Dale Jr.

Andy Petree, in a guest spot on NASCAR Race Hub, was the first one I heard say it out loud.

He does not think Dale Junior will be back in a race car next season, or ever... As the crew chief for Dale Earnhardt when he won his 6th and 7th championships, he knows NASCAR. And he said what I have been thinking since Junior got out of the car with symptoms similar to what is seen in a concussion following a wreck at Michigan on June 12 and two wrecks in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona on July 2.

I just don't think he is coming back to racing. I just don't see how he can risk it.

He will still be involved as an owner for sure, but he doesn't sound good in the interviews. His voice has a different quality to it. Neurologically, he does not seem intact.

If he was a champion quality driver, it might be worth the risk, but he has been around racing long enough to know for him, it is not. He isn't going to win a championship (Sorry Junior Nation, he is not his father) and he has a good life out of the car, so he does not NEED to race.

And when he retires, NASCAR will have real troubles. This article talks about the troubles of losing Sprint and decreasing viewers and low attendance- all of which will make NASCAR a harder sell after Junior is gone.

Random thoughts

I haven't posted in a while- not that I don't have things to say, but because I am not sure how much I want to say in the public arena but this is a brief update:

I won't vote for Trump. I won't vote for Clinton. I hate that they are our choices because I find both morally unsuitable for the office they pursue. So talking politics is out...

Finally, I finished "Reading Lolita in Tehran" and feel like I have completed an Advanced course in English literature as well as a compelling story about a world I will never fully understand.

There is a  family wedding in June- I have the dress and have already warned the bride that I intend to not dress or act my age. She would not have it any other way.

My children will be heading out soon- my youngest to spend time with Dad for the summer, the oldest heading to Colorado to join UP WITH PEOPLE for a six-month stint.

I am having a procedure at the end of June and will be on leave for six weeks... Six LONG weeks...

School is finished- both my Genetics class and my Holistic class. It is odd now to have no assignments pending.

After borrowing the book "Manhunt", I am completely engrossed. The story of the hunt for John Wilkes Booth is a page turner I can hardly put down

And this week I started writing again. It will be a good stretch for me.

Additionally,  I offered shelter to a friend in need and I really think both of us will benefit from it.

Let me not die while I am still alive

Powerful words on surviving grief  come from Sheryl Sandberg after the death of her husband.

We need to choose to live. Continue. Move forward.

I am in the middle of reading an AMZAZING book, My Father,Maker of the Trees: How I Survived the Rwandan Genocide in which Eric Irivuzumugabe survives the brutal massacre of the vast majority of his immediate and extended family and how he came back to life after such a tremendous loss and it leaves me humbled. I have so much in my life- family, friends, work- I am rich beyond belief in all the things that truly matter.

I remember reading about the horrors that took place in Rwanda in 1994, but I had not known that there were two previous episodes of genocide in the country. They were not as large as the Hundred Days that started in April after the presidential assassination and continued until July but were brutal, as recalled by Eric’s grandfather.

Eric describes his journey of faith and I am speechless. Awed. This story is a gift.

 

Month in review

We all make decisions on how to start a new year- things to do, things to stop doing. Spend less, eat less, exercise more, study more. Few of us stick with them for more than a month or two.

I started the year with this list of challenges:

·         Packing my lunch

·         No book buying this year

·         No elevators

·         Back to school

·         Only post positive items on Facebook

·         Downsize my  belongings

·         Doing new things

For the most part, I have kept to not buying lunch and I brew my own coffee. And as of today I have not purchased a book in 2016- so expect Amazon stock to tank soon.

I have limited my elevator use and have started doing 2 miles on the treadmill six nights out of 7. When I walked up to the 6th floor last night in the parking garage, it was the first time reaching the top that I didn't fear I would require cardioversion. Progress.

My two classes keep me busy- school reading takes getting used to after being out of the habit for such a long time. As far as Facebook- my single remaining account has been pretty much positive- it is an election year so I may slip up there, and as a single person, I make no promises about Valentine’s day.

On February 10th, Ash Wednesday, 40 bags begins again at my house.

Embracing adventure to get in my 50 New Things before I turn 50. I have over 20 new things to go to make my goal of 50 by the time I turn 50. With just over 400 days to go, I need to stay focused on it.

So how are your resolutions going?

When over is really over- Ebola 2016

WHO says the Ebola epidemic has ended. I am cautiously optimistic, as we have been here before.

As Western Africa rebuilds after over two years of Ebola, I am hopeful- that these countries will get the assistance they need and that they will succeed in restoring their medical infrastructure.

11,000 are dead and thousands of lives were changed forever. Hopefully the world's nations have learned from this crisis.

Resolutions 2016

My goals this year are simple. I am going to do more things for me, my career and my life.

I am still working on being debt free and using cash only… this is a multi-year project but it is my priority. I am going to be buying things I need, and stop buying stuff I don’t need. So what does that look like?

It means I need to commit to packing my lunch instead of buying stuff in the cafeteria each day.

I have over a year’s worth of books in my house- so no book buying this year (Gosh it hurt to type that!!!)

I am not going to take elevators and will add steps when I can. The far away parking space- that is where you will find me.

I am going back to school- I begin two graduate level courses, one in Holistic Nursing and the other in Human Genetics, on January 11^th that run till May, so I will be dusting off the old grey cells and studying more- by default, that means less time on social media and less time watching TV.  So I am down to one Facebook account since I no longer need my work one, and on it I will only post positive items for the whole year! Can it be done??? We will see.

I am going to continue to downsize what I own. My daughter, who is fundraising for her travel with Up with People will be selling the items of value that we are letting go of and donating the rest.

I am also doing new things- embracing adventure to get in my 50 New Things before I turn 50. Life is a journey and I intend to enjoy the ride. 2016- show me what you’ve got!