tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4187894455237506962024-02-08T14:08:11.684-05:00The flight of the eagleTom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-50930813909471533122022-01-09T18:32:00.004-05:002022-01-09T19:48:06.120-05:00BACK AT IT AFTER 5 YEARS: I've been away too long.<p> Let's see how often I post now. I didn't realize how long it had been since I last wrote anything and much has happened in the past five years. </p><p>As for my writing, up until a few months ago, about 30% of my job involved writing responses to emails, so there wasn't the longing to write during my non working hours. </p><p>Outside of work, I write letters for a group called Letters Against Isolation. <a href="https://www.lettersagainstisolation.com/" target="_blank">https://www.lettersagainstisolation.com/</a></p><p> This group was the result of people in nursing homes and assisted living facilities being locked down with no visitors allowed due to COVID. Now a few thousand letters are sent every two weeks to people <span class="color_15">in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and Israel. Some people send elaborate hand made cards while others write simple notes.</span></p><p><span class="color_15"> I'd like to share one of the notes I wrote this week to someone in Maryland.</span></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><span class="color_15"><i>Hello, and Happy New Year since it is still early in the year. I like the idea of having hopes and ambitions for the coming year and I like the idea of an opportunity for a fresh start. However, the last few years, even before the pandemic taught me that living "1 day at a time" can be too much. I find it's better to get through one hour at a time. Things can certainly turn out differently than what we expect.</i></span></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><span class="color_15"><i>I hope that you are well and that you remain well and hour from now and the rest of the year.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span class="color_15"><i> </i>Here is an example of a more personalized note written to someone in New Jersey:</span></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><span class="color_15"><i>Hello from this former New Jersian now living in Virginia. One good thing about the times we are in is that I was able to watch the Mummers Parade from Philadelphia thanks to WPHL 17 and their internet live broadcast. That was so enjoyable - memories of living in Trenton until 2005. </i></span></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><span class="color_15"><i>I hope you are well and I wish you all the best as we take this year one day, one hour at a time.<br /></i></span></p><p style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;"><span class="color_15"><i> </i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span class="color_15"><i> </i>I wrote similar notes to other people in Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It is a small thing and I hope it can let someone know that they are not alone.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span class="color_15">Sometimes I write about the recent week I've had or things I've watched on television, or the weather or experiences I've had with people in Nursing Homes or Assisted Living facilities. I may share some samples of what I write to them in future posts. <br /></span></p><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><span class="color_15"><i> </i></span></div><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><span class="color_15"><i> </i> </span> </p>Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-687574477878083832017-03-02T23:19:00.001-05:002017-03-03T12:10:04.713-05:00The first 48 hoursAfter 48 hours with no television or Facebook, I noticed a few things about my day. I'm getting stuff done around the house before I go in to work, so it is not waiting for me when I get home or on my days off. I am less stressed because I don't hear as many people shouting or fussing. I'm not bombarded with commercials or things being repeated over and over. Instead of hearing a message over and Over and OVER that I can lose weight if I use this or that product or eliminate a chronic disease that I probably don't have if I take this or that drug, I am doing things that are healthier. I'm not sitting around as much...I am moving. I'm eating pumpkin seeds, eating salad and drinking red wine instead of consuming high carb foods and sweets. I am enjoying the quiet. Another benefit...time to think and write! <br />
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So far, the hardest thing to get used to was eating without television, followed closely by going to non social media websites. So far, I haven't noticed any negative things about my choices.<br />
