Voice of the DBA

Tag: coping

  • Daily Coping 27 Apr 2020

    I’ve started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here.

    Today’s tip was to connect with nature. Breathe and notice life continuing.

    I try to connect with nature often. I’m very lucky I live surrounded by large spaces, and lots of animals. I have learned to appreciate the quiet, the views, and the creatures around me.

    I often do try to stop and take a look around and be grateful when I’m walking around. If I’ve got a dog, it’s easy to get annoyed when they stop to smell something. Much nicer to stop with them, breathe, and smile at the world.

  • Daily Coping 24 Apr 2020

    I’ve started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here.

    Thank three people you’re grateful to and tell them why.

    It’s always good to thank people when you can. The action shows good manners, but it also shows gratitude for others who have helped you. Perhaps in a way they are unaware of.

    For me, I have many people that I am grateful for. Certainly my kids, both with their success, their insight into their lives and others that teaches me things, and their efforts to help me get through life. My kids are always willing to help, albeit not always happily.

    There are others, but I’m fairly private here in who I thank. I’ve reached out to a few people to let them know, but the public ones I’ll recognize here are these three (of many).

    Kalen Delaney (@sqlqueen) – I read her book early in my career, and met her at the very first PASS Summit in Chicago. She inspired me to learn more, grow my skills, and even begin writing.

    Andy Warren (@sqlandy) – My fellow founder from SQLServerCentral and likely my closest friend across the last 20 years. We still talk almost every week, despite never living in the same city, and outside of my wife, he’s likely had the most influence on my in my life.

    Allen White (@sqlrunr) – Outside of my son, I’ve run with Allen more than any other person on the planet. We’ve shared early morning runs, meals, and many hugs across the years. We’ve enjoyed conversations, debates, and learned from each other many times. I always appreciate his point of view, thoughts, and perspective, and I can sometimes hear his voice in my head, as I navigate life and the world.

    There are many others, and I’ve reached out to some, but take a moment today and reach out to someone.

  • Daily Copying 23 Apr 2020

    I’ve started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here.

    Today’s tip is to take a small step towards an important goal.

    Goals are interesting. I’ve struggled with them for most of my life, and I dislike setting them and forcing myself to meet some arbitrary thing. I find life comes pretty fast, and sometimes throws me a lot of curve balls. That being said, I’ve had a lot of success and I rarely find myself lacking for things I’ve accomplished, both at work and in life.

    That being said, I’ve let a lot of things go, partially because life is busy and I get caught up with it. I don’t have any great big goals, but I do have a few things nagging me.

    Around the ranch there are always things to work on. Some of them are priorities, and often those are the ones I don’t love working on. I get satisfaction from fixing feeders, but I don’t really enjoy it. This was most of my last Sunday. Bracing and replacing old wood.

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    However, I do like tackling some new things. One of the we’ve done a few times, more in this stay at home time, and want to do more, is sit outside in the evening. As we did recently with a friend, 6ft apart.

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    I’ve been wanting to build some Adirondack chairs for this space, with some built in tables, or at least wine glass holders. These chairs are OK, but we need more, and my wife would like to encourage boarders to come and sit and watch their horses.

    I’d like to build something like this, which really could be from some of the scrap wood I have around. I’ve got lots of odd sizes that likely would work here, at least for a prototype.

    2020-04-21 10_28_22-(305) Pinterest

    I’m hoping to get slighly started with this over the weekend. It’s not a priority, but tackling something new feels good. I’m aiming to get the basic frame measured and cut. That would be a good first step.

  • Daily Coping 22 Apr 2020

    I’ve started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here.

    Today’s tip is to look for the good in others and notice their strengths.

    This has been a trying time, and the stress, the close quarters, the lack of variety, it’s made many of us cranky. Certainly it’s made me cranky at times.

    Twitter is the worst, but all social media can test one’s patience. It doesn’t really matter which way you lean on an issue, there are plenty of people that will annoy you. Since social media is a bit of my job, I’m slightly trapped at times.

    What I’ve done is to a) try to stop reacting, and b) appreciate the other point of view. I know most people with a strong opinion that differs from mine are not looking to make things worse. They often have a reason for their own view of the world, and I am trying to take a deep breath, respect that, and then think about things from their point of view. It’s helping.

    When I can actually avoid reacting quickly.