Dearest Rachel – You might think that, by waking up with such a title for this morning’s letter, I’d be announcing some great theory of existence to you. A grand purpose for humanity or, on an individual basis, an explanation for what keeps each of us going, day after day. But no. I’d like toContinue reading “What Makes Us Tick”
Tag Archives: motivation
Be Here All the Earlier the Next Morning…
Dearest Rachel – You’ll recall Scrooge’s admonition to Bob Cratchit after reluctantly giving him the day off (with pay!) for Christmas. While some versions have Bob reminding Scrooge that he can’t conduct business on Christmas, as all other businesses he would otherwise deal with would be closed, it wasn’t as if the practice of ‘holidayContinue reading “Be Here All the Earlier the Next Morning…”
The Season of the Swan
Dearest Rachel – They say that the swan, for all its apparent grace as it glides atop the water whenever one sees it, is churning its webbed feet furiously underneath the surface, where the frenzy can’t be seen. Such is the way things are at this time of year for us all, honey – orContinue reading “The Season of the Swan”
from Rachel: Understanding Biblical Change (part two)
In the blanks below write the two most significant statements in today’s reading assignment. Be prepared to discuss why the statements you chose were significant to you. “Our Lord did not… – but these are byproducts of godliness, not primary goals for the Christian life – This is an important distinction to keep a goodContinue reading “from Rachel: Understanding Biblical Change (part two)”
Don’t Tell Me How Cold It Is
Dearest Rachel – So yesterday, I met Lars to go walking through the woods, as we do every week. This, despite the fact that it was below freezing and there was the threat of snow that day – in fact, for most of the time we were out there, we were dealing with a fairContinue reading “Don’t Tell Me How Cold It Is”
That’s No Moon…
Dearest Rachel – It seems that, far too often for my liking, I’m up at a ridiculous hour of the morning these days. It probably comes with the territory that is aging, to be honest. The last chapter of Ecclesiastes talks about how one will “rise at the sound of a bird” despite hardly beingContinue reading “That’s No Moon…”
Not As Faithful As Some
Dearest Rachel – Ever since before the weekend, I’ve been retiring early – earlier than used to be typical for me back in the day during my work farce days, and for which you used to tease me about now and then – and, for the most part, waking up early in turn. Sometimes, I’veContinue reading “Not As Faithful As Some”
To See Where I Stand
Dearest Rachel – Well, honey, despite my best efforts to take advantage of as much of the darkness as possible – especially since I wasn’t going to be heading into the ‘office’ today – my day this morning started at six, regardless. It was too late for me to realistically put in my full timeContinue reading “To See Where I Stand”
Monday Deferred, But Monday Nonetheless
Dearest Rachel – There are moments when, while I can’t thank you enough for allowing me to check out of the work farce (and I’ll never forget how you put it at the moment; “you’ve supported me for the last twenty-plus years, now it’s my turn to support you.” Not every one, even as aContinue reading “Monday Deferred, But Monday Nonetheless”
Refreshing Inertia
Dearest Rachel – The world outside my door may be speeding by at a ridiculous pace – when I woke up for the first time a couple of hours ago, there were an insane amount of unread articles in my news feed to go through – but that doesn’t mean I have to move atContinue reading “Refreshing Inertia”
So What’s Holding Me Back?
Dearest Rachel – Ostensibly, one of the great privileges of my semi-retired state is that theoretically, I can pack up and go here and there on a whim, at a moment’s notice. It would please me no end to be able to just cab out to the airport and fly wherever at some point –Continue reading “So What’s Holding Me Back?”
All the Time in the World?
Dearest Rachel – Daniel has been asking me multiple times throughout the past day whether I’ve heard from the dealership about the status of the work being done on my vehicle. After just a single day of me appropriating his/your car, it would seem that he would like it back. It seems a little weird,Continue reading “All the Time in the World?”