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I think social media misses me more than I miss it because a few minutes after being off it for 48 hours, I got a notice about someone's status...no one I am close with, and my life would have continued blissfully without knowing about the update. 8 hours after that I got a summary that I had 24 updates, etc. I just filed both notification and will keep them until I decide to go back as a regular, just to see how many pleas to return I get.Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-64856190135754856212017-03-02T11:25:00.002-05:002017-03-02T11:25:40.406-05:00In like a...out like a...It's a saying that I learned in childhood. In like a lion, out like a lamb (or the opposite) can accurately describe the transitional weather in the month of March. I wonder what the originator of that saying would think about the weather on March 1, 2017. The temperature was, warm, like late April or early May with a high in the low 70s and low around 50. That could be described as lamb-like (or maybe lambish or lamby even though they are not recognized as words). Otherwise the day was more like a roaring lion with gale force winds most of the day and occasional heavy rain. It makes me wonder what the rest of the month and the end of the month will be like. For an area that had very little snow, will it be a snowy, icy month, or will Spring stay around. If the theory is true, perhaps March 31 will be chilly but calm. Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-77830304433173572522017-03-01T22:23:00.001-05:002017-03-01T22:26:54.241-05:00Trying again...Well, it looks like this year, I am trying the same things I have attempted in the past...freeing myself from television and social media for the best part of at least the next 6+ weeks, or longer if I like the results of my disconnect. Today is day one of my attempt, and so far it went without any withdrawal symptoms. I literally unplugged my television at 5 minutes to midnight, just in case I was tempted to turn it on. One noticeable benefit was the fact that I got several small but important things done around the house. Multiply that by 30 or 40 or more just over the next few weeks, and that should really make a difference.<br />
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Hopefully, I will get back to more blogging. I plan on checking in with social media and television about once a week for an hour or so, but restoring balance seems like something I need to do, and that means keeping certain things in check that were getting out of hand. <br />
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I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted, but at least I made it in less than a year, which is better than the 3 year absence from before. It feels good to be back here. <br />
<br />Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-23271050071718152012016-03-04T21:53:00.000-05:002016-03-04T21:53:52.342-05:00I knew it had been awhile since I had posted a blog here, but didn't realize 3 years had passed. In that time, I left my nearly 20 year career in retail and now work for a credit union, where I regularly interact with people on the phone and via eMessage. The ratio is about two parts phone time to one part eMessaging. What does the future hold? I have no idea.<br />
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The pay is better, and so are the working conditions, and I feel that I am where I need to be at this present moment.<br />
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I regret not having written here for the past several years. Much has happened I could have shared and I could have learned much about myself and my experiences by just writing about them. But, I have not mastered time travel, so I accept what I didn't do. I can't promise what I will or will not do, but at the moment, the spirit is moving me to write.<br />
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One thing I have learned recently is the importance of a balanced life. It is great to help others and maybe even wrong to ignore their needs, but it is just as important that we not neglect our own well being. This well being can take the form of the state of our house, the number of things on our "must do" list, as well as our spiritual, psychological and physical health. We are allowed to say no if we need to, and we are allowed to (and should) reach out for help if we ourselves need it because we are burdened with helping others so much that we neglect our own needs. Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-1971715754597445242013-03-25T16:50:00.002-04:002013-03-25T19:47:29.099-04:00It's not too late!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have some good news: If you are reading this, it is not too late! Too late for what? Almost ANYTHING. If you are reading this, chances are you are alive. :-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Are there things you wanted to change in your life? Do you have habits that you wanted to let go of or </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">establish? Just because it has been difficult or or you've failed many times doesn't mean you signed a lifetime contract to do things a certain way. As long as you are alive, you have the chance to change yourself. It is not too late. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is there someone you need to forgive, in order for you to move on? Do it now, while you still can. Forgiveness is much harder after someone dies, but if you are still alive, do it now. It may make the other person feel better, and it will make you feel better because you will be able to get on with your life. Is there someone to whom you need to say "I LOVE YOU."? Do so now. Perhaps that person needs to hear it and it may change their life. Again, it is so much easier to say that now, than after someone's death.