The Past year during Covid-19 our Success and Failure
Why the delay of project posts?
This year has been a roller coaster for us, just like you I am sure. With the end of Summer / Fall of 2021, we have had multiple projects to blog about. Over the next couple of months you will start to see the progress we have had. Overall, it has been great to get these things done and to start really enjoying this house! I can’t say it enough – our cups runneth over and we hope you can look back and see all of the things you are thankful for in 2021 also.
There were many factors as to why we have not listed all of our projects in “real” time. If you have never created a website or a web page, it can take hours of time. Many of the hours are spent on the project itself. The investment of time to do work and blog is sometimes overwhelming. Throw in two kids and living life it becomes difficult.
Then we all came down with the Covid-19 flu / cold / whatever it is. We all survived and did just fine but it took a couple of weeks to recover. This all happened just as I was attending a “Digital Marketing Boot-camp” at NC State and starting to compile the blog images when my wife came down with COVID-19.
COVID-19 IMPACT To Our Projects
I am sure just like us, 2021 or 2020 for that matter has not been easy for anyone. I do look forward to post- COVID-19, where in my opinion, all minds will be at peace. To get there, we all need to come to two terms.
1. NONE of us make it out alive in this life but we have a choice to live and be free. Life is not sitting at home, worrying about what could be. Not going around wearing a mask hiding ones face from communication. Many studies have talked about masks essential stealing your joy and spirit. It takes away your unique facial traits, your emotional responses to things and de-humanizes you to others.
We are not drones, but I fear many in leadership positions only want subservient drones. For children it is important to see each others smiles and interact with one another. Yes, they could get sick, however we all did as kids too. My point, all of us have a limited time here. Let’s not waste it on what could be. Don’t let fear stop you from ANYTHING.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matthew 6:33-34
2. The journey is important and as human spirits crave to be social (it is part of our design). I was reminded of this during two recent events. A business workshop with several people (in person) and a birthday party at our home for my wife. We all interacted with the sense of needing to speak with each other in person.
Excited to have interaction beyond our direct families. Not that we don’t enjoy our families but rather the fellowship that God intends for us to have is larger. You see, our souls crave to be part of a bigger picture. Not shoved into a dark and musty holding cell. Why do you think solitary confinement works?
YES there will be good days and bad days – but that is also a way we can measure our pursuit of happiness. How will you know what freedom is unless it is taken away. There is not many who can’t say they have not experienced the loss of freedom after 2020. The U.S. Constitution was and is key on the point that we are free people. With no regard to Government but for very basic needs. Remember this when the next mandate from DC comes from a group of people who don’t know you and really don’t care to.
Balance Project and Life in an UN-balanced World
While we all can understand “safety and caution”, have we over adjusted on the side of caution? It is like the people, (you know who I am talking about), who would show up at work with a 102 fever… stating I need to get some work done. Meanwhile infecting all of the remaining employees and not performing well at the task they claimed to be all so important.
The obvious answer is to have a sense of balance – we lost that somewhere in-between the crazy videos of china boarding up homes, people passing out in the streets to the reality of things. I am still waiting to see or hear about death wagons showing up with stacked bodies on them. The driver yelling “Bring out yer dead” from the Monty Python and The Holy Grail movie plays in my head.
Many of the stats from the CDC show people to be obese who die from covid. I think this virus is showing the reality of lifestyle and food choices. You CAN’T drink everyday period. The lie from the Big Wine industry (drink a glass everyday for better health) is just marketing. The same for beer for men, you may have heard before. “A Study show men greatly improve xxx by drinking a beer a day”. This is all just bogus marketing and propaganda. I bet 99% of these “studies” were funded by and through the wine and beer companies…
No different than cigarettes, no different than the big pharma ads. IF you never worked in Marketing, you might take these ads and news stories (many are paid articles) as truth.Vs. having an objective view.
How many products have WAY too much sugar in them (added not natural)? If you had to put a guess on it – 20%? 50%? 80%? I know when I shop I look at the amount of sugar in things and it is amazing to see how much and how hard it is to find products without sugar added. Could it be that the majority of the issues are related to our health and how we take care of or the lack there of, ourselves?
One of the doctors that I follow talks about limiting sugar is a great way to fight COVID-19 and any COVID based colds. Her extreme patients at the edge of going to the hospital were put on a regiment of zero carbs. That gave their body the strength it needed and starved the COVID virus. She also gave them HCQ including a regiment of vitamins an minerals. They ended up recovering just fine.
There is the old saying – everything in moderation. In our culture of, “I want what I want and now”, doesn’t compute with many. I pray we can get back to that thought process and mentality.
Back to the co-worker who showed up at work with the 102 degree fever. They should have understood they need to take care of themselves FIRST and foremost. YES BE SELFISH at the correct moment in time (not as a habit). This leads us to the lie about (I care about you’re health, or I am doing this for others). This is a lie and virtue signal to show you care. The truth is, you cannot help someone else if you are not prepared.
You can’t help someone if they won’t do the work themselves. I can’t force anyone to lose weight, or stop smoking or stop drinking. This is a personal decision. If you have 10,000 vaccines wear 40 masks and take care of yourself by eating and exercising, you are not helping me to be more healthy. It is you and only you that you’re affecting.
To yell at people, belittle them and treat them like you are superior is exactly what happened in Russia / China and Germany in the 1900’s. The governments belittled groups of people (who were their political adversaries), programmed the society to look down at them as inferior and (interesting enough) as infected dirty people. Then finally they turned them into the enemy of the state. Murder was justified in the minds of many…
We are better than this (I believe this to my core and hope you do too).
Where Do We Stand Today With Our Projects?
We are now past COVID-19 in our house and have all recovered. Many of our projects we planned over the summer were accomplished, but not in the order or the time we expected. Again, it takes an enormous effort to tackle some of these projects and also capture / record and then publish to various sites and locations. What will you see here?
- Updates on our deck (1st update)
- Updates to exterior electrical outlet covers (weatherproof)
- Updates to Interior electrical outlets
- Front door & entrance painted
- How to update your gutters FAST
- Refinished the exterior lights
- Replaced Trim / with PVC boards
- Kitchen updates – countertops
- Kitchen updates – Backsplash
- Kitchen updates – Under cabinet lighting
- Entrance / threshold update in kitchen
- “Arm” rest in master bath
- Mirrored trim on wet bar
- PVC Trim replacement of wood trim (never paint again)
- Firewood Walkway and rack
We hope you stop by soon and Merry Christmas! You have more than you know to be thankful for – just take 5 and think about it!
Until next time!
