Captain’s Log – Day 29

Captain’s Log – Day 29

Good Morning Friends –

How’s everyone doing today? This weird upside down world is starting to feel almost normal. I guess we can adapt to almost anything given enough time.

I know lots of parents out there are struggling with home schooling. I’m not sure how anyone is supposed to teach common core math. Who came up with it and what the heck is it all about? I was an excellent math student but I just canNOT understand how common core math is better or easier for kids to learn. I’ve tried and tried but still can’t figure it out. In these crazy times, I don’t believe parents should be too concerned about checking off all the boxes on the curriculum. These are incredibly stressful times and even if the kids are too young to really understand what is going on, they can feel the stress. I think it is more important to teach them how to stay emotionally healthy and how to handle difficult situations with a little grace than it is to reach the next reading level. When they return to school, they will catch up on anything they may have missed out on during their home schooling time.

Some say laughter is the best medicine and I believe it. My brother has the most infectious laugh and once he gets going, it is almost impossible not to join in the laughter.

Anyone who can make you laugh is contributing to your wellbeing. Laughter has the ability to shift you out of a bad mood, free you from worry and put you in a state of joy, even if it’s only temporary. For a few precious moments, as your eyes fill with blissful tears, as you run out of breath, as your stomach muscles ache, you will have no other care in the world. If laughter is the best medicine, then funny friends are instrumental in our healing. We may not feel like laughing much these days but it could be a good idea to fake it ‘til you make it. Tell your funny stories and share in the laughter – it’s good medicine.

Let’s try to keep our sense of humor, take a regular dose of laughter and listen to the six best doctors around.



If you need a laugh, listen to this: https://youtu.be/RP4abiHdQpc

Stay healthy and safe out there,

Physically distant but socially engaged,
~ MB

Captain’s Log – Day 28

Captain’s Log – Day 28


Hello Friends –

I hope you all had a good weekend. We spent a lot of time doing yard work and hanging outside around our bon fire. Doing little things around the house can make this quarantine life feel almost normal. Our yard has never looked so good. I’m looking for all the little silver linings I can find.

We are certainly ALL at a low point in our lives with this virus holding our world hostage and many of us are dealing with other regular life lows we all deal with but there are still high points to be thankful for. Babies are still being born and people are still celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, Passover and Easter in whole new ways.

When I was a kid, we used to play a game called “high, low, high” where we would tell everyone our high and low points of our day and then we would tell another high because we always wanted to end on a high note. The highs are great but would they feel as good if we didn’t have the lows to compare them to?

Life is like a roller coaster… and I’m not using that as a metaphor. Life is literally just like a roller coaster. We go up, we go down. We wait for a time when it all evens out and we can trust that the falls are over.

It doesn’t come. So we continue on. Many of us live white-knuckled, screaming, already anticipating the falls before they happen, unable to fully enjoy the climbs, the peak of the highs, knowing what is about to happen.

Some of us switch to slower, less intense rides. Lower peaks, sure, but the drops don’t feel so bad. Some of us medicate and numb to try to forget we are even on the ride. A few give up and simply get off get altogether.

But what if there was another way? What if we could just ride the ride… and enjoy it? All of it. Even the drops, the lows that feel like they might kill us. It’s doable. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. There are people out there who have learned (or never unlearned) how to enjoy the ride. It turns out that roller coaster riding is good training for how to live a really great life. But how the hell do you do learn to enjoy something that seems like it might kill you?

Step 1: F*ck Shame

Don’t assign a story to the lows, beat yourself up, or think that you are wrong or bad.
Have you ever beaten yourself up for breathing? Or eating? Or needing to sleep? We all know that eventually, these are things that everyone has to do.
So why then are we so prone to heaping piles of shame onto the moments when we suddenly contract into sadness, emotionally falling after a big expansion of joy?
Mostly, it’s that we don’t think it’s normal. We don’t realize that this is something that happens, in some way or form, to everyone. Even when things are going remarkably well in life, we can and will likely have moments where we suddenly feel sad, depressed, anxious, angry, or otherwise wretched.

It’s OKAY. There’s nothing wrong with this! You’re not ungrateful, or unreasonable, or selfish, or crazy, or anything else those voices in your head try to tell you when you start to feel shut down, contracted, or just plain miserable. Tell yourself that it’s okay, and just allow what is happening to be normal.

Pretend that life is just like a roller coaster. There will be big climbs. And then there will be, without a doubt, some pretty big falls. If you know they are normal, you won’t be surprised by them.

The thing about life is you can’t see the track ahead, so you won’t really know. But you can trust that it is just one point in an ongoing and constantly changing track. It will not last forever.

Those negative emotions, left to their own devices, will pass right through and leave. I promise.
In fact, the more you lean in and allow them the space they need, the quicker they leave. Feeling sad? Don’t continue rushing about your day. Stop, even if it’s just for 30 seconds, and let that sadness engulf you. Let the tears come out. Anger coming up? Scream in your car, or into a pillow. Throw a temper tantrum on your bed. See what it feels like to actually feel the emotions that are happening, and then… go back to living your life. Repeat if necessary.

When you follow this process, these emotions we so often avoid are sometimes gone within minutes. Other times, it might be a cycle that takes hours, or even days, weeks. But they will leave. The track continues on.

UNLESS…

Unless we throw a layer of shame on top of them.

When we beat ourselves up for feeling the way we do, telling a story that it’s wrong, that it’s bad, that those feelings need to be hidden away and forced down and ignored, we effectively block the emotions from going anywhere. We bury them under a mountain of shame, and trap them in our bodies.

F*ck Shame. Throw it out the window, and repeat until you believe it: This is normal, this is normal, this is normal.

Notice how much quicker your moods seem to improve.

Step 2: Understand the Process

Once we accept that what comes up must go down, and that this is normal, it’s good to start to understand the process a little more thoroughly. If we are going to suffer these emotional drops (and we are, because they are unavoidable), let’s understand what makes them worse. Imagine you are on a roller coaster… The roller coaster is climbing, higher and higher through the air. As you go over the crest of the hill and start to fall, someone panics, screams “STOP,” and pulls an emergency brake.

What happens? The cart doesn’t just stop, or even slow down. Inertia, speed, and the laws of physics are all in play here. The cart goes flying off the tracks in an epic crash. There’s carnage. It takes months to reopen the ride. And then, when it’s operational again, you can’t just jump back on where you were. Nope, you have to go back to the start, all the way back to the beginning. You have to strap yourself back in, and agree to go on that ride again, which no doubt feels a lot harder to do now that you’re traumatized from your freak roller coaster crash incident.

Life is exactly the same.

I hear this from clients a lot. They pick up momentum, experience some decent success with a high, and then suddenly, the down comes. Instead of speeding through it, they try to pull an emergency brake, desperately attempting to stop the feelings bringing them lower. Then…crash.

That low is no longer just a temporary dip. It’s complete and total carnage that halts all progress, all speed.

These crashes can take someone out for months after doing something that took just a day or two to accomplish. If you’re doing simple math, you can see that this is not an effective way to make progress on your goals. Plus, it sucks. Crashes are not fun to live through.

So how do you avoid the crash? You continue full speed ahead into the deep abyss that looks as if it might swallow you whole. That’s right. Don’t pull the brake, and in fact, don’t even slow down. Remind yourself that it’s normal, and then let yourself feel those feelings with as much intensity as you can.

The quickest way to get back to happiness, to productivity, to feeling really great, is to throw yourself with wild abandon into feeling like total shit. It’s counterintuitive, I know. But it’s true.

The quicker you let yourself fully feel the sadness, the fear, and/or the anger, the quicker you’ll speed right down that track and back up to the next summit, climbing higher toward your next great joy and excitement and achievement.

Then, of course, you’ll fall again. That’s okay. It’s all a part of the ride. Figure out what part of the track you are currently on, and allow yourself to be right there, and nowhere else. You’re strapped in. It’s all an illusion that you can be anywhere else. All you can do is ride the ride. Once you realize that, it’s a practice to figure out where you are and just be there, without jumping into the future. No avoiding the lows while trying to rush forward to the highs. Equally important: No anticipating the next lows as you start a clear ascent to a high. Practice noticing wherever you currently are, and then… just be there. Enjoy the ride.

Step 3: Let Go. Open Your Eyes. Scream if Necessary.

The entire process is normal, and will go quicker if you don’t try to put on the breaks… So, what should you do then?

Surrender

I really hate that word. It is the embodiment of the idea that I can’t control everything… but guess what? I can’t. And, neither can you.

So why not just sit back, throw your hands up, and enjoy the ride?

Remember that you are strapped in. It’s an illusion that you can be anywhere else. All you can do is be right where you are. Give up the idea that you can control it, or that you need to… maybe even that you would want to, even if you could. Because, as it turns out, screaming in terror and gripping tightly to the bar in front of you doesn’t actually change the trajectory of the ride. Attempting to cling tightly to control only changes your experience of the ride. And if you’re going to end up in the same place, regardless, why not enjoy the journey to get there? Even when it’s terrifying? This is a lot easier said than done, I know. The idea of surrendering can be truly terrifying. The idea of trusting that you can rush into those downs and not die is foreign to everything our culture teaches us. But, surrender and trust, in the journey, in the process, and in the ride itself, is key to enjoying the ride we call life. So how to do you teach yourself to surrender? You practice.

Instead of clinging desperately to the safety rails and praying for it to end…What happens if you just let go? In real life, and in practice situations, can you throw your hands up in the air and scream with glee, or with terror, even just for one second? Two? How long can you stretch it out? Each time, see if you can go one second longer. Force yourself to check in and find exactly where you are on the ride, and just allow yourself to be there. Let it be okay. For a stretch, see if you can even enjoy it, relaxing your whole body into it, and just… surrender. The track will continue on. It will take you where you need to go.

Life is a lot like water; it wants to hold you, to support you, but you have to let it. You learn to relax into it and float.

Sometimes I wonder, what would life be like if we gleefully looked forward to the falls into oblivion with as much gratitude as we felt for the times when we climb higher and higher in our lives? Crazy, right?

There’s something inherently satisfying in just the riding of the ride. White-knuckling through doesn’t change anything. It is so obviously futile. If you can just surrender to the ride, you realize that the lows amplify the highs, the turns are confusing but exciting, and at the end, there is satisfaction is the journey, regardless of what frights it holds along the way.

Such is the joy of roller coaster riding.

Such is the joy of life.
~Jennifer Underwood

This is certainly a crazy ride we’re on and we don’t know how long it will take but we’ll eventually be able to get off of it and get back in line for the next ride.

Enjoy the ride and have a great day!

Peace out.









Physically distant but socially engaged,
~ MB

Captain’s Log – Day 25

Captain’s Log – Day 25

Good Morning and Happy Good Friday My Friends!

When I was a kid, I could never understand why it was called “Good” Friday. If it is commemorating such a dark and bleak event, why in the world would it be called “Good” Friday? I think the Germans who call it “Karfreitag” which means “Sorrowful Friday” are much more accurate in naming this holy day.

Our Passover/Easter celebrations will look very different this year. I know we all miss getting together with family and friends but we need to make these sacrifices in order for the world to return to some sort of normalcy someday soon.

I did manage to finally find some potatoes so I’m planning on making latkes this weekend. I wasn’t able to make them in time for Passover but better late than never.

I wish you all a very Good Friday and I hope you all have a great weekend. Happy Easter to you and your family if you celebrate.

Stay safe and take care.















Physically distant but socially engaged,
~ MB

Captain’s Log – Day 24

Captain’s Log – Day 24



Good Morning Friends –

I’ve got sunshine, even on a cloudy day. These are certainly some dark and difficult times but we cannot give up hope. Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.

Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if only we remember to turn on the light. If there is no light to turn on, we must be the light. Let’s all do whatever we can to make our little piece of the world a slightly better place today and every day.

Happiness is amazing. It’s so amazing, it doesn’t matter if it’s yours or not. Happiness is not only fulfilling our own needs and wants but being able to put someone else’s needs ahead of our own. It’s looking for ways to help without looking for anything in return.

A society grows great when old man plant trees the shade of which they know they will never sit in. Despite what we all see on the news, there is good out there. Unfortunately, the bad news gets higher ratings so we don’t get to see that much of it.

Good people do things for other people. That’s it. The end. Put a little good out there every day. We need it now more than ever.

Stay safe, shine your light and have a great day.







Peace out.

Physically distant but socially engaged,
~ MB

Captain’s Log – Day 23 – Multitasking and Happy Passover

Captain’s Log – Day 23 – Multitasking and Happy Passover

Good Morning My Friends –

How’s everyone doing these days? I got up a bit later than usual this morning but, thankfully, the traffic from the bedroom to the kitchen for coffee and then to the office was clear so I still made it to work on time.

Even though we are being forced to live in our own small worlds right now, I feel as if we are multitasking more than ever. Parents are trying to work, teach and take care of the house all at the same time. We are trying to take care of everyone and everything in new ways. We are caring for neighbors and friends and doing what we can for those most at risk. There is no time to get away because there is nowhere for us to go. How will we maintain our sanity through all of this? Even simple things like making dinner has become a whole new challenge. What used to be a quick trip to the market to pick up something needed for dinner now takes hours and it is likely the store doesn’t have whatever we wanted anyway so we have to adapt and get what we can and make the best of it. We need to cut ourselves some slack and remember that we are only one person and can only do so much at one time. Stay calm and do what you can do given the circumstances we are in.

Most of us are pros at multitasking but it is not possible to do it ALL well. In our profession, we are used to multitasking and jumping from one project to another without missing a beat but the tasks we are trying to do now are not the same and they require more attention than our multitasking brains can handle. I think we all need to just take it one task at a time and do our best. Multitasking is just a fancy way of saying that we’re not giving anything our full attention. Sometimes the music sounds better a cappella than it does with dozens of different instruments being played at the same time.

*


*Only those who attempt the absurd achieve the impossible ~ Albert Einstein

For those celebrating Passover tonight – Chag Sameach!

Passover is about celebrating freedom and we don’t have a lot of freedoms right now. The plague element of the Passover story feels very real for the first time in my life. Some people are saying we are living through the 11th plague. It is sad we will not be able to be together with family and friends for Passover this year but we will be together in spirit and will have much to celebrate come Passover next year.



Peace out.

Physically distant but socially engaged,
~ MB

Captain’s Log – Day 22

Captain’s Log – Day 22

The question of the day is “What if???”
What if they cancel the rest of the school year?
Students would miss 2.5 months of education. Many people are concerned about students falling behind because of this.
Yes, they may fall behind when it comes to classroom education but what if…
What if instead of falling “behind," this group of kids are ADVANCED because of this?
What if they have more empathy, they enjoy family connection, they can be more creative and entertain themselves, they love to read, they love to express themselves in writing.
What if they enjoy the simple things, like their own backyard and sitting near a window in the quiet.
What if they notice the birds and the dates the different flowers emerge, and the calming renewal of a gentle rain shower?
What if this generation are the ones to learn to cook, organize their space, do their laundry, and keep a well-run home?
What if they learn to stretch a dollar and to live with less?
What if they learn to plan shopping trips and meals at home?
What if they learn the value of eating together as a family and finding the good to share in the small delights of the everyday?
What if they are the ones to place great value on our teachers and educational professionals, librarians, public servants and the previously invisible essential support workers like truck drivers, grocers, cashiers, custodians, logistics, and health care workers and their supporting staff, just to name a few of the millions taking care of us right now while we are sheltered in place?
What if among these children, a great leader emerges who had the benefit of a slower pace and a simpler life to truly learn what really matters in this life?
What if they are AHEAD?
What if….
~Author Unknown

They say everything happens for a reason. What if the reason for all of this is to teach us to slow down and appreciate what is really important in this life?

