Tag: coping

Today’s coping tip is to give thanks. List the kind things others have done for you.

I know that my life is great, but it’s because of a lot of help I get from others. I do a lot, but I can’t do it alone.

I thank my wife for supporting me and comforting me.

I thank my kids for the same, and for helping out around the house, which lets me tackle other things. Not the least of which is helping their Mom so I don’t have to do as much on the ranch.

I think Andy, my former business partner for the friendship, counsel, and reminders of things that I should think about, but sometimes don’t. He helps keep me balanced and thoughtful about the world.

I think my bosses at Redate this year, Tom and Annabel, for the support and help at work. Cecilia was wonderful in supporting me at events, and lots of others taught me things and helped me through the year. They helped me cope and thrive during a busy year.

I thank all the SQL Saturday organizers for their efforts during a tough year of restarting the brand. I think the speakers and helpers for volunteering and the attendees for coming. It was a year that exceeded expectations (blog). These people helped me with inspiration and confidence this was a good idea.

I thank my friends for the time, conversations, lunches, dinners, drinks, and wonderful times spent together, which fulfilled a lot of social needs.

I want to thank the kids on my volleyball team, both for the 2022 season and those I’ve started to work with for 2023. They give me hope for the future, they extend my family by being a set of surrogate daughters when my own is away from home most of the time (and not a child anymore), and they inspire me to work harder with their efforts.

There are plenty of other people to thank, but these are the top of my list.

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQL Server Central newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.

Today’s coping tip is to ask for help and let someone else discover the joy of giving.

I do most of the cooking in the house, but I thought with family around, I’d get some help. I usually don’t mind preparing, but a few times I asked others to help out and handle some tasks or prepare a portion of the meal. Little things, as I like cooking, but I also thought others would enjoy the chance to contribute.

Hard for me, but it was still fun to let others help. I’ll try to do this more often.

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQL Server Central newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.

Today’s coping tip is to look for something positive to say to everyone you speak to.

This works well during the holiday season as most people are in a good mood and share happy thoughts. Just before Christmas, as we ran a few errands before the holiday, I made it a point to do this. My efforts:

• Tell the person checking me in at the gym they looked nice
• Tell my yoga teacher that I appreciated her holding the class as it was welome
• Wish a friend in class happy holidays and ask about their family, hoping they enjoyed the time together
• Thank, tip, and complement the person making my coffee on their outfit after class.
• Wish all cashiers happy holidays.

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQL Server Central newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.

Today’s coping tip is to share a happy memory or inspiring thought with a loved one.

This is a memory for me:

This came up in a Google Photo memory and I showed my wife. Dec 31, 2020, after nearly a long year of the pandemic. Lots of isolation and separation from family and friends, but my wife and I took a few days together in the Colorado mountains.

We hiked, walked, skied a little, but mostly enjoyed being in a different place. The same circumstances (no eating in restaurants, limited contact with people, one of us in a store at a time), but still a break and a welcome one.

A happy time during a hard time.

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQL Server Central newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.