Fulfillment

Sometime back, I was conversing with a friend about the situation of a mutual acquaintance. My friend stated: "that must be a horribly unfulfilling way to live." That statement gave me pause, and has caused me to reflect over the past few weeks. Sometimes we get so bogged down in our day-to-day lives that we forget to lead a fulfilling life. And sometimes, we might consider our life unfulfilling, when we have had, in fact, great success. It is all about points of view.

So today, on my 38th birthday, I will reflect:

Family
My son and daughter have started back to school. My son is in third grade. His teacher came with a warning from a friend: "she doesn't like boys!" Nevertheless, my son has found great favor with his teacher. Manners and good discipline are the keys. More on the discipline - my son examines for his black belt in Taekwondo next month. I am excited that he gets to join our ranks!

My daughter is immensely happy to begin Kindergarten. She has looked forward to this day for a long time. She already knows several of her fellow Kindergarteners from preschool and church. Our pastor's son is in my daughter's classroom!

My wife transitions to part time work, after having been home with the kids for the past nine years. She got the job at my daughter's former preschool. The combination of my wife's prior experience, combined with knowing the staff made the hiring easy on the director.

My brother's divorce is final. That's the good news. There may be an appeal, but at the end of the day, a bad chapter in his life is closed. His son is entering Kindergarten next week, and I know he will do very well.

My sister is married to a good guy, and their lives are going well. She might be moving soon, and that brings about certain amounts of stress and excitement, and all of that is for the best.

My father is doing well with his health. In many cases, better than a lot of people in his condition. He reads this blog twice a day, every day, as well as some of the other blogs I've listed on the side column.

Work
Work is fantastic. My regular employment could not be going better. I have qualified for President's Club every year since 2010. My employer prior to 2009 had no such designation. This year, my numbers are outstanding. I've experienced substantial growth for the entire year, and am beating quota to the tune of over 120%. I was paid a nice little bonus yesterday, and this month is the "magic month" wherein I get three regular biweekly paychecks.

Even better than that, my dojo continues to plug away. We have a mix of newer students, as well as some experience. Moving into the church has helped tremendously. We have much more mat space, