A Day of a Different Color
Rough start
Although the first part of my morning went as normal as it could be, the rest of this morning has been a bit rough. My productivity with work is super low and something just doesn't feel quite right. I'm physically, mentally, and emotionally/spiritually fine. I just get a sense of there being a slight imbalance in my world. I just can't quite figure out what it is.
I'm hoping my lunch break will turn things around. I'll be reading today's Bible reading plan. And I'll be making some "chorizo" tacos to eat. Time permitting, I may even take a short walk to clear my mind and soul. That will mostly depend on how much time it takes to read, cook, and eat...hehehe
No Vitamin G
Some days I just do not feel very inspired. Today was one of those days. Although I really liked how my sunrise and selfie photos all turned out, I did not feel any specific inspiration on what I wanted to encourage people with. So I just went with a whimsical greeting and wished everyone peace.
In the past, I would really feel down about not being able to come up with a least a little encouragement or motivational statement. But then I realized I was the only one applying pressure on myself to be inspirational. No one else was chomping at the bit to get me to write anything. So I eased back on myself and decided I would only write when I was truly inspired to do so. And today just wasn't one of those inspiring days. And that's okay!
Lunch
The "chorizo" tacos were amazing, as expected. It doesn't take long to make tacos. At least tacos for one...hehehe While I was eating said tacos, I went through today's Bible reading plan. And then I followed that up with a brisk one mile speed walk. I don't know why it always surprises me I can get so much into a lunch hour.
During my walk, I think I spent more brain power thinking about the walk than I did trying to clear my mind. So, here I am after lunch in the same state I found myself in prior. I really do not know what is going on with me today. Perhaps it is just one of those days. The sort of day where very little is actually accomplished, yet the body and mind needs to somewhat reset itself.
Career
While I'm thinking about it, I honestly do not see myself staying in the software industry beyond this decade. Although I have always had the passion to solve complex problems, I have never truly felt a passion for software development. It has been a fantastic hobby. It helps me do such things as modify the software which powers my websites. Honestly, the career portion has always just been about the money.
Don't get me wrong, the actually salary I make isn't the focus. I do focus my care on the people I'm helping. But I could do that in any career. The choice of career is about the income potential and the actual income I have been blessed with over the years. I chose this path because, at the time, I was about to get married. I wanted to provide for the future family I was going to have. Had I known then what I know now, I would have just given up the idea of having a family and just stuck to being a creative hopeless romantic in art and writing...hehehe
So, I think I'll be spending the next 4 to 5 years trying to transition out of software. I'll keep it as a hobby. My heart wants to create. So I may spending quite a bit of effort in my "free" time developing my art, writing, and music. I want my creative side to shine once I'm in my 50s and beyond. I'll also be sure to prepare for my retirement while my income is still at this level in the next few years. And now that my son is an adult, I'm less concerned about providing for him. I can now go back to being a creative and hopeless romantic...HA!
My Tree
At a very young age, I had the aptitude for art. I was one of my elementary school art teacher's favorite students. At least that is what she told me. For all I know, she said that to all of her students...hehehe Nonetheless, I absolutely loved creating with drawings and paintings. Some of my most recent works reveals that I still have the nack for it! My renaissance in 2021 has proven to be a most inspiring period of my life.
Something that kept me grounded as a kid was a drawing I would frequently make on chalk boards of a tree. I would begin by drawing random branches and then fill in the trunk. Depending on the season, I might also sketch in some things that looked like leaves. I never drew the tree the same way twice. In nature, there are no two trees that are the same. Even a cloned tree, through the use of air layering, isn't exactly the same as the tree it came from. That's how I liked my tree. Never the same, and always changing.
Several years later, and yet several years ago, I finally drew my tree on paper. It was perfect! I had finally found the exact tree I wanted to draw. The peace this final drawing of my tree brought to my soul was indescribable. After drawing it this time, I decided I would never draw my tree again. Sadly, I do not know what happened to that drawing. I had saved it for years. But through my life's events, I have lost several such keepsakes.
Although I lost my tree, there still exists an actual living tree in Indiana that closely resembles my tree. As a matter of fact, I mentally call it "my tree." It can be found along Interstate 70 west of Plainfield and east of Cloverdale. I do not remember the exact mile marker to find my tree. But when I see it, I know it is mine.
On my last trip to Indiana this past December, I forgot to look for my tree. What that means, however, is the soul was already at peace on that trip. I didn't need to find my tree to be grounded and I no longer need the drawing I lost. There are other things in my life that I need to find grounding from. But whatever trauma was rooted with that tree has now been resolved. Thank God for that!
Evening
Work is over and I've had my dinner. I can't say that much has improved in the way of productivity for my day. But dinner was delicious! I made "chicken" tacos. This time I used shredded carrots instead of fajita veggies and used ghee as the fat to prevent the "chicken" and carrots from sticking to the pan. I also topped them off with salsa verde. These tacos were so much better than the ones I made on Tuesday. Abbot's chick'n with salsa verde is definitely a winner!
Since ghee has such a high smoke temp, I've been gradually using it in my cooking with items I would normally use vegetable oil for. I even used it when cooking my "hamburger" last night. The other time I cooked the "hamburger," I used vegetable oil. The ghee worked so much better. And it tastes so much better too!
Possible LLC Name
I'm going to be forming a Limited Liability Company later this year. Picking a name is one of the hardest part about such things. Well, I think I already have a name for it! The system I use to physically write these blog entries randomly assigned a name to the provisioned software interface I'm using. It named the instance "symmetrical palm-tree." How perfect is that for me?!?
So, now I'm considering "Symmetrical Palm Tree" as the LLC name for any business I conduct from writing, to art, to 3D printing. Even the logo will be easy for such a name! Basically a palm tree that looks the same even if you flip it horizontally...hehehe It is almost like it was God who provided the name. I'm not going to doubt that. He has provided for me in so many ways. I definitely want to give Him credit for that one!
Meatless Hamburger
I was so impressed with the Impossible burger meat I tried this week that I decided to see if there was an easy recipe for making my own meatless hamburger. I figured it couldn't be too difficult. After all, it is plant-based, right!? It turns out it is extremely easy! One of the ingredients that gave me alarm was soy sauce. I need to be on a low-sodium diet regardless of my source of protein. So I reach out to my deer friend, Chérie, about what sort of alternative she used. The main one she uses, no soy soy sauce, isn't perfect for the need, but she mentioned coconut aminos. That one looks like the perfect one!
As I continue to explore these meat alternatives, I'm going to find recipes for the ones I love so I can start making them myself. The less processing the better for my diet. Although I'm not against eating animals, I'm finding that my own health has improved now that I don't eat "farm" animals. Anything I can do to make these meat alternatives at home, I definitely want to keep exploring. After my 21 day fast, I'll likely go back to eating seafood. At that time, I'll have some new skills for my veggie needs! Isn't God awesome!?! I began my pescatarian diet in November 2023. I'm not likely to ever go back to eating "farm" animals again. Seafood, veggies, and fruits for this guy for the foreseeable future!
Clarity?
I'm not sure when I'll have clarity about times like today. My mind and body was doing some sort of "reboot" today. I can't really explain it. Perhaps it will be something that will end up in a book someday. I truly feel called to writing books. I imagine there will be many. But for now, I'm glad I journaled all of this today. Perhaps "Tomorrow" me will have some insight. "Tomorrow" meaning some future version of myself. With my increased Bible reading and study, I'm bound to eventually understand what happened today. But if I never do, that is fine too. I'm not perfect...and I never will be. And that's okay!