There have been too many sunrises I have seen of late.  Today is one of those mornings I could have slept late but no, my constant companion has inserted itself, once more, uninvited, into my world.  You may be tired of me whining about my sleeping habits, but how many more suffer in silence?  This morning there is little I can do to combat it.  I have blood work in a couple of hours so I can’t take anything or drink anything.  So I write.

Last week I watched an osprey (or I think it was an osprey) sit on a limb on the vacant lot next door waiting for fish to swim by.  There was another dolphin in the canal this week.  We have a heron who frequents our boat slip.  Deer roam freely in our yard.  I saw an armadillo in the back yard.  We passed a flock of wild turkeys out driving.  We don’t live in the wilds of Florida, we are just lucky enough to live close to a nature preserve and the ocean and the IntraCoastal Waterway.  Seeing these things reminds me of the world that exists all around that we humans mostly ignore and do so at the peril of our souls.  The animals that frequent our back yard are patient and know the value of waiting and watching.  They excel at purposeful living, a trait we humans have abandoned.

I went to a networking event last night.  I wore my REALTOR® badge.  It seemed like that was a flashing light and “Danger! Will Robinson!” warning to avoid me.  Why do people hate REALTOR®s so much?  Or maybe I just had that “Leave me alone!” look on my face.  I know these events are necessary, but someone should invent a networking event for introverts.  I am way better than i used to be, but crowds of people just wear me out.  BUT, I went.  I talked to a few people.  I got out of my comfort zone.  I had some really mediocre bar food:  little baby sausages in crescent roll pastry, those little spinach pies you get at BJ’s, cubes of cheese purchased in bulk from Sam’s.  Why can’t bars (that was where the event was held) hire someone who can cook and make fresh stuff?

I am still looking for a solution to my “paperless” record keeping system.  I had no idea how much work there is to being an independent contractor.  Receipts for office supplies.  Invoices for required training.  Mileage records.  I have worked for someone else for my whole life.  Now I have to get organized.  No longer can I wait for my employer to send me a check and let them keep up with everything.  The small business person is an unsung hero in the business world.

We watched this documentary on Netflix about the men who made our business system (I mean the United States) what it is today.  It was about Vanderbilt, Morgan, Carnegie and Rockefeller.  Most of these men started with something small and the need to succeed allowed them to thrive.  They weren’t very always very nice men and what they did would never be allowed today.  But these men set the stage for our modern business practices and without them our country would be so different.  Not the good way particularly.

I want to say thank you to all who read my blog.  Thanks to all who take the time to comment.  I really don’t know how many of you there are out there.  It is difficult to track usage statistics as there are so many ways to get my posts.  But I do appreciate you taking part of your precious time to share a few moments with me.

See y’all soon.