I love the refreshing smell, and even the subtle sounds, of the earth sort of “breathing” after it rains.

My friend Bob Jennings recommended a fabulous application called Microsoft OneNote. It’s note-taking software that integrates with Office and centralizes notes/emails/to do lists, etc. It’s less than $100, a great tool, and worth checking out.

I wonder how many people really enjoy the pleasures of life without feeling guilty for doing so. For some reason, I think we sometimes feel undeserving of them. We think, “I’ll reward myself with enjoying life once…(fill in the blank)…happens.” It is as if we think that by accepting happiness now, we’ll become complacent, unproductive, bumps-on-a-log who will rot away in idleness. I think that’s a far cry from reality. There will always be a milestone that we decide needs to be achieved before we are satisfied with ourselves enough to feel deserving of joy. Soon life can become a long succession of these and somehow we never get around to celebrating. I hope that as we share Thanksgiving feasts with our families this year, we thoroughly enjoy relishing our blessings, savoring family time, indulging in delicious food, delighting in the festive atmosphere, and luxuriating in all kinds of little wonders. I’m struck that there is no guarantee we’ll have future holidays to celebrate, and waiting until we…(again, fill in the blank)… to feel warranted in revelling is not only risky, but also kind of a waste of life.

Bailey, 2008

Yesterday we had to put my black labrador friend, Bailey, to sleep. My parents bought her for me when I graduated from college 12 years ago. She was very smart, liked to do tricks (like take a bow, play dead, shake, crawl, and roll over). She was a Pet Therapy Dog, visiting patients in hospitals for several years. She loved to chase a Frisbee (only slightly more than she loved to eat), and was fond of sneaking up onto the bed after I’d fallen asleep and couldn’t kick her off. Bailey is buried under a Jacaranda tree which will develop purple blossoms every spring.

Commenting on John McCain’s concession speech, a radio guest on NPR said he believes a person can learn the most about a man’s personality by how he articulates defeat. He explained a man’s character can best be measured in hard times.