Competing With Myself
Dearest Rachel – Even though the wind isn’t whistling at its worst this morning, it’s more than sufficient to remind me that spring isn’t quite here yet. What motion the air has in this thirty degree environment is enough for me to feel like my arms are clad in steel wool; even as calm asContinue reading “Competing With Myself”
The Price of a Jones
Dearest Rachel – Obviously, you know I’m not talking about the mythical neighbors who our generation (and the one before us) would often attempt to try to “keep up with.” You and I, while growing up, never had the same tastes as the general public, as we knew them to be; why expend the effortContinue reading “The Price of a Jones”
Dusting Upon Dusting
Dearest Rachel – Supposedly, it’s that time of the year; when the snow falls in such great quantities that it piles up chest-high on either side of the road, especially on the driveways once they’ve been shoveled clear (or at least, mostly clear – one can never quite get all the way down to theContinue reading “Dusting Upon Dusting”
The Lethargy of the Cold
Dearest Rachel – What is it about Beach Night at Sparks that causes it to always be on the coldest night of the year? To be sure, it’s usually scheduled like this in the middle of January – presumably because, like that song about needing a little Christmas, everyone needs a little of the tropicsContinue reading “The Lethargy of the Cold”
What Constitutes ‘Work’
Dearest Rachel – I’m not sure when he started doing this – I want to say it was while I was abroad, which would explain my uncertainty as to the specific timing – but it was within the past year that Logan switched up his work schedule. Originally, when he first moved in, he usedContinue reading “What Constitutes ‘Work’”
Inertia
Dearest Rachel – The presents are bought, yes, and they have been for a week or two already. But they’ve been sitting by (or on) my bed unwrapped all this time. I could argue that I’m still waiting for the last shipment to come in, but at this point, I’ve lost track as to whetherContinue reading “Inertia”
Power Dynamics
Dearest Rachel – So today had me waking up not with a dream as such (although I guess there were some images involved that illustrated my thought process, but stringing them together would be more trouble than it’s worth, for several reasons), but rather an insight of sorts. To be sure, it’s not an apple-on-the-headContinue reading “Power Dynamics”
Needing More Rest
Early to bed, and early to riseMakes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack Early to rise, and early to bedMakes a man healthy, but socially dead. Yakko Warner, Animaniacs Dearest Rachel – After a night rehearsing for the Christmas Eve service (and hoping in vain that I could find aContinue reading “Needing More Rest”
Enlisting
Dearest Rachel – You’d think I’d been eating too heavily too late at night on a regular basis, judging from the number of weird dreams I’ve been having (and telling you about) lately. and maybe I have, come to think of it – it is the holiday season, after all. Although, considering my continuing effortsContinue reading “Enlisting”
Intermittent Sleep
Dearest Rachel – It’s December, so it should be permissible to speak of Christmassy things now. Despite not getting out over the Black Friday portion of the holiday weekend, I’ve gotten a reasonable amount of gift shopping under my belt – although in fairness, the real challenge, our son Daniel, I’ve not yet started on;Continue reading “Intermittent Sleep”
Taking the Chariot
Dearest Rachel – Setting aside the whole process of building up my initial motivation every morning – which basically consists of stepping on the scale and realizing I’m back over a line I’d just as soon put in my rear view mirror – my workout routine has basically become a matter of ascertaining and pushingContinue reading “Taking the Chariot”
Working From Home
Dearest Rachel – Were I still gainfully employed, and deriving my living from so being, this would be a debilitating quirk of mine, this insistence that I be at home when Kris comes over to clean the house. It’s not out of any desire to supervise her or her work; even if she didn’t alreadyContinue reading “Working From Home”
The Cold Shock That Shouldn’t Be
Dearest Rachel – Between the fact that I spent the better part of an hour refusing to concede that I had bobbed to consciousness for the day, and the actual time I took collecting and arranging myself to walk the (now officially measured) third of a mile to the fitness center this morning, you’d thinkContinue reading “The Cold Shock That Shouldn’t Be”
Can’t Give It Up
Dearest Rachel – Which would you rather do, honey; something you hated for an hour or two, or give up something you loved for a day or more?  More to the point, if you had to do both in order to accomplish a certain goal, which do you think you would have the mostContinue reading “Can’t Give It Up”
Any Topic But This
Dearest Rachel – Another day, another morning where I’d just as soon stay in bed. It’s gray and dreary out, despite the extra light provided at this hour by moving the clocks back in the wee hours of yesterday, and while it’s not exactly cold out – in fact, this is as warm as it’sContinue reading “Any Topic But This”
Listening To The Rain
Dearest Rachel – I opened my eyes this morning to the usual darkness; there wasn’t much for me to see, even if I were to bother to put my glasses on. I didn’t even bother to check the time first, as I could hear the rain on the bedroom roof. It didn’t sound as ifContinue reading “Listening To The Rain”
Stuff and Junk and Stuff
Dearest Rachel – You might remember one of those many anime gag dubs we used to collect back in the day from Midnight Madnesses past in which a character made fun of the fact that their lips kept moving after they’d essentially said what they had to (and while that has been a running jokeContinue reading “Stuff and Junk and Stuff”
