Two steps forward…
I’m still making progress, bit by bit. 🙂 I got more of my morning routine done this morning, even though I stayed up later than I should have (partially to help me be better prepared for tonight’s journal, ironically) and didn’t get up until almost 7:30. I got all of my 5x5s done today, so that was cool. 🙂
It’s quite the journey, trying to pull together at the same time all these different areas of life where I’m trying to improve. It’s like arms overflowing with things I’m carrying and some of the items keep falling out, pick up that one, those two fall out. Pick up those two, that one over there falls out. But each time I pick one up, I realize a better place to put it, so I’m making progress, even as things are falling out and having to be put back, if that makes sense.
Had a funny surprise on my first “job” of the day. I was going back to a job I’d done months ago, but that I’d forgotten to put the rubber grommets on the new fan I was installing. I got home and saw the rubber grommets on the old fan, and my heart sank. I’d have to go back to that job at some point and put the rubber grommets on the fan. 😕
So… today was finally the day! I headed over there, loosed the fan, in the hopes that I could just put the grommets on from underneath, just holding the fan up, and guess what?
It had grommets already on it.
😶
Radiators never come with grommets. You always have to put the grommets from the old one on the new one. Funny. Two months (or however long it’s been) of being concerned about it and knowing I needed to get back there, and… I never had to. So… yeah. That was job number one! Job number two was a radiator replacement in an ’04 Ram 1500. He’d bought the part online. (remind me, whenever someone says they buy parts online, I need to send them a message that says, that’s fine, but just be aware, online parts often aren’t built quite right, so if we have to do anything to make the part work, it’s gonna be extra).
So today was one of those times where the online part wasn’t an exact copy, and I had to come up with a way to make it work. The plastic wasn’t molded quite right in one place, so I had to adjust where the bolt went through. The cooler slots were completely different, so I had to find two bolts and two threaded clips to even attach it. The rubber bushing didn’t fit in the new one, so I spent probably 30+ minutes just trying to shave off enough rubber to make the bushing fit, so the radiator would sit properly.
Yes, I got frustrated.😕
Actually the main frustration came when I couldn’t find my hose cutting tool. I took nearly everything out of the Durango and still couldn’t find it. 😶 I ended up shaving the rubber off with a razor blade and a stiff wire-brush drill attachment.
Yeah… lots and lots of work because of cheap online parts. Should have charged an extra hour for everything I had to go through, but he was an old man, a vet, and a really nice guy, and it’s awkward saying, “sorry, I’m gonna charge you more for this,” so I didn’t go above my original quote. He gave me a $40 tip, so that helped a bit. I appreciated that.
Then I… stopped working and ate food!!!!
Are you proud of me? 😁
Then I went and did a pre-purchase inspection for a couple looking to buy a car, and they were super happy with my inspection, saying I was more thorough than anyone they’d ever had look at any of the previous four cars they’d bought.
Yup. I check a whole ton. Try to make sure they are well aware of what they’re getting into. Can’t check everything, but you can check a lot in an hour.
After that, I… went home!!!
Yup, this little dude is making strides. I didn’t make much money at all. Only two paying jobs. Probably nearly three hours of driving to do them, but… I didn’t try to cram in anything else. I did what I could do in a reasonable time, and I called it, chatted with my sister for an hour and a half, and got my chainsaw on.
Boom.
(I’m still trying to get that massive vine tangle figured it. I’d like to just burn it, but it’s right on the edge of the forest there, and there are tall trees above, and I don’t want to scorch those, so… I’m slowly, ever so slowly, making progress, vine by vine, branch by branch).
Then I took a shower because lots of those vines I was playing in happen to be poison ivy vines, and that’s fun. At least I recognize them at this point in my life.
Now here I am. I’m late again, but I’m improving every day. 🙂
#1. I’m grateful for shampoo that’s also conditioner. We had a bunch of toiletry stuff in our storage that wasn’t stuff my mom was gonna use, so I’m using it up, and this stuff is herbal essences something or other, and my hair (which has gotten quite long, longer than I’ve had it since maybe I was a teenager?) is nice and smooth and untangley.
#2. I’m grateful that I had the will to stop and eat today.
#3. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to just let the phone do it’s thing while I’m driving.
#4. I’m grateful that I’m another day clean and sober with porn/sex addiction crap.
#5. I’m grateful that there are so many people who’s wisdom I can mine and be inspired by.
Thought of the Day: “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” — C. S. Lewis
Loves to all you wonderful people you. 🙂
Lift the World.
~ stephen
Daily Accountability Summary:
Morning Routine Weighted Success: 59% (improvement over yesterday. 🙂)
Evening Routine Weighted Success: 72% (down from 79%, but I also added a new category… in bed by 9)
Pornography/Sex Addiction Battle: 33 days
To-Do Top 3 Prioritization: 0%
Free of Texting While Driving: 3 (still trying to figure out the maps thing. I’m pretty sure federal law allows you to interact with GPS/navigation while driving, but it still feels like pushing the boundaries, as does answering or hanging up phone calls. Still trying to figure that out, but I’m doing really well overall. 🙂
Lift the World 