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have you let your house get dirty? Go ahead and clean it up now. Are you out of shape? Change your diet and get active now. If it's something you want, go ahead and do it. Do you want a different job? Go ahead and apply for one. If you find that you don't want it after you learn more about it, you can always decline if you get an offer, but at least you will have looked. Do you want to learn something new? Sign up for a course. Many online courses start monthly or any time and they are very flexible. Have you given up on your New Year's resolutions? I have more news for you: TODAY IS THE START OF A NEW YEAR! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have you fallen short of your goals for Lent this year? There are still a few days left to do what you can. Even when Lent is over, it will not be too late to try to build up character and virtue. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have fallen short on some Lenten goals this year and have met or exceeded other goals. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you would like to share other ideas about what you can do at any time and without reason, feel free to leave a comment. </span><br />
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<br />Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-83405106884770040122013-02-17T13:38:00.004-05:002013-02-17T13:38:59.060-05:00After a tenth of LentAs I write this, it is four days into the season of Lent, 2013; One tenth of the way through the season. <br />
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This time of year seems to be like a second chance at New Year's resolutions. The difference is that with New Year's resolutions, people seem to give up on themselves if they break their promises to themselves. If we break a promise to ourselves, how can we expect to possibly keep a promise with an often hidden God? Still, we promise to do this or that or give up this or that. Fortunately, with Lent there seems to be a stronger conviction to try again if we fail to keep our Lenten resolutions. We can choose to abandon our Lenten resolutions or we can choose to try again because we feel guilty or because we know that it is only temporary, or we can be even more determined to make a permanent change in our lives. <br />
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So far, this Lent, I have partially fulfilled my hopes for the season. I had hoped to give up Facebook and Television, except on Sundays. Instead of giving them up entirely, I have cut way back on both. Of the two, television was the easiest to let go, due to a lack of good programming. Facebook was harder to let go, but at least I no longer check it while on lunch or break at work and I just skim through it and update my status only sporadically. While I could still further increase my prayer life, so far, for the most part, I have been faithful at starting and ending the day with prayers.<br />
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In addition to using by time better by writing more and cleaning house, I have also volunteered my time for something for later in the Spring which I hope will have long term benefits for a few people in my area.<br />
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I have a long way to go this Lent, but it is off to a fairly good start.Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-25507977888692923702012-06-21T16:37:00.000-04:002012-06-21T16:39:39.978-04:00Balancing work and life outside of work with co-workers.I have often been the type of person who has many friends, many co-workers, gets along well with many people, but sets rather clear boundaries. It is rare that co-workers cross the boundary into my non work social life or other areas of my life. I have never worked with people who were my friends before work. I have never worked with family. Friends from church do not work with me, nor do they participate in my family life. I could go on.<br />
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While I am still mostly the same in this regard, in the past month or so, I and several people who work in my department have met for lunch outside of work. Two weeks ago we met for lunch at a place that sold tacos for $1 each. Today it was a place that had an all you can eat buffet of Chinese food for a reasonable price. In prior years, we had attended once a year cookouts or helped move furniture for one another, but now it seems that we are socializing outside of work a lot more often than before. <br />
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The result of this seems to be an easing of tensions and hostilities at work. We seem to work better as a team at work. We make it a point to invite as many people from our department as we can to these gatherings. Of course work related subjects are discussed and I admit there is gossip and opinions exchanged, but there is just as much non-work related discussion. The most noticeable difference I've seen at work is the fact that we tend to view one another as human beings instead of machines. We do not have a perfect working relationship, but it seems to help our departmental morale if nothing else. <br />
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I still have my well defined boundaries. Work is work and my life outside of work is still that, but investing a little time every now and then seems to be worth it. I'm sure too much of it would not be a good thing, but it seems we have found the right balance for now.Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-31234499243907408532012-05-01T10:05:00.001-04:002012-05-01T10:05:08.589-04:00New way of looking at timeThe idea for this entry came to me when someone else pointed out that today, May 1st, is 1/3 of the way through the year. I honestly had never thought about the year that way. Many businesses mark the passage of time in weeks, months and quarters, with some starting at different times. (Some fiscal years start in January, some in July, some in October, and some, like Wal-Mart start in February.)<br />