In No Hurry… And Yet…
Dearest Rachel – One of the great advantages of the early retirement that you permitted me to take is that I’m not beholden to the various time pressures of the workaday world. I don’t have to set an alarm; I can wake up organically, without having to subject myself to its insistent screech every morning.Continue reading “In No Hurry… And Yet…”
Rough Start
Dearest Rachel – It occurs to me that, if you were still around, and I was doing the same thing that I’m doing now (which, I’ll be honest, seems unlikely, as why would I need to change for you?), I don’t think I’d be talking as much about my workout regimen, as it wouldn’t exactlyContinue reading “Rough Start”
Housework Day
Dearest Rachel – Maybe I can get away with this kind of thing because I’m a bachelor of fairly recent vintage. I’m not expected to know – or necessarily to care, even – about the various tasks that need to be done around the house from day to day, whereas the typical housewife would considerContinue reading “Housework Day”
Needing Nothing
Dearest Rachel – The morning I woke up to was gray and dark; apart from the fact that a sufficient amount of time had passed that I was ready to get up (indeed, at nearly half past six, it was already later than usual for me), I could have easily slept in quite a bitContinue reading “Needing Nothing”
So Many Little Snippets
Dearest Rachel – It feels like I jumped the gun, to talk about Anime Central like I did yesterday morning. Not that my opinion about it has changed; not in the slightest. If anything, I’m convinced that staying in the Rosemont area over the weekend for subsequent conventions is no longer going to be worthContinue reading “So Many Little Snippets”
The Temptation of Sloth
Dearest Rachel – I realize that, given the fact that I’m fighting the remnants of both jet lag and a cold, I might be forgiven for falling behind in my self-imposed efforts to contact you every day (especially given that, by constantly failing asleep, there’s rather little about the day to relate to you inContinue reading “The Temptation of Sloth”
When I Let Myself Go…
Dearest Rachel – For all that I’ve been able to enjoy myself in these ports of call (particularly here in my beloved Japan), I don’t mind telling you that I’m looking forward to this stretch of sea days. It’s not as if we’re deep in the middle of the Pacific, like we were during muchContinue reading “When I Let Myself Go…”
Locked Out
Dearest Rachel – Really, it’s hard enough to get myself motivated to do actual work while I’m on this trip most days. Between the go-go-go of days that we’re in port, and the subsequent lethargy of sea days (compounded by having to deal with a restraining cold), I find myself dealing with a distinct lackContinue reading “Locked Out”
How Broken Am I?
Dearest Rachel – As much as I admit there are things that I need to get done before the end of this week and I head out, there are times when I’m just not motivated to do so. Daniel and I get home from our night working at Sparks, Logan comes down from his room toContinue reading “How Broken Am I?”
Easy On the Envelope
Dearest Rachel – On paper – or on the calendar, anyway – I gave up this weekend; I didn’t manage to fast at all. Both days saw me eating something, despite the fact that, apart from December (because, you know, parties and other holiday get-togethers), I’ve been trying to go without when I’m working the boothContinue reading “Easy On the Envelope”
The Important Out of Focus
Dearest Rachel – Given the situation that’s been more or less dominating our lives for the past two weeks, even overshadowing the Christmas season and its attendant hustle and bustle, you would think that I would have more to say about Dad at this point. If nothing else, I’m pretty sure I’d given you the impressionContinue reading “The Important Out of Focus”
Jumping Into the River
Dearest Rachel – This is one of those titles where the contents actually tie in, but they don’t tie together all that well, so bear with me. It’s an ongoing occupational hazard of having to give a title to each of these letters; I start with an idea, usually based off of current experiences, andContinue reading “Jumping Into the River”
When You Hit the Ground Running Too Hard
Dearest Rachel – While I’ve told you a number of times about how my body and mind don’t get along with each other on this subject (if nothing else, my body has insisted that it doesn’t think it’s getting much out of the bargain but aches and pains, to which my mind counters that theContinue reading “When You Hit the Ground Running Too Hard”
For the Sake of the Goal
Dearest Rachel – It’s not unprecedented, mind you, but it’s admittedly unseasonal for December to start off in the mid-forties, especially before the sun has risen. It really should be colder out, especially since it’s still dark. I don’t think I’ll even need a jacket as I head off to the gym – which isContinue reading “For the Sake of the Goal”
In Praise of Impurity
Dearest Rachel – You’re probably looking at that title, and bracing yourself for what is commonly referred to here on the interwebs as “a hot take.” There’s likely to be a heavy dose of self-justification and attempts to explain my position on this matter, especially considering that the words as put up there seem, onContinue reading “In Praise of Impurity”
But Why Are They Starting to Notice?
Dearest Rachel – After nearly a year and a half of keeping track, and doing this thing or that to try to determine what might best assist me in my efforts to lose weight, it would seem that the process is starting to bear fruit. People are noticing. When I arrived at the folks’ lastContinue reading “But Why Are They Starting to Notice?”
