Present or Presence?

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.”
— Bil Keane

It’s raining in the valley.  It’s a little chilly; I’ve been playing sock toss with PVHT this morning.  The coffee is made, the wife is slow asleep, and I’m in my purple writing chair making some morning soup.  It’s 5:15 a.m. MT, 7:15 a.m. ET, this is my time, and I’ll enjoy the solitude and my ability to share nonsense about my perception of the world.  If you are new here, welcome; if you are a regular, thank you.

We left the house at 9:30, headed to our middle daughter’s home to drop off our pup.  Her pup Griffy and our pup are friends; they run together for two hours, and then both sleep the rest of the day.  It’s good for them; it’s suitable for humans.  We then drove north to meet my family to celebrate Mother’s day and our daughter’s graduation from Ball State.  There we 10 of us and 10 of our friends at the next table, it was good to see everyone.

We headed back downtown and went to Whole Foods, where $50.00 of groceries cost $200.00. I bought some flowers for our kid for watching our dog.  We went back to pick up the pup; I made a floral arrangement that would make a flower store employee blush.   We got home; I took the leftover flowers, made another bundle of flowers for my wife, and then settled in to watch the UFC.

For the fifth week in a row, I won money.  I downloaded the draft kings app since my bookies Nate and Nick no longer were interested in placing my bets for free.  If you put $10.00 on every underdog on the fight card, you can win $20.00 to $60.00.  Last night I won $60.00; it’s a fun experiment; feel free to use my system; so far, it’s foolproof.

A special note to all the mothers out there, today is your day.  I respect and am humbled by all the work you do; we with plums can’t imagine how you do what you have done or did.  We are thankful for you and probably don’t share how much we appreciate your attention to ourselves and our children; thank you, mothers, near and far.

So how will you celebrate? We are driving to my wife’s mother’s home.  My parents are joining us as is one of our kids.  We will head over and then return this afternoon.  I’m making my lump crab soup tonight; we plan to take it easy and prepare for our big week coming up.  I’ve got some work to do this morning to prepare, some loose ends that need to be tightened.  It is an exciting time to be the owner of a small business. 

My daughter just texted me; she’s coming over to bring bacon and coffee for Mother’s day.  It’s a surprise; they will arrive at 8:30; PVHT is excited to have company.  I guess my work will have to wait, family first, then work; that is how I roll.  I think I have my priorities in order; I function in the following roles in this order—Father, lover, writer, teacher, and then a small business owner.

What are your priorities? Have you thought about that, and if someone asks you what you do, how do you reply.  This is a reminder that your vocation does not define who you are; it is just a tiny part of who you are.  My idea is that if you limit yourself to your career, you miss out on what life truly has to offer.  I was listening to a Joe Rogan podcast yesterday.  The guest was Dave Chappell; Dave was sharing his thoughts on money and, if you focus on money, how one misses out on the essence of life.

Joe shared he did commentary for about 15 UFC fights without getting paid.  He got tickets, and they flew him in; he loved it and never thought about becoming a career.   Today, this is one of his jobs; Joe has three. He does the UFC, his podcast, and finally, comedy.  He just did a deal for 100 million, so he has money, but money was never the focus.  If money is your focus, you are doing life wrong.

I’ve never focused on money but always had more means than I need.  I have been working since I was 14, always lived within my means, and today I have a war chest that allows us to sleep well.  We have planned, we have executed, and will enjoy the spoils of life.  Never focus on the material aspects of life; choose to lean into the beautiful gifts given by something bigger than yourself.

Well, I must run; I need to organize a few things and get ready for our kids to stop by to surprise us.  Coffee and bacon are on the menu, I love both, but I love my kids more.  I hope you enjoy this day; I hope you had a great day yesterday, and your tomorrow is filled with love, joy, and happiness.  If you are sad, angry, or confused, get help.  Call a friend, or here’s another idea, do something for someone else.  That is a magic move that will always make you feel better about yourself. 

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.”
— Bil Keane