Category: Personal

The Last Post, For Now

Posted on by Paul Knight

As I noted in a recent post, my life has become busier now that I have two paid coaching engagements, so finding the time to blog every day has become difficult. I thought I might simply blog less frequently, but I’ve discovered that without the impetus of coming up with something every day, my motivation has waned.

I published my first post on May 25, 2020, and then posted every day for 240 days. At first I aspired only to write every day, not necessarily finish and post something every day, but blogging daily turned out to be a good way of motivating myself to go to my office and write every morning, even when I had no idea going in what the topic would be. . . .

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This Is Millie

Posted on by Paul Knight

Our neighbors’ son is between apartments for a few weeks so he and his girlfriend will be staying at his parents’ house during the interlude. But there’s a wrinkle. Our neighbors have what Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, calls a “red-zone dog,” one who has a vicious antipathy to other dogs. That meant the son and his girlfriend couldn’t bring their dog, Millie, with them when they temporarily moved in with his parents. Knowing that we’ve looked after other people’s dogs in the past, our neighbors asked if we could temporarily take care of Millie. We agreed, and she moved in last night. . . .

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Looking Back and Looking Forward

Posted on by Paul Knight

Jennifer and I sat down yesterday to have our end-of-year review and start-of-year planning discussions, which we do every year. Sometimes these are two separate conversations, but this time we had them both in one sitting. We typically have these discussions over dinner at a nice restaurant to create a sense of occasion. In light of the pandemic, though, we just sat in the living room with a fire in the fireplace. . . .

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Cutting Back

Posted on by Paul Knight

I published my first blog post on May 25th of last year. The combination of being retired and shut in by the pandemic had left me at loose ends, and I was looking for something to do that was both generative and a self-expression. I settled on blogging because it would provide an opportunity to practice writing. I’ve posted something every day since, 229 entries altogether. . . .

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Insurrection

Posted on by Paul Knight

I received an upbeat marketing email this morning from a consultant I’ve done business with. It said,

“Happy New Year, Paul.
I can’t remember ever being as excited about the new year as I am this year! As the dumpster fire that was 2020 recedes in the rearview mirror, 2021 feels ripe for a reset.”

Clearly, that email was written and queued up for sending before yesterday’s events in Washington, DC. It turns out it’s a bit early to assume that all the dumpster fires are in the rearview mirror. . . .

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Marilia is Home

Posted on by Paul Knight

Our friend Marilia arrived home in the Brazilian city of Belém yesterday. She had been staying with us for most of the last six months and finished obtaining her doctorate in music while she was here. During the 12 years she’d been in the U.S., she’d accumulated a lot of stuff. She was able to send some things, including her piano and furniture, home by boat several weeks ago, but there was a weight limit on that shipment, so she spent the last few weeks sorting through her wardrobe and other possessions, deciding what she would take with her on the plane and what she would throw out or give away before she left. She also had to handle scads of administrative tasks, from obtaining an apostille for her diploma to returning her E-Z Pass tag. It was a head-spinning job, so I tapped my project-management experience to help her get on top of it . . .

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Our Neighborhood Luminaria Display

Posted on by Paul Knight

My neighborhood has a yuletide tradition of putting out luminaria on Christmas Eve. Even if you haven’t done luminaria yourself, you’ve probably seen them. They consist of a white paper bag with some sand in the bottom and a thick candle stuck in the sand. When lit they emit an ethereal glow. I know people who place luminaria along their front walk or driveway when they have people over for a holiday get-together, but my neighborhood has for years put out hundreds of them, all at the same time. . . .

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