Tag: coping

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral 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 tip is to look for the good in people around you today.

I’m in the office today, but no idea how many people I’ll see. However, I was with a number of people recently in Colorado. I went to go watch a high school volleyball game, and I ran into a lot of people that I knew.

I took a few minutes to think about what I appreciated about them, and what they’d done that was good. Not all of them were people I’ve gotten along with, or even liked seeing, but I did find things that they do that help the world.

Thinking of those things made me smile.

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral 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 tip is to start with the most important thing on your to-do list.

I’m in the UK today, so my to do list is what the company needs. However, I am actually writing this before I leave, thinking about fall life in Colorado.

As winter approaches, we have a lot of things that need to get completed before the ground freezes and weather gets bad. It’s not often really bad, but it is more difficult to work during the short days, in chilly weather, and with other commitments. My current list is, in no order:

• get the pastures cut (mowed)
• blow out sprinklers
• use or drain gas in mowers
• clean out the shed to get a mower in for the winter
• recharge/replace the generator battery for the house
• rebuild the generator shed for the riding arena
• paint some spots on the house
• paint the master bathroom
• do some maintenance on the BMW
• change the Chevy oil
• Change oil in the UTV and ATV on the ranch

There are probably a few other things I’ve forgotten, but these are the main ones. I’ve slowly masked and painted a little some nights, and I’ve been trying to work on the pastures. The recommendation from the state agriculture board is cut early in spring or late in fall. I missed spring, so I started in September mowing. That’s about 40 hours of work.

However, one thing I need to get done at the top of the list is close the sprinklers for the winter. It’s been warm in CO, so I haven’t been worried, but with a trip overseas, I can’t leave this. I went out and bought a air connector for the new pressure valve this weekend and then blew out the lines.

One thing to cross off for winter.

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral 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 tip is to find something to be optimistic about, even if life is hard.

I find that life is pretty easy for me. Being in Colorado, we’ve managed the pandemic well, many things have opened, and I live out in the country, so I am not often around groups of people.

I’ve found that the things that are important in my life are starting to move forward a bit. First, I’m back to traveling and speaking. Today I deliver a live talk in Belgium. That’s been a bit part of the last ten years for me, and I’m glad to be getting back to this.

Second, it looks like ski season and volleyball competition will be relatively normal right now. The scheduling and format is what I expect, and that has me excited about the next six months. Even if we have to wear masks as coaches, I’m fine with that. Let’s live some life.

Third, my family is healthy, happy, and growing in their lives, each in their own way.

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral 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 tip is to write down three things you can look forward to in the next month.

I’m writing this before I travel, and today I’m in Belgium at the Data Minds Connect conference. The first live conference in nearly two years for me.

I’m looking forward to a lot of things coming up. The first one is SQL Saturday Orlando 2021. This is the first live SQL Saturday taking place since the pandemic hit. While it might be a little early, there are other events starting to move forward and I’m glad this one is taking place. I’ll be traveling back to Orlando at the end of the month.

Second, I am really looking forward to volleyball starting again. Last year was an incredibly long season, about 11 months for me. I was worn out in June when we finished, and I needed a break. However, after a few months off, I’ve started to watch some of my team competing in high school, and I’m ready to start coaching.

Third, I am looking forward to cooler weather. It’s been a long, hot, dry summer in Colorado, and I’m ready to put on some jackets and enjoy fall. I’d love snow, and I’ll likely still wear short pants as often as I can, but I like the changing weather.