Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

Caution: this is a sharpen the saw episode. You can’t cut wood as well with continued use if you don’t keep a sharp edge.

Abraham Lincoln said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

It’s late summer and some schools have already started up again.

Up north, we get to play in and on the water for a scant few months. Making the most of it is a privilege we dare not ignore.

It was a quick trip to a friend’s cabin and the weather cooperated just long enough for a pontoon ride, a trip to the brewery for a little song bingo (singo)…a couple of beers and back to the cabin for a sunset, some music at the hand of our multi-talented host, and a gradual transition from the orange burning the sky to the orange burning the logs in the fire pit … magical. We could feel our blood pressure dropping as nature put on the show.

Half this crew is retired and traded stories about the crazy days and unnecessary, bureaucratic bullshit they endured to cross the line. The rest of us sit hopeful that our patience, luck and resilience will enable us too, to reach the goal, to stay healthy, to ward off the evils of stress and frustration. Today, we are one step closer.

What do you do to unwind? Where do you go when you get wrapped around the axle? How often do you visit? Is it often enough to manage your disposition and maintain a level head? Do you draw from your memory bank of positive interactions and beautiful landscapes when things are tense at work or home?

Find your “lake”, gather beauty and fill your memory banks with worthwhile content.

Have a blessed weekend!

Eric