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So, today marks the beginning of the second Tri-mester of 2012. I had heard of tri-mesters in pregnancy and grade-school I think it was, but not really since then. Semesters and quarters, yes, but few people seemed to divide the year up into threes. Still, it allows for another point of reference. It offers another chance to start fresh.<br />
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May 1st has significant meaning for me for other reasons. I can think of three important personal things that happened to me on May 1st in different years. <br />
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I can say that looking at this marker, so far this year has been pretty good for me. I have already met at least one of my goals for the year and I am making progress toward others. I must remind myself that, like time, I need to keep on moving.Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-26270142812003968782012-02-26T09:40:00.000-05:002012-02-26T09:40:41.949-05:00Success in letting go and adapting to changes.I had the day <strong>off </strong>from work on Friday. The first thing I did after I woke up was to check Facebook. That was a mistake. That one little act sucked me back in to the workplace mentality being seeing updates and complaints by co-workers. It was while on Facebook, however, that I was rescued from my doomed fate. I read a blog about the interruptions caused by cellphones and computers. Armed with that information, I left my cellphone in another room most of the day. I was on the computer, but tried to limit myself there as well.<br />
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I had some more small success in my discipline of self discipline by doing two loads of laundry and washing some dishes fairly early in the day and calling to set an important appointment before lunch. One problem I had was that the weather did not go as planned. The forecast was for a sunny afternoon, windy and a high of 70. What we got instead were rain showers, wind and mid 50s if that. So, the laundry I hung out on the outside clothesline to dry, instead got an extra rinse and very little drying.<br />
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While I was in the process of calling for my appointment, I realized how many phone directories I had. So, seven outdated phone directories are in a box to get recycled this coming week.Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-73004009061424798142012-02-22T21:56:00.000-05:002012-02-22T21:56:02.162-05:00Where to start...In the beginning, there was so much randomness that I didn't know where to begin. I don't know how many times I have wanted to start a project, but just didn't know what to do first, and, as a result, nothing got done. Hopefully that will not happen with my current project.<br />
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I plan on working on self discipline over the next 6 and a half weeks. I hope to have a cleaner house and more good articles written, as well as some new material for future writing.<br />
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Today was the official first day. Though not perfect, I was disciplined more than usual. I did not get up as early as I wanted, but I did cook a healthy breakfast of oatmeal. I did not prepare spiritually for the day before I left the house, but I did while I was in the car on my short drive to work by leaving the radio off and collecting my thoughts and trying to focus my attention on spiritual matters. I may have been rewarded for this by having EVERY light between home and work stay <span style="color: lime;">GREEN </span>for me. <br />
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I did what I had to do at work, only sending out a few text messages while on lunch, and leaving right on time. I continued a simple evening at home, resting for about 30 minutes, sending a few more texts, getting ready for recycling tomorrow, cooking a simple meal. Instead of watching the news, I watched a documentary on The Salton Sea in southern California and a day in the life (and an interview with) a 105 year old woman. After starting the dishwasher and heading to my room, I realized that I had not written anything yet today. Bad discipline.<br />
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So, today was a good start in self discipline. At least I had some luck with a low-key day and got the kitchen sink looking less cluttered instead of just ignoring the mess. So much more yet to work on, but day one was OK. Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-63579629001448255442012-02-21T09:00:00.000-05:002012-02-21T09:00:26.617-05:00Starting early, or is it late?One of my resolutions for 2012 and other prior years was to write more than before. <br />
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I have written more on hubpages <a href="http://tom-vogler.hubpages.com/">tom-vogler.hubpages.com</a> this year, publishing something new about every two weeks or so, but I'm afraid I've been neglecting my blog. So, 7 weeks into the new year, I renew my intent to write. <br />
