This month's novel was Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty. I had to read it really fast before we went on vacation, because it was a library book and I had to wait a long time to get it. It was good, has a weird plot twist in the middle that you don't see coming.
My nonfiction book was The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan. That one was a re-read because it is that good. It helps you narrow your focus to only one thing at a time. My choice to re-read this one is timely. We have had our PA for about a year now. She has made our daily life a lot better, but my time is still much too unfocused and split. It doesn't seem like there is a way to remedy that. My time is split between homeschooling the kids, my 2 jobs, and my volunteer work. I made the decision to quit the volunteer work. I made that choice before I re-read The One Thing, and reading the book only underscored that I'm certain it is the right choice for me. yes, I know the DAR has been such a big part of my life for the last several years. But at this time it is not moving my life forward or making my life easier. It used to give me an ego boost, in fact, many of the decisions I made were entirely ego-driven. So let's face it, my ego doesn't really need that any more. I'd say I have enough validation to last me at least a year! Ha ha. Gary Keller says, p. 191: "Someone once told me that one 'yes' must be defended over time by 1000 'nos'. Early in my career I didn't understand this at all. Today, I think it's an understatement." He also says that saying 'yes' when people need you is a heady thing. Well, that is what DAR is to me now. Now that the Vietnam book, monument, and website are finished, the rest of my job has become a to-do list that represents a 'yes' that now forces me to say 'no' to 1000 other things. I'm giving a speech in May, and I also have one more Vietnam committee meeting in May. I have one job I could step down from immediately. That leaves one other elected position in which I have one more year to serve. This then will be one less never-ending to-do list, one less distraction from my other jobs. I'm sure you all know the next job on the chopping block. That will be a good day. My one thing is to do whatever I can to get me to that day.
My classic movie was The Flemish Farm, which is available free if you have an Amazon Prime account. It was kind of weird because it is a WWII movie that was released in 1943. It was based on an event that occurred in 1940. So I realized it was a kind of propaganda. It must have been filmed and released to help British morale. It is allegedly the true story of the Belgian Air Force, who buried their flag when they realized they were about to be conquered by Germans. Six months later one of their own returns on foot to occupied Belgium to retrieve the flag. A DOG DIES so do not watch if you are especially opposed to doggie-snuff films. There is a lot of speech about how the flag is more important than life. It was interesting and Mike and I both liked the movie except the part where the dog gets killed when it is carrying the flag. Although at least it is not graphic or gross.
No comments:
Post a Comment