Life is Good

I am still maintaining the best mental balance I have had in the last twenty years.  Things seem to becoming easier to manage and I am focusing on managing my thoughts in a positive way.  Work has been going extremely well.  I have not had the same anxiety I have had in the past.  I look forward to going in to work every day and am in no hurry to leave.  We are working well as a team amidst a challenging situation and maintaining the level of professionalism that our customers expect.  I am trying to ask more questions to make sure we are all on the same page and communication at this time is really helping us with our success.

I have this weekend off which is a much needed break for me.  I have been pushing myself physically to the limit and need to take some time to relax.  My boss has told me not to push myself too hard and I need to start taking that advice.  I have just always had a very strong work ethic and only know one way to work.  I have to slow things down a bit, especially with the increased temperatures.

Jodi is done school now and I am sure she is looking forward to some down time.  I got her some flowers last night to celebrate finishing another school year.  I wish I got an opportunity to see her teach but, I know she is very good at what she does.  She cares a lot about her students and works hard to make sure they are getting a good education.  It will be good to spend some time together this weekend.  I believe we are even going to get some steaks tonight to have a barbecue.  We will probably drop by my parents this afternoon to go for a swim.  Southern Ontario is going through a bit of a heat wave the last few days and it will be nice to take a dip.  My brother Matt is coming up for the day I think and I am looking forward to catching up with him.  He has bi polar as well and we have always shared a strong bond.  We have both come leaps and bounds from years past and it is wonderful to share in the success that we both seem to be having at this point.

I have not had a chance to watch too many of the world cup matches but, the ones I have watched have been quite entertaining.  I still cannot believe that Portugal scored with thirty seconds left against the States.  I thought that match was over and then Ronaldo had that perfect cross.  I am glad the US still managed to make it through to the next round.  I am really looking forward to watching the Netherlands against Mexico. My boss and his wife are Dutch so I like to keep apprised of how the team is doing.  Mexico has been playing very good football so it should be a great match.

We have been doing a tonne of mulching these days.  My advice to you if you are putting down mulch on your property is to make sure you do it right.  Mulch should be applied at least 2-3 inches thick or it will not cut down on weeding the way it is intended to do.  It also looks sharper when there is a thick layer.  It is better to have too much on than not enough.  If you have edges on your beds,  make sure you flip the edges up after you put the mulch down.  It looks like shit if mulch is heaping over the edge.

Pruning season is upon us and I cannot wait.  I had the opportunity to prune all day yesterday and I was in my zone.  It is amazing what you can accomplish in one day if you really put your mind to it.  I seem to have a gift for pruning and I love the feeling I get from it. I know how to prune most varieties of plants and shrubs and am still learning as I go.  I am starting to get more of the names but, still have a long way to go with plant identification.  I ask my boss as much as I can as he is quite astute at not only identifying plants and shrubs but, also how they should be pruned.  I love to continue to learn new things every year and have absorbed a lot of information over the last few years.  I still make some mistakes along the way but, that is part of the growing process.

I hope this finds you in good spirits.  Have a great weekend.  Bye for now.  Take care,  Shawn.


“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”
― Hunter S. Thompson