The Vein of Happiness and the Artery of Joy

"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
— Tom Bodett

Friday, welcome home; how are you, lovely beret? Let me take your coat, the coffee is on the counter, grab a cup and join me while I pen a few thoughts about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Thursday asked to tell you 'hi," so "hi" from Thursday. It's so good to see you. It's been a few days.

A lovely day yesterday; I worked from home, headed to the BMV, got my task done, and then headed up to meet my wife for lunch. We both had soup and salad, working on eating a little better, then I came home and worked until 5:00, my wife made short rib chili, Bailey came over and hung out, she stayed the night.

Today I'm heading up to Muncie, where I'll run my thought leaders call, then I have lunch with a friend; I'll move our co-work space forward, see my friend Mel and check in on my parents. After that, I've got a couple of stops to make, and then I'll head home and spend the weekend with the most beautiful woman in the world.

The Supreme Court struck down Biden's mandate, he called it, looking at the news. So when it was introduced, he said, "maybe the courts will overturn it, but I think it the right thing to do." Well, Joe, nice try, but common sense prevailed; you cannot force employers to force their employees to undergo a medical procedure.

Speaking of Joe, he gave a stirring speech in Georgia where he called anyone that didn't agree with his voting rights bill, wait for it, a racist. Then, he planned to use the Senate to eliminate the filibuster, a 250-year rule that calls for 60 votes to move legislation through the Senate. Kristen Sinema and Joe Manchin, two democratic sentators, went on record not to endorse the plan.  

I watched Sinema's speech; she made some excellent points. But, unfortunately, inflation continues to spiral out of control; supply chain issues continue to plague our nation. Is it time the administration tries a different playbook? I think Joe might be the worst President of my lifetime, although that last guy did have a few character flaws. Joe's policy decisions seem to have made our country worse than before, and his 33% approval rating is an indication that the other team will take the House and Senate in November, making him a lame-duck President.

Congress will also be lame-duck; they can pass all the legislation they want, but "Come-On-Man Joe" will veto anything he does not support. So is it possible that we are at the end of our run as the greatest nation in the history of the world? We had a good run; it might be time for the Chinese to take over and run the world for a spell, we had a good run, and I like General Tso's Chicken!

Don't get mad, just calling some balls and strikes; I hope I'm wrong, and I'm not kidding about General Tso's Chicken. Looking at the rest of the news on my "Smart News" app, every other story is about Yellowstone; I like the show, but come on, is that all that is going on these days? I'm checking in on my Oura ring; I'm told to rest today; my heart rate is up, and she thinks I need to skip the gym. My sleep is optimal at 92, and I need to pay attention to my activity; I need to move more. Skip the gym, but move more, make up your mind, Oura?

COVID is raging; most folks I know have it or suffer from a scratchy throat. Most don't know if they contracted it; you can't find a test anywhere. I think the key to managing the virus is not to test if you are asymptomatic, live your life, be free. The new recommendations about masks are out; it appears after two years of wearing cloth masks that they don't work. The mask theater days are over; now it's time to constrict our ability to breathe and wear a "95", the joys of life in 2022. 

I think there will be some analogies to 9/11 and COVID. It makes no sense not allowing one to get a bottle of water through security or asking folks to remove their shoes, but you must follow those silly rules if you travel. I think masks are now a part of travel; once they seize control, they will never let it go. Speaking of masks, I went into Amelia's to get some pasta salad for my wife; I walked in, and the young lady screamed, "mask, mask, mask!" I didn't have one; she told me there was a box outside; I complied.

Bailey is up; we are having coffee, my wife is getting in the shower, I'll soon get in the shower and head north. Bay is heading back west this weekend; she will pack up and return to Indy; her plan is ten days out west and 20 days in Indiana. She will stay at our mountain house and service her clients when in town. We are looking at January 27th as our leave date to go back west; we will get home on Saturday and have brunch with our friends on Sunday.

We are talking about renting our home in Indy out for May; we think we can score a race team that might want to use the house; not sure what our rate will be, but we netted $6400 after expenses for the national championship. So I think 20K for the month sounds about right. When we bought this house, I never dreamed it would become an income generator, but something bigger than ourselves had a master plan.

We are officially two weeks into the new year; how are you doing? Are you happy? Are you sad? Are you frustrated, angry, confused? If so, why? What can you do to find your vein of happiness and your artery of joy? I'm in a good place, and I hope you are as well; the sun will shine the next two days; when the sun shines, the universe is smiling. I'm smiling, and I hope you, too, are enjoying your best life.

"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."
— Tom Bodett