Monday Moods June 29, 2026

Don't panic, but the year is almost half over.  Time flies when we are having fun, and this year has been fun. This is a good time for me to  review my goals for the year:

• Walk 60 minutes or more, at least 6 days per week. 
• Read at least a book per week, 52 for the year. 
• Travel, I expect travel nights to be between 35 and 40 this year. 
• Go to Mt. Vernon at least 25 times in the year.
• Publish at least three articles in the ABA Senior Lawyers Division Voice of Experience Journal (I have already committed to four topics.) 
• Paint, take photos, explore new media. 
• Organize the greeting card box, and send out 20 or more cards. 
• Pause at least once a week, to take stock of everything that works in my life. 

I am easily exceeding the walking goal, many longer walks, and many weeks when I walk everyday. I feel strange if I miss a day. This is a strong habit. 

I have finished reading 36 books so far this year. I am on pace to far exceed this goal. 

I have already traveled 38 nights this year, with another 11 nights already booked.  I expect I will be just over 50 nights by the end of the year. 

I have only been out to Mt Vernon probably 10 times, and it is the peak of summer heat.  I am probably going to miss this one. 

I will publish 6 or 7 articles by the end of the year. I have one partially written. 

I have had more fun with painting than expected. The portraits experiment was fun. I led a small group in color block painting - my first time trying to teach art.  I have archived about 10,000 photos so far this year. I just did a display of digital transparencies, a new media for me. 

The greeting card box has been organized, but I am behind in sending cards out. 

I am pausing more than I had in the past, but still not as often as I should. 

My thoughts on this:

This is a reminder to go to Mt Vernon, send those cards, and pause to be thankful more often.  

I have a good life. I am engaged in doing things that bring meaning to my life, and make the world a better place.  I am learning and exploring.  

What about the shoes? Martha Washington wore them to dance. I think the last time I went out dancing, Martha might have been there. As Zorba urged, "You gotta dance boss!" 

There is an instant flashback for me. My first semester at Rollins College I read the book, Zorba the Greek, and the professors screened the film. It was a life changing experience for me. That one class an introduction to interdisciplinary humanities changed how I think about the world and my role in it. I was so lucky to be there, at that time, with that wonderful group of explorers. I hope Professor Hoyte Edge is out there smiling at the memory of teaching that class, knowing that he made a difference.