finding the way..........

 

My senses and faculties help me to find the way from here to Killarney but on the way back to God they bewilder and impede me.

-John Moriarty, A Hut at the Edge of the Village

Old habits interrupted.................

      Every morning for the past twelve years (well, 345 days out of 365 anyway), I have walked for 45+ minutes down the hill from our house, across the little bridge, around the OSU-N/COTC campus, and back.  

      Apparently, bridges do not live forever, as ours has been taken out of commission for the next "111 days."

Younger Steve would have crossed this anyway

Whatever, walks still need to be walked.   There are more that 40 miles of paved "recreational trails" around here. This morning, my Sweetie and I traveled by car to the original Licking County bike path (+/-3.5 miles between Granville and Newark, initially paved in the mid-1970s.)   It is as pretty as I remember it.

We will try a different path tomorrow.

the critical path...............

 

This is why the discipline of asking “what is actually blocking me?” outperforms many productivity systems on the market.

Lists treat tasks as equals. The critical path treats them as a queue with one true bottleneck at the front.

Identify it. Work on it. Everything else, however satisfying, is decoration on a foundation that may not yet exist.

-Nicholas Bate

breezing...................

 

     I've always found it hard to conform to the so-called standards.  Each time a teacher or an adult told me I shouldn't do this or that, I'd nod but let their words breeze past me.  I refused to believe there was only one path in life.

-Hwang Bo-Reum, Ever Day I Read: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books

Five things...................

 

Start........................

 

Many situations in life are similar to going on a hike: the view changes once you start walking.

You don't need all the answers right now. New paths will reveal themselves if you have the courage to get started.

-James Clear, from this edition

on forging your own way..............

 

     This idea of forging your own path, of being a trailblazer, is beautifully illustrated in an old Arthurian legend, La Queste del Saint Graal, written by an anonymous monk in the thirteenth century.  In the story, the knights of the Round Table are inspired to seek the Holy Grail after it briefly appears before them.  But instead of setting out together, they make a profound choice.  As the text reads, "They thought it would be a disgrace to go forth in a group.  Each entered the Forest Adventurous at that point which he himself had chosen, where it was darkest and there was no way or path."

     The renowned mythologist Joseph Campbell often cited this tale as a powerful metaphor for the individual's journey through life.  To Campbell, it captured the essence of having the courage to follow your own path and find what truly fulfills you.  "Where there's a way or a path," Campbell writes, "it is someone else's path."

     What Campbell means here is profound:  The well-trodden paths in life—the ones that are clear and easy to follow—have already been carved by others.  These paths represent conventional wisdom, societal expectations, or traditional routes to success.  But true fulfillment, Campbell suggests, comes from forging your own way.

-George Raveling, What You're Made For: Powerful Life Lessons from My Career in Sports

the courage to change...........

 

Just because you've begun down one path doesn't mean you're committed to it forever, especially if that path turns out to be flawed or impeded.  At that same time, this is not an excuse to be flighty or incessantly noncommittal.  It takes courage to decide to do things differently and to make a change, as well as discipline and awareness to know that the notion of "Oh, but this looks even better" is a temptation that cannot be endlessly indulged either.

-Ryan Holiday

part of the journey.................

 

     Being a trailblazer often means venturing into the unknown, where the way forward isn't always clear.  You'll encounter dead ends, false starts, and paths that seem promising but ultimately lead nowhere.  This is all part of the journey.  Each setback and wrong turn is not a failure, but a lesson that brings you closer to finding your true path.  The key is to keep moving, keep exploring, and learn from every experience along the way.

-George Raveling, What You're Made For: Powerful Life Lessons from My Career in Sports

All.......................

 

. . . Success isn't about comparing yourself to others or trying to be something you're not.  It's about finding your unique path, your special contribution, and giving it your all.

-George Raveling, What You're Made For: Powerful Life Lessons from My Career in Sports

the path................................

 

Don't hope that events will turn out the way you want, welcome events in whichever way they happen: this is the path to peace.

-attributed to Epictetus

Paths......................

 

There's no such thing as a sweet deal without a clear path to significant growth.

-Brad Jacobs, How to Make a Few Billion Dollars

a path....................

 Relaxing is not a waste of time—it's an investment in well-being. Breaks are not a distraction—they're a chance to reset attention and incubate ideas.  Play is not a frivolous activity—it's a source of joy and a path to mastery.

-Adam Grant, Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things

Creation........................

 Even though we can’t measure luck, we can all agree that experiencing more good luck is a good thing. Believe it or not, we can actually create some of this good luck ourselves.

-creation story from Jack Raines here

Good systems........................

Leaders understand that a good system involves doing something on a regular basis to improve your odds of good outcomes, even if you don't know exactly what the outcome will be. . . .   
     When it comes to your personal life, business life, and political opinions, it makes sense to favor systems over goals whenever that is practical.  A goal gives you one way to win, whereas a system can surface lots of winning paths, some of which you never could have imagined.

-Scott Adams,  Loserthink:  How Untrained Brains Are Ruining America

Unfolding.........................

     Say not, "I have found the truth," but rather, "I have found a truth."
     Say not, "I have found the path of the soul."  Say rather, "I have met the soul walking upon my path."
     For the soul walks upon all paths.
     The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed.
     The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals.

-Kahlil Gibran, from his discourse on Self-Knowledge in The Prophet

Freedom 101......................

1.  Stop worrying about what others think: that’s an instant path to freedom.

-Nicholas Bate

A well worn pathway to..................

....………………………………………….to Liszt and so much more.

On happiness.........................

When Epicurus defined happiness as the supreme good, he warned his disciples that it is hard work to be happy.  Material achievements alone will not satisfy us for long.  Indeed, the blind pursuit of money, fame, and pleasure will only make us miserable.  Epicurus recommended, for example, to eat and drink in moderation, and to curb one's sexual appetites.  In the long run, deep friendship will make us more content than a frenzied orgy.  Epicurus outlined an entire ethic of dos and don'ts to guide people along the treacherous path to happiness.
     Epicurus was apparently on to something.  Being happy doesn't come easy.  Despite out unprecedented achievements in the past few decades, it is far from obvious that contemporary people are significantly more satisfied than their ancestors in bygone years.

-Yuval Noah Harari, Homo Deus:  A Brief History of Tomorrow

The Impatient Stage.................

    The Old School project has been center stage in my work life since last fall.  We are now in the Impatient Stage.  We have made significant headway, lots of work has been completed, the apartment units are coming into sharper focus, one can see the finished product materializing.  But...........There still is a lot of work to be finished.  We have surrendered the original goal of having tenants move in by the end of June.  The target for completion is now mid-July.  I can see the pathway, but........:

First floor plaster repair not yet started

Second and third floor plaster work mostly finsished

Five of the 29 kitchens are still boxed up

8 of the 29 kitchens have cabinets but await countertops

The rest of the units are patiently awaiting appliance delivery

Eleven of the units originally had hardwood (maple) floors.

After almost 80 years, they need refinishing

It is a tedious process

Sanded but not stained.

Stained but not sealed

The almost finished product.  Mighty handsome floors, don't you think?

Confident enough in the process to put this sign up