What if….

I hope you all have a great day.

Peace out.



Physically distant but socially engaged,
~ MB

Captain’s Log – Day 21

Captain’s Log – Day 21

Good Morning Friends –

I hope you all had a good weekend. We spent some time cleaning up the yard yesterday and it almost felt as if it were a normal day doing chores around the house. Of course, that was only until we ran out of lawn bags and we weren’t going to just run to the store and get more. They say it takes 21 days to create a new habit so we should be used to our new routine now.

This has not been easy for any of us but, thankfully, most of us are just dealing with inconveniences and disruptions in our routines but we are healthy and safe. We have more than we need to get through this but we need to find ways to deal with the stress and worry. We must continue to isolate to give those trying to save lives a fighting chance.

This is going to be an especially tough week as many would be preparing for Passover or Easter celebrations with family. There will be no family get-togethers for the foreseeable future but we must do what is necessary in order to get back to living our lives on the outside. Our celebrations will be much different this year. We will not be able to have our family gathered around the table but we will be reminded of how much we cherish those memories of past celebrations and how much we look forward to having them again in the future.

Here’s another poem from my friend, Janet, I thought I’d share:

I miss our Sunday dinners with a table full of love
They’re the memories that I treasure and never tire of.
All the social gatherings that are in a holding phase
As we patiently wait for word that we’re heading for normal days.
The days all overlap and it’s like the world stood still
This can only make us stronger and I pray to God it will.
I’ll never take for granted things I may have in the past
The severity of this virus has left us all aghast.
We must all be extra mindful as we’re heading towards the peak
Sending positive thoughts as we enter a brand new week.
~ Janet Surrett

It seems as if we are living out an Alanis Morissette song - Isn’t it Ironic: Passover canceled because of a plague.










Stay strong my friends. Peace out.

Physically distant but socially engaged,
~ MB

Captain's Log - Day 18 – Separate but Together

Captain's Log - Day 18 – Separate but Together



Whenever we experience a traumatic event, we often look forward to just getting back to normal. We long for the days when we only had to deal with the silly everyday annoyances such as traffic, work problems, family disagreements and other trivial issues that seemed oh so important until we were faced with a real, life altering problem. We are quickly reminded that all of those little annoyances are just part of life and don’t mean a damn thing in the grand scheme of things. We’ve never had to deal with something this big. Even those who fought and survived brutal wars took some comfort in knowing their loved ones were safe back home. We have no such comforts now because everyone is at risk but we can do our part to make things better by staying home.

Just a few weeks ago we went to sleep in one world and woke up in another. Suddenly, there are no sports to watch, no parties, graduations or weddings to attend, no important meetings or vacations to go to, Disney has no more magic, Paris is no longer romantic, New York - the city that never sleeps, is sleeping. Staying home on a Friday night is no longer a choice but a requirement. Not visiting family and friends is now an act of love. Like those days after 9/11, we are, once again, reminded of what is important in this life. We all came together then and flew our flags with pride. We need to come together now more than ever. In times like these, it is evident that power is not that valuable and money is not that powerful. This virus does not care where you came from, where you went to school, how much money you make, who you voted for or what color your skin is – we are all in this together.

Some things in life are replaceable but the truly important things cannot be bought or replaced. Things like homes, jobs, cars, and material stuff can all be replaced. The important things like memories, family, and friends are priceless and irreplaceable so make sure you do everything in your power to keep your priorities straight and all your important things safe. Remember, we are all in this together.

Take care my friends. Peace out.









PS. I cringe after reading every one of these logs after they have gone out. I’m so embarrassed to find typos in almost every single one of them. My apologies.

Captain's Log - Day 17 - No Words

Captain's Log - Day 17 - No Words
Good Morning Friends –

I don’t know what I was thinking but I broke my news limitation diet last night and I think I short circuited my brain. I can’t even wrap my head around the enormity of the situation we’re in.
I’m at a loss for words today. They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words so this is all I’ve got today….



Here’s hoping we’ll be able to get out and see the rainbows again soon.

Have a good day and please let me know if you need help with anything.

Peace out.

Captain’s Log – Day 16 – It’s a Whole New World

Captain’s Log – Day 16 – It’s a Whole New World

Good Morning Friends –

Every morning I wake up and think this has all been a crazy dream or some elaborate April Fools prank, but, sadly, Ashton Kutcher is not going to pop up and tell us we’ve been punked. This is our reality and I think April Fools pranks should be canceled just like everything else these days.

Is this really our new normal? It’s amazing how our day-to-day lives have changed so quickly. We no longer spend time commuting or meeting up with friends for lunch. We don’t go to the gym or out to dinner. We have separation stickers on the store floors and sneeze guards on cashier checkout stands. We have learned the new dance of distance as two walkers approach each other on the streets. It seems disrespectful to even think about our inconveniences while hundreds of thousands of people are fighting for their lives, and for the lives of others. There is no doubt that this event has already altered the planet and shifted how we will live. Long after the story fades from the news cycles, we'll be living with the permanently altered landscape of a society that's far more aware of the dangers of invisible pathogens. Will I ever grab on to the pole on a green line train again without thinking about what might be on it? Will we all be wearing masks? The politicians talk about timelines for returning to something approaching normal, yet I wonder what "normal" is, and whether or not that's something we should be holding out there for ourselves, like a giant carrot at the end of a very long stick. Normal is relative. We will have to adapt and find our new normal. Normal didn't exist before reports started emerging of this mysterious new virus, and it doesn't exist now. The world has changed and there's no going back to the way things were. This is the end of the world as we know it and I’m not sure what it will look like when we are given the ok to go back to the office and start socializing again. Will we still shake hands? Will we go back to carrying reusable shopping bags? Will we continue to stockpile toilet paper? What will our new normal look like?

One of the few certainties in life is that things are going to change. We will soon have to learn how to live in this new world and what changes, if any, were for the better. We’ve been forced to take time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and slow down, way down. Let’s try to focus on all the good things that we can learn from this bad situation. I take some comfort in knowing that we are ALL in this together. We all need to take care of each other and make sacrifices now so we can get past this and move on in the new world.

Say goodbye to March, it’s time to turn the page

As we gear up for April let me set the stage.

We’ll adhere to social distancing and follow all the rules

It can’t be very difficult as we’ve been given all the tools.

Stop hoarding all the goods because someone needs it more

Think hard about your wants before you walk into a store.

Check on friends and family because they may not be okay

Just a simple cheerful phone call could really make their day.

Pay it forward if you can during these very troubling times

Especially to the angels who are working the front lines.

We’ll return to a sense of normalcy if everyone is smart

I believe this too shall pass if we simply do our part.

~J. Surette

Peace out.

Captain’s Log – Day 15 – Destination Unknown

Captain’s Log – Day 15 – Destination Unknown

It is light year 2020, on what feels like the 99th day of March, where we find ourselves in a place we couldn’t have imagined a year or even six months ago.

Observations have indicated that the crew is living on the edge due to the fact that our destination is unknown. Not only do we have no any idea where we’re going but we have no clue how long it will take us to get there or when we’ll be able to find our way back home. We all miss our friends and family but we are on a mission to save lives. We must stay strong and do what we have to do in order for our mission to be successful. There are always uncertainties in life as much as we like to pretend we have some control. Our current orders are to stay the course, take care of the things we can control and let go of everything else. Just do your job. It is as essential to the mission’s success as the person who is fighting on the front lines.

The good news is that when you don’t have a clear destination set, you can wander around and find some incredible places you never would have known existed. Below are pictures from a Field Gallery on Martha’s Vineyard that we stumbled upon while exploring the island with no set destination in mind. Get out and explore a new neighborhood or trail. You never know what you may find.













Where am I goin'?
I don't know
Where am I headin'?
I ain't certain
All that I know
Is I am on my way
When will I be there?
I don't know
When will I get there?
I ain't certain
All that I know
Is I am on my way
~Paint Your Wagon

Captain's Log - Day 14 - Blessings in Disguise


Hello My Friends –

I hope you all had a good weekend, enjoyed some sunshine on Saturday and stayed safe and connected - all while remaining at a safe social distance.

As difficult as things are around the world right now, I consider us all extremely lucky. While all our lives have been disrupted and inconvenienced, we have the technology that allows us to work and continue to stay connected with friends and family. My friends and I used the Zoom app to play games together Saturday night (Left/Right/Center) and I’ve been able to connect with others through Face Time, FB messenger, a text or a good old fashion telephone call. I believe we all lucky to have everything we “need” (food, clothing, shelter) and we just need to handle the inconveniences of the situation and go without some of our “wants” for a while. To keep my sanity, I’ve limited my news consumption to 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night in order to stay informed. These 24 hour news channels basically repeat the same information all day long so get what you need and then turn it off. I guarantee it will be good for your mental health.

While reminiscing with friends over the weekend, we were all saying how much harder this would have been if we had to do this without the technology we have now. We were trying to remember how any of us were able to meet up in the days before cell phones. How did we ever find anyone down the beach? If we planned to meet “in the square” and someone didn’t show up at the agreed upon time, how long did we wait for them before eventually moving on with the plans and hoping they would catch up or standing around the pay phone waiting for someone to call it and let us know the new plan.

Right now we are being forced to adapt to this new normal and since there isn’t anything we can do about it, we need to find ways to make the best of the situation. The quicker we get everyone to do their part to stay isolated, the sooner we can get through this.

If you’ve ever seen the movie Evan Almighty, you might remember the scene where Morgan Freeman’s G-d character says:

Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient?
If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous?

If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?

We have been given this rare opportunity to slow down and, while the reason for it is scary and stressful, we should try to make the most of it and find all the blessings and opportunities it is providing us.

For your viewing pleasure, here are a few photos from the “most photographed church in Vermont.” I’m not surprised it has been given that distinction since I must have hundreds of it from every season over the past 30+ years. No matter how many times I’ve taken this photo, each one is unique whether because of the change in seasons, the lighting or the people there at that moment in time. If you’ve ever taken a foliage tour of Vermont, you would likely have made a stop here. It is located right up the road from my in-laws tree farm on Rt. 25 in Waits River. I’ve seen it on calendars, placemats, postcards, puzzles and all sorts of tourist materials.

We always got a good laugh when our crazy neighbor thought she could prevent people from taking pictures of the church by posting a sign saying “views from this property are registered, photographing them is against the law.” Sorry Ms. Morrison - the views are there for all of us to enjoy.

I hope you take the opportunity to slow down and enjoy some new views.













Please reach out if you need help with anything.

Peace out, my friends.

Captain's Log - Day 11 - Happy Friday!

Captain’s Log – Day 11 - Happy Friday!
Good Morning Friends –

I hope you are well and doing the best you can under these crazy circumstances we are all in.

I’m sure we all have those projects we’ve put off because we can never find the time to do them. Consider this your ticket to get all those project’s done. I’m still plugging away on my photo project and having fun tripping down memory lane. I’ve been sharing many of the photos with friends and family and they’ve been digging out their photos and sharing them too.

It looks like we will have some good weather here in Boston, at least for tomorrow, so I hope you all get out and enjoy it. The walls sure feel like they’re closing these past couple of weeks. Of course, stay safe and keep your distance but it will do your body and your mind some good to get outside. Another perk of our current situation is gas is cheap and there’s hardly any traffic.

Well, hello Sunshine, my old friend:





 

 

To all my fellow Patriot fans, I hope you have fun celebrate 3/28 tomorrow.





Have a great weekend. Stay safe and keep your distance.