Dear Diary,
Today was a normal day. To give context to that statement I have to go back about three weeks. My wife went to a conference in Chicago. She gets back on a Sunday and Monday we fly out to California. (As an aside to whomever is reading this if you have never seen the Redwoods personally, they are a sight to behold. Nothing in my personal experiences prepared me for such massive trees. Even looking at them they seemed to large to be real. God was just showing off when He made those trees.) We get back on a Wednesday and my wife goes to watch grandkids for about 10 days. Just last night the last kiddo went home, so today just the two of us. Love the travel and the grandkids but good to be back on a normal routine.
Up a bit early. Have a networking event at 6:30 and want to get my normal morning routine completed. I read some from Jermiah. A verse stood out which essentially said, some people will submit to God and others will want to go their own way. Interesting that words from an ancient Jewish prophet still appear to apply to today. Will people decide to follow God, or will they strike out on their own?
The networking event is fun and reminds me of how much my life in Muncie has changed since I arrived. When I first came to town I knew one couple. I went to this event and every face was unfamiliar. Now I know enough people I can’t say hi to all of them before the event ends. And I get to meet new people to boot. I moved here from a larger community which I liked. My perspective is people here are even more open and friendly. Muncie is a good place to live.
Part of the networking event involved dropping off business cards for door prizes. I seem to have luck at this and today held true. I won a $25 gift card to a local restaurant. Now I can share my good fortune with my wife. Great start to the day.
I got to the office a bit late due to the networking event. After the normal to do list at work I started chipping away at quarterly administrative assignments. They are due diligence tasks with checks and balances to make sure we are appropriately doing our fiduciary duties for our clients. Necessary, yes. Exciting? No. The good thing is this is the last round for 2023 and I only had 27 compared to 100 last quarter. My employer intentionally front loads these reviews so we are well done by the last quarter. I got about 20 done and will complete the rest tomorrow. An early Christmas present to myself.
The end of the day involved a ribbon cutting. Through my involvement in the local Chamber I get invitations to attend ribbon cuttings for new businesses. I get to see people from the Chamber and meet new people at the various businesses. The ribbon cuttings give me optimism for our local economy with so many entrepreneurial efforts. I get to meet people and know about businesses in the community which I would not otherwise. Charlie Cardinal made an appearance at this ribbon cutting. I have been to enough to know if Charlie shows it is bigger than normal and if the mayor appears it is big. The mayor did not appear but a representative of his office did. So a bigger ribbon cutting event than most and another good time.
I help with young children’s ministry at my church this Wednesday so had to leave before the socializing at the ribbon cutting ended which was disappointing, especially since there were hors d’oeuvres, but unlike Michael Kane in the movie Multiplicity I cannot divide myself. So off to church I went.
The meeting didn’t start on time. I could have stayed hobnobbed and had some appetizers. However, once it does start there is a nice program and a decent crowd. I introduce myself to some of the parents and grandparents who came with the kids. Pasta for supper. With the toppings it was surprisingly good. I had seconds and had a cookie on the second trip. I am not missing the hors d’oeuvres so much now. Help with clean up and head home.
My wife is still recovering from the busy spate. When I get home she asks me to help with some food preparation for a meeting she has tomorrow morning. Doing chores at home, a great way to end a normal day.