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The timing of this renewal comes the day before the start of Lent. I see Lent as a time of sacrifice as well as a time of preparation. Writing more often (hopefully daily) will be a sacrifice because it will require self discipline to set aside a few minutes a day and give up some other less productive uses of my time. It will be a time of preparation because hopefully I will develop my talents and come up with some more good material for my portfolio.<br />
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I actually started Lent yesterday by going into the chapel on my way home from work.Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-44801343300525625592012-02-21T08:42:00.000-05:002012-02-21T08:46:27.617-05:00Getting one step ahead of things.Hmmm. Yesterday. Monday, February 20. It was the day I finally gave in and started taking my daily allergy pills until sometime this Fall. This is the earliest I have ever started taking them on a regular basis. When I was younger, I would take the pills only when symptoms occurred, which meant I would suffer for a while before taking any action to solve the problem, then wait for the medicine to take effect.<br />
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Somewhere over the years, doctors advised me to take the pills every day during allergy season. This seemed like a good idea, since it was likely that many days would be allergy days between Spring and Fall. I would take the pills from about late April until mid-June, then from mid August until the first frost usually in October.<br />
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Two years ago, my Doctor surprised me when, during the dormant time of early March, he asked me if I was taking my allergy pills yet. Puzzled, I replied, "No, not yet!" He said it was a good idea to start taking them about 3 weeks <strong><em>before </em></strong>symptoms start.<br />
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So, since this year has been a particularly mild Winter, and since I have had some annoying health problems in the past few weeks, I decided to start taking the pills now, just in case my premonition is right.Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-76929561457463074182011-08-12T17:44:00.000-04:002011-08-12T17:44:42.504-04:00What is a day off?No, this will not be a lament saying that I am overworked or stressed out or have so many demands on my time that I never have any free time. Instead, I will attempt to rationalize what tends to happen on my days off.<br />
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What is a day off really for? It is so nice to <strong>not</strong> be required to be out of the house for 9 hours plus on those days off. I usually have two such days a week, though not always the same two. Some days I do leave the house for minutes or hours, some days I do not. <br />
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I try to arrange things so that I can do some errands after work so that there is less on my MUST DO list on my days off. That doesn't always work out that way though. For example, today was my day off and what did I do? LAUNDRY. A load of whites, a load of lights, and a load of darks, which must be taken down from the line after I type this. GRRRR<br />
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I try to catch up on housework. Sometimes I can do it on days that I work, but larger things must wait until days off though. <br />
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I try to catch up on correspondence on my days off. Paying bills, etc, I can do on days that I work, but correspondence which requires me to express genuine thoughts and feelings in a thoughtful way, I like to save for my days off.<br />
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I may spend more time on the computer on my day off. This can be good and bad. I am more likely to do something relaxing on my day off like watching a dvd or television or reading a book. <br />
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The biggest question I have is how to balance what needs to get done with the need for recreation and relaxation. I am still working on this. Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-65642405865223488032011-05-31T16:14:00.000-04:002011-05-31T16:24:31.943-04:00High and low tech living in the same house on the same day.Today was a sunny and very warm day. Some may even call it hot. Like yesterday, the high was in the low to mid 90s and unlike what seems like the past two weeks, it did not rain, nor was it even a bit cloudy.<br />
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I was off today and had things to do around the house, so I did them. I am so glad for several modern conveniences but I am also glad I can use some low tech approaches as well.<br />
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Kitchen appliances are modern luxuries I like. Toaster, refrigerator, stove, two cup hot water boiler, etc. I did my laundry using a relatively modern washing machine, but instead of using the dryer, I used the low tech method of drying them....on a clothesline outside in the wind and sunshine. I used the dishwasher to wash and dry some of my dishes, but did others by hand and let them air-dry. I plan on cooking chicken for Supper tonight, but I also have some mint in a pitcher of water setting out in the sun to make a pseudo mint tea to drink cold a little later today and this week. The nice part would be saving electricity by drying most of my clothes that way for 6 months out of the year. <br />
