five succinct bullets

Last week, Elon Musk directed all federal workers to submit a list of five things they had accomplished at work in order to justify keeping their jobs...or risk being fired. A few days later, they were advised to ignore the order. Then, without explanation, they were redirected to comply with it. Needless to say, this resulted in total chaos. In fear, anger, and confusion. 

"...use this as an opportunity

to shine and show off what you do

in five succinct bullets."

~Elon Musk~

I'm retired, so obviously, this doesn't apply to me. Still, I thought it might be fun to try it (tongue in cheek...). So, here it is:

1. When my plans for the weekend fell through at the last minute, I decided, instead, to drive to Pittsburgh to surprise my son who was celebrating the first year anniversary of his very own craft brewery, CoStar Brewing. Check it out at https://www.costarbrewing.com/. I think it pleased him when I showed up unannounced.

2. I spent either an hour in meditation or two hours walking in the countryside every day.

3. I read. I'm reading "Coming to Our Senses" by Jon Kabat-Zinn in preparation for a meditation retreat with him later this year. It's a big book! It'll take a while for me to get through it.

4. I woke up early to enjoy the sunrise.

5. I fed the birds, squirrels, and the deer out back with the "good" (meaning "expensive") birdseed every day. 

Granted, this might not be the type of activity that would impress Musk, but it serves to keep me balanced and relatively calm in spite of the chaos. It helps me stay in touch with reality even when it scares me. It keeps me sane, unlike some people I know...

"When something is important enough,

you do it even if the odds

are not in your favor."

~Elon Musk~

jan