Happy Holidays

by Alan Beatts

After a monograph like Jude's Gift Guide, there doesn't seem to be much need for me to add a lot of extra verbiage here.  Just two things to pass along.

First, work continues at the new building.  It's been slow going, mostly because some personal stuff had me in LA for about half of the last month.  But . . . it is moving along.  Rough electrical for the bathroom is done and will be inspected (and passed, I'm sure) on the 10th.  Rough framing for the front passed inspection week before last and now we're working to get the surface finish done outside and the electrical done inside.  Rough electrical for the main floor will probably happen this month and, because our electrician is great, should pass inspection this month as well.  Once that's done there'll be a few other things to take care of in the ceiling (Cat 6 network cabling, audio cabling, and the lifting point of the trap door for the basement shop) and then I can get the sheetrock crew in to close it up.  So, we're plugging right along.

Second, this has been a rough year personally and, I think, a rough year for most Americans.  For me, December is when it's easiest to get stressed out, feel rushed, and generally lose my sense of calm.  Further, for many people, it's a month when it's easy to feel worried and, perhaps worst of all, isolated.

This month, despite everything that is going on, I try to slow down, breathe and keep clear in my mind what is actually important.  Most of all, I try to remember that the things that are getting my attention -- nasty weather, flashing lights, bad drivers, and the constant refrain of "Buy, buy, buy!" -- really aren't that significant at all.  

At the risk of sounding like a Hallmark card, what matters this month is exactly the same as every other month -- our friends, our family (whether by blood or by choice), our principals, and our dreams & goals.  So, as we head into the end of 2019 and the end of the second decade of the 21st century; take care of yourselves, take care of your people, find calm within the noise and haste, and have a peaceful and happy holiday followed by a joyous New Year.