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In keeping cool I made use of both modern and old fashioned methods. In the morning, when the temperature cooled into the mid 60s, I opened the doors and windows to let the cool air in. When the temperature warmed up later in the morning and in the afternoon, I closed the windows and doors and let the air conditioner cool the house. Another option could be to spend more time in the basement in the hot weather because it is about 15 degrees cooler there than the rest of the house.Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-4661546254546970582011-04-28T09:35:00.000-04:002011-04-28T09:35:35.140-04:00In a cleanup, cleanout, fix it or throw it out kind of mood.Computer files and a broken bathroom storage cabinet were the most recent victims of my wrath! I'm not sure what caused this most recent session of purging, but I am delighted with the results. I hope it is more of a lifestyle change than a simple Spring cleaning phase. <br />
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Some of my recent victories in this war include the two examples mentioned in the last paragraph as well as some shredding of lots of paper. (Confetti for sale here) Even the flower beds are getting an overhaul by pulling dandelions and other weeds.<br />
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Part of this may be the fact that I am approaching 5 years living in my house. In a way, I feel like I never really moved in because I never addressed the clutter issue. I am now getting caught up on maintenance and repairs and am beginning to feel like I AM THE HOME OWNER, NOT JUST THE OCCUPANT. I think I realize what it means to be a home owner...to take <strong><em><u>ownership</u></em></strong> of the home and to make it into something nice, not just a place to dump things and be protected from the elements. It is a home, not public storage. It is where I LIVE, not just stay.<br />
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Addressing the issue of clutter will be even more meaningful because I will make room for MY future by letting go of parts of my past that I no longer need. I am sure there are things that I should have tried to get rid of 25 years ago, instead of holding onto them as useless baggage. They cluttered floors, shelves and who knows what else and instead of purging them when I should have, I tripped over them and moved them once or twice, hundreds of miles. I am literally carrying around excess weight.<br />
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OK, enough blogging for today...time to stop living in the past and de-clutter my way into the present and future. Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-74154608349883139102011-04-27T07:39:00.000-04:002011-04-27T07:39:15.591-04:00Time off for good behavior...or perhaps I've been around so long, my workplace can't tolerate me as much as before, so they are willing to pay me to stay away.<br />
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16 years is a long time to stay at any one workplace, especially in these days of high turnover rates and few if any incentives to stay long term. When I reached the 15 year mark almost a year ago, my paid vacation went from three weeks per year to four. Our department had some issues with staffing and there are two months where taking a vacation is not allowed, so I took one week last September and one in October. I understood the staffing issue, so in January, I told them I would take the remaining two weeks right before I would lose the time. (The fact it took more than 2 months, several reminders and a meeting with the my boss' boss' boss to finally approve it is another matter.)<br />
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It has been several years since I've taken two weeks in a row, and I must say I enjoy it. Mostly I take one week at a time and usually add a personal day and/or an unpaid day off plus a weekend to extend my time away to a week and a half.<br />
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I can feel a difference the second week makes. Now that I am in to my second week, I feel my stress level is much lower than it has been in several months and my happiness level is higher. However, it took a full week plus three days to really feel that way. I am enjoying this fourth week of vacation since last year.<br />
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Now to figure out how to use my next 4 weeks of vacation! ;-)Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-45921978533999617962011-03-18T18:14:00.000-04:002011-03-18T18:15:20.683-04:00June in March: Free samples of heavenToday was one of those bonus days for me. Workload was somewhat light, especially for a Friday, and the weather was absolutely delightful with afternoon temperatures close to 80. The average high for this date here is 57 so well above normal. My thermostat is set at 67 yet the house is 75. Remember, it is still technically Winter. Even my seven year old cat seems more playful than usual. I love being able to have the windows open. <br />
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This wonderful weather reminds me of something I heard many years ago: Every once in a while, God will give us "free samples" of heaven. Today is one of those free sample days. <br />
