It’s a day worthy of a smile. Blue skies, sunshine, and mild temperatures greeted me for daily run #4,168 and now blog post #1,335. Each number is a personal accomplishment in mental and physical exercise. My wife and I have been together now for  7,829 days. Each day counts in the whole scheme of life. I try to keep track but they sometimes pass so slowly when I do. There’s also only 9 days until we fly again, despite the risks. Alaska Airlines is not selling their middle seats, and have reduced the number of flights. As a result, we’ll have more room, but our once direct flight to Orlando now goes through Seattle. It will take a long time to get there, with an additional airport exposure changing flights. 

It will be good to get out of this rut, where I’m counting the days. I want them to pass, but then again I don’t. There’s only so many days left of life, like sand in an hourglass. It reminds me of the soap opera, “Days of our Lives,” that my mom used to watch, having now produced 13,852 episodes, the longest running scripted television show in the world. In fact, I could watch it today! Instead, this afternoon I’ll watch Lance or Grant, depending on whether I want sports or war. My wife and I started the House of Cards series last night, our latest “viewing together” project in the evenings. We’ve seen bits-and-pieces through the years, but decided to re-watch from the beginning. In the meantime, we’ll argue about take-out options for dinner, continuing the Wednesday “Date Night” tradition.

As I write this morning, I’ll also watch Skinwalker Ranch and Lost Gold of WWII, two disappointing History Channel series that will serve as background noise. Oops, no new episodes for some reason! Probably the same issue the networks are facing with production issues and fresh programming. The only real excitement this week was last night’s birth of a baby boy by my wife’s niece back in Indianapolis. Her nephew’s wife is expecting twin girls soon in Jacksonville! They will all be part of the growing numbers of children born in this latest pandemic. It has to be particularly stressful to be pregnant in these times and a major relief to see a healthy son or daughter. Welcome to the World! Day One!