What I'm Up To - Vol. 75
Here's what I've been up to since Volume 74...
What I'm Up To Volume 75
Hey friends,
Here’s what I’ve been up to since Vol. 74…
1. September Happenings
Last month's big news was dropping Gus off at college. I’m happy to report that he’s been a frequent weekend visitor ever since. Gus treks home from his dorm to do laundry, enjoy privacy, sleep in a double bed, and raid our refrigerator. He somehow finagled his first semester to have no classes from Thursday afternoon to Monday afternoon. Well done, Gus!The crazy summer of 70+ 100-degree days finally capitulated to “Texas Fall.” Fall here just means morning lows touch the 70s. Rain falls from the sky. You can wear jeans outside, ditch the iced coffee, and do a lot less squinting. The first storms hit while we were at the ranch for our annual deer census and a dove hunt. With little transition, it went from 100 degrees to gravel-sized hail. There was also an amazing rainbow.
For work, I stepped into the role of CEO for our The ONE Thing training and coaching company, Produktive. The additional responsibilities made for an aggressively full month. I’m looking forward to finding my new rhythm soon. On that note, we have our 7th annual The ONE Thing 2023 Goal Setting Retreat coming up on November 2-4, 2023 in Scottsdale, Arizona. The hotel discounts at Fairmont Scottsdale Princess expire Oct 9th. If you’re planning to join us, snatch up your tickets. (Use this code – TTP2023GSR – to get $200 off.) Wendy and I actually went on our own goal-setting retreat this past weekend. We found a nice place in the Hill Country to plan for 2024 and beyond.Wendy and her crew hosted their signature Her Best Life event in Nashville last month. By all accounts, it was a huge success. They capped off the get-together with a Dolly Parton dance party!
Other highlights included meeting author Brianna Wiest with our friend, Kendall. She was in town to promote her new book, The Pivot Year. If you haven’t read her stuff, start with The Mountain is You. It knocked my socks off. My college buddy, Andrew, dropped by with his daughter Elise for brunch. Elise is a sophomore at Southwestern, where Gus attends. It was nice for them to connect.Finally, Wendy packed up Milt and moved him to Texas. When he visited for Gus’s high school graduation, we made the decision for him to move from Fargo to Austin. Within minutes of picking him up at the airport, Milt declared, “Well, I guess I’m a Texan now!”
2. What I’m Reading
Football season is reading season for me. I rarely just watch a game. I usually turn down the volume, grab a book, and count on the announcers' raised voices to get my attention on plays worth watching.For nonfiction, Wendy and I both enjoyed Die with Zero by Bill Perkins. The big takeaway is most people wait too late to give and do. The average age for an inheritance is over 60, long after saving for down payments and paying off school debt. If you are able to financially assist those you love, consider doing it when they need it, not when you’re dead. Likewise, health can decline rapidly as we grow older. So when you look at your bucket list, drop the “someday” and target an age window. If you’ve always dreamed of climbing Kilimanjaro, you’re far more likely to both do it and enjoy it in your 50s than your 60s. The Mediterranean cruise won’t be physically demanding. It can wait. If you like financial self-help books, you’ll enjoy this one.I paged through Excellent Advice for Living by Kevin Kelly over several weeks. Lots to think about in this collection of life wisdom from the former executive editor of Wired magazine. I also listened to The High 5 Habit by Mel Robbins. I love Mel on social. She’s very real and spontaneous. That translated to an uneven book experience for me. Long stretches of exposition dotted by scattered moments of brilliance.For fiction, I kicked off the month with Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane. This was the final book in the “Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro Series” that Lahane started in 1994. Noir detective fiction at its best.My friend Jenny recommended The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. It’s a little like Harry Potter but with teenage dragon riders instead of pre-teen wizards. Despite the descriptions, this one is NOT for kids. A couple of scenes take the book from 🌶️ to 🌶️🌶️🌶️. That said, it was a lot of fun. I pre-ordered the sequel as soon as I was done.Finally, I ripped through The Sword of God in the “John Milton Series” by Mark Dawson.
3. What I’m Watching
Wendy and I missed Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Amazon) in the theater. So we broke down and bought it one Saturday night. A fitting finish to a great series. While Wendy was travelling, I enjoyed the spy thriller, Heart of Stone (Netflix) with Gal Gadot.We did make it to the cinema twice. We loved the comedy, Bottoms. After reading Vol. 74 where I noted missing all the cultural touchstones, Wendy bought us tickets to see Barbie. Fantastic film!That’s it. Please hit reply and let me know what you’re up to.
Be well, do good deeds, and eat tacos!
Jay
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