After This Busy Week

Beginning of a calendar quarter means lots of extra work for our business. Beginning of the year, even more so. So we dived into the thick of it on Monday after New Year's, geared up for all that work. It requires a lot of focus, a refusal to be distracted by the million and one things that our digital world throws at us from so many directions every day, and a good dollop of energy.

Our well-organized and developed systems offer support to focus. As is the case every week, we look over a list of tasks targeted by day, make any last minute adjustments for this particular day, and simply get down to business. No dilly-dallying, no weekend hangovers, just work. 

Distractions require self-discipline. You simply have to refuse all the drek and even some of the substance that come in via email, sometimes text, telephone, internet, etc. With basic discipline, the drek goes out the window without too much effort. The stuff of substance takes some finessing. Occasionally something pops up that really does require attention on an urgent basis. But that's rare. Even the important items that appear can usually be assigned slots later in the day - assuming we finish the day's work completely and on time - or assigned to subsequent days. Once assigned, we have to have confidence that they will be addressed in their own time. And, for the most part, they are.

As for energy, it starts with a good night's sleep, good eating habits, and regular exercise. Such has been habitual for years, but it wasn't always so. In fairness, I'm the sort that doesn't have to struggle to do things that are good for the body - not necessarily pleasurable, but good. 

Note this distinction between good and pleasurable. I know plenty of folks for whom pleasure can overtake their better judgment. And I'm not judging them. While some may simply be lazy or hedonists, I know that many of us struggle with various temptations. And having been so subject in the past and in the present, I know what it takes to fight the urges that would take us from our duly appointed duties. And these may very well include staying up late, eating too much, or eating poorly, and not working the body at least to the extent that it doesn't become a drag on your responsibly fulfilling the responsibilities of your daily work.

Anyway, with all that in place, January 6th arrived. 

The first thing I noted was that it was the Feast of the Epiphany. We Christians observe this day when the Three Wise Men visited the Baby Jesus. It's an important feast and a rich one. In some countries, it's the day for exchanges of gifts, rather than Christmas Day. And so the day is a holiday. Not in America. So to observe the feast means making the effort to spend some time in prayer and contemplation of its significance. And so the day began.

At one point, in the midst of what was, again, a particularly busy time, I was made aware of the pro-Trump demonstration in D.C., as well as the commencement of Congress's addressing the certification of Electors. No surprise. It was in the books for weeks. And with a cursory acknowledgement of these events, it was back to work. I could catch up later, when the work was done. 

Then someone made me aware of the breach of the Capitol building by individuals in the crowd that had marched (legitimately and peacefully) to the Capitol building. A quick glance at the day's task list told me I could take a few minutes - but only a few - to check out what the heck was going on.

Of course, that checking carried with it the embedded knowledge that we really can't know exactly what's going on from media reports, or even live videos. It's something I've learned over time. And it's something I assiduously observe and stick to as a governor of my reactions and impressions when witnessing or becoming aware of current events. It's best to let time pass before assuming you know what's really happening; and it's certainly best to let time go by before passing any kind of judgment.

So, again, with that it was back to work. The day's tasks were fully completed, on time and with the usual high degree of quality that typically characterizes our work. 

The evening did involve more scrutinizing of the various media feeds and the facts as presented - but again with the caveat of waiting to pass judgement, or even accepting what was presented as "fact."

The following days, including a good chunk of Saturday work, passed similarly. The work got done.

And so Sunday has arrived after what has been not just a busy week, but a BUSY week, maybe even a B.U.S.Y week. 

So far, the some facts appear to have emerged. Judgment remains subject to the time it will take to sort through available facts, as well as personal discernment.

Then, of course, there has been the avalanche of events that followed the 6th: amped up tech company censorship, politicians not only posturing as they are wont to do, but grasping what they perceive to be a righteous flood of power that has seemingly fallen into their laps to attack their enemies (with public enemy #1 being you-know-who). 

With that, getting even more rest, watching what I eat and drink, and keeping the body on the straight and narrow over-rode the temptation to indulge in too much speculation, debated, indulging in so-called "comfort foods" or imbibing what one might call "compensation libations.

Next week will be busy too, albeit not at the extremes of the first week of the year. But I'm ready to go.