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Another nice thing to come from this wonderful day: I thought about several friends in places where this is normal weather. I hadn't heard from one of them in some time so I texted her and asked about the weather where she was, and we had a nice "text-chat" for a few minutes. My challenge to others...if you are thinking of someone, go ahead and contact someone you may have lost touch with...call them, send a text, send an e-mail. You'll be glad you did. Don't let anything stop you!Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-28085198814440367612011-03-15T18:51:00.000-04:002011-03-15T18:51:41.478-04:00A small action that unites past, present and futureThis may be the earliest I have ever planted. After checking the weather forecasts and gardening advice, I decided that today, March 15, the ides of March, was the day to plant, at least this, the Spring crop. <br />
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My timing seems almost perfect. About a half inch of rain is expected overnight, and it started as the last seeds were covered, followed by several days of sunny, warm and frost free weather. According to the seed packets, I should see tiny green specks emerge in 7 to 10 days and have fresh-picked spinach and lettuce in my salad bowl in 45 to 55 days. I may supplement nature by watering it if the weather gets too dry but now is the time to trust that the seeds know what to do from here.<br />
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What I did was something I have done most years since I was a child, though perhaps not always this early in the season. Then it was along a driveway in front of two hedges. Now it is a backyard garden. Hopefully this year I will add other crops a little later in the season. Planting vegetables is something that many people did long before me, and will do after I'm gone, perhaps in the same ways and also in different ways and maybe even different places. Planting also reminds me of being on the Amtrak train last September around sunset rolling through the Salinas Valley of California with lettuce fields as far as I could see in every direction.<br />
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More about my garden in future blogs.....Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-10993668047163527282011-03-12T19:22:00.000-05:002011-03-12T19:22:42.863-05:00Times have changed...This is the day we change from Standard to Daylight Savings Time. We "lose" an hour of sleep and "gain" an hour of daylight in the evening. It's all an illusion though the amount of daylight is no more or less than we would get if we just relied on nature and sun-dials. <br />
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Besides the illusion, I have a few other observations. <br />
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Calling the time from November to March...a mere 4 months...Standard time seems strange. That means for twice as long we are...what? Non-standard? Sub-standard? Should we make Daylight Savings Time the standard and come up with another clever name for the shorter segment, like Nightlight Time?<br />
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Not all areas change their time at the same time, either. Some parts of the United States don't change at all. Europe doesn't have to deal with this for a few more weeks. However, there was a "time" about 11 years ago when Europe changed their clocks before North America. This worked well for me because I was travelling from North America to Europe. This meant I arrived in London an hour before I thought I would. I still had the two and a half hour layover before my flight to Germany, but at least I got the flight part of my trip over with an hour sooner than I thought.<br />
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Also, I remember a time not all that long ago when I was in gradeschool, the time changed on the last weekend in APRIL, not the second weekend in MARCH! Here's an idea...instead of changing the clocks to suit our lifestyle, why don't we re-adjust our bodies to that of our home planet. When it's dark, go home, sleep. I think the Amish live that way. Our ancestors lived that way. <br />
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Posted at 7:22 PM...or is it 8:22PM? Who knows? Who cares what you call it?Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418789445523750696.post-3800390747943538862011-03-10T08:17:00.000-05:002011-03-10T08:17:49.544-05:00Taking off (or learning to fly)Anyone who knows me well, knows that in my heart, I am a writer. If you know me a little better, you also know that I like eagles. That is how I chose the title for my blog. I wanted to combine two of my interests. <br />
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I kept a private journal starting when I was in my early twenties and like many things, started enthusiastically, but then, over time, I suppose I lost interest and haven't written anything in that for a few years now. This will be more of a public journal. The flight of the eagle is my life's journey. Writing in this format is me learning to fly. <br />
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In addition to sharing a bit about what is going on in my life, I will also use this platform to share many of the articles and reflections I have written (and am still writing.) Tom Voglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065801384618247891noreply@blogger.com0