A Question of Motive
Dearest Rachel – The funny thing is, I don’t really think I have that much to say to him; at least, no more than at any other time since we last got together for lunch like this. I feel like I have to come up with something, because I don’t see him believing that, especiallyContinue reading “A Question of Motive”
Dull Docket
Dearest Rachel – This letter may be shorter than most of the ones I’ve written to you lately (although you never know; I might be able to stretch it out into a thousand words all the same). I hope that’s okay with you. The thing is, there’s not much to tell you about today thatContinue reading “Dull Docket”
Fewer Words, but More than Speech
Dearest Rachel – There’s no particular reason for it; it isn’t as if the morning sky is particularly grey today, nor can I hear the impact of raindrops on the bedroom roof. It wasn’t that I stayed up particularly late last night, either, although I did find myself finishing a third batch of laundry atContinue reading “Fewer Words, but More than Speech”
Trying Not to Break the String
Dearest Rachel – I think it was somewhere between eight and nine o’clock that Lars called me last night, in part to wish me a happy new year, and also to decide what day this week to go walking together (for the record, we’re going tomorrow, as today is apparently threatening rain). At some pointContinue reading “Trying Not to Break the String”
The Difficulties in the Dark
Dearest Rachel – Yesterday, even as she arrived and got started on cleaning up the house, Kris commented on how much she hated the fact that things were so dark and gray that morning. And to think, she was so much more motivated than either of us would be on a day like that; howContinue reading “The Difficulties in the Dark”
Night Has Fallen (and it Can’t Get Up)
Dearest Rachel – You wouldn’t know much about this, but back in the days when I was still working for a living, I would set the alarm to go off shortly after five. It was early enough for me to wash and dry myself, get dressed, and sit around doing my morning reading while IContinue reading “Night Has Fallen (and it Can’t Get Up)”
Staring at the Ceiling
Dearest Rachel – Even now, it’s almost too early to get up, but I’ve been awake for almost three hours, just staring up at the ceiling that we woke up to for the past twenty-five years. The sun has begun to show its face and shine its light after I’ve been lying in these hoursContinue reading “Staring at the Ceiling”
Sudden Drop
Dearest Rachel – Under circumstances that seemed less dire, I’d probably be soundtracking this letter with Citizen King’s “I’ve Seen Better Days,” because the bottom seems to have dropped out all of a sudden. But – since the bottom has seemed to have dropped out all of a sudden – I wonder if that wouldn’tContinue reading “Sudden Drop”
Resisting Resuming Responsibilities
Dearest Rachel – So I open my eyes this morning, and look at the alarm clock: it’s a quarter to seven. And I have to admit, I do not want to get up just yet. I won’t go so far as to say it’s been a grueling weekend, but I’ll allow that it wasn’t exactlyContinue reading “Resisting Resuming Responsibilities”
Do Nothing Slowly
Dearest Rachel – When my dad retired about ten years ago, he quoted the legendary pitcher Satchel Paige as to how he was going to spend his time: I’m going to do nothing, and do it slowly. That has summed up a number of my days since quitting my job, too – especially in thoseContinue reading “Do Nothing Slowly”
Permission to Skip
Dearest Rachel – This may seem inappropriate, but I feel the need to address this. Less than a week ago, I admitted to you that there were times when I just didn’t feel inspired to write you, but did so nonetheless. Which, I suppose, resulted in what an editor (were I to have one) wouldContinue reading “Permission to Skip”
Not Feeling It
Dearest Rachel – As characters in our own dramas (or, more likely, sitcoms – has it ever occurred to anyone that those experiencing life within those sitcoms doesn’t find what’s happening to them to be funny? We are, as audience members, more likely than not laughing at their pain), we are generally oblivious to ourContinue reading “Not Feeling It”
Getting Started When You Can’t
Dearest Rachel – My morning starts at ten ‘til six; that’s when I find myself waking up organically. Some wag on the Internet has made the assertion that one’s alarm clock represents one’s theme song, because that’s how you begin most every episode of your life. If that’s the case, then it would seem thatContinue reading “Getting Started When You Can’t”
The Comfort of His Chair
Dearest Rachel – It seems I owe my sister an apology. In fact, I think we both do. The thing is, we were in over our heads in so many different areas of our life. And only now am I trying to work my way through rebuilding some of those areas that so desperately needContinue reading “The Comfort of His Chair”
A Question of Motivation
Dearest Rachel – You’ll probably remember, shortly after first setting up the office in the folks’ basement, I started to wonder why it was I was trying to get onto YouTube as an animator… especially when, as I came to discover, I had next to no talent in either art or animation. Did I evenContinue reading “A Question of Motivation”
Letters to Rachel 