else that's been amazing is this journal about my journey. I'm so grateful I started doing this. Sometimes it's random. Sometimes it's intentional. I've written deep thoughts. I've written silly stories. I love writing it all. I think it was I great idea to start this journal. I was inspired by Cherie. I didn't know if it would last. But here I am still writing. And now I write the first draft of most entries by hand. This has been a huge part and a testament to my overall health journey. I'm glad I can share this part of who I am. So, as long as I keep thinking, I hope to keep writing.