Sitting here at the kitchen table on a Sunday morning. Sadie at my side with her tennis ball, hoping I will throw it across the room even though she knows Calene isn't a fan of fetch in the house. NFL Countdown on TV. Set my fantasy lineup. Feeling great about how the girls team ran at prelims yesterday and scheming a way for them to win the championship next week. All of which is my way of saying it's time for a newsletter instead of a blog. (If you haven’t signed up yet for my Keep Pushing Always newsletter, you can do so here.) Have a great Sunday!
What I’m Reading
I had an hour to kill before Tough Guy Book Club last week. Stopped in at the local Barnes and Noble (not so local, actually. About ten miles from my house). Found myself so overwhelmed to be inside an actual bookstore that I went a little nuts.
Bought three books, two notepads, and, just for the hell of it, a pen. I'm just finishing the first of the books, Malcolm Gladwell's Revenge of the Tipping Point. An interesting read. Also picked up Mark Greaney's Armored for a little action. I haven't read Buzz Bissinger's Friday Night Lights so I bought that one too.
What I’m Watching
So much good television right now. Callie and I just finished Only Murders in the Building. The Old Man and The Diplomat are pure excitement and great writing. The second season of Shrinking is even better than the first. And my sauna place (it's a chain called Perspire) has a big screen in each room. I like to watch comedy while I sit alone and sweat. Adam Sandler and Tom Papa's most recent Netflix specials are hilarious.
What I’m Working On
My fiction piece has the working title of Faster. Explaining much more will drain some of the creative energy but know that I'm having a great time with this.
My next non-fiction project is also a secret. I hope to share more about that soon.
Workout of the Week
Running. My training is slow and the volume is low. But I run on trails so empty I can hear my thoughts. Most days that's just what the doctor is ordering (literally, my doctor is telling me to drop a few pounds). On other days running is just the break I need.
And Finally…
A note from the world of being a caregiver. If someone you know is going through a rough patch or a medical situation, the phrase "let me know if there's anything I can do" is the go-to when you don't know what else to say. Everyone says it. But there's nothing you can do. Maybe leave a cold IPA on the porch, as my neighbors did one night. Other than that, nothing. Instead, say you're sending all love or keeping that person in your prayers. Sounds trite but it resonates.
Have a great week and say a few prayers for my sweetie if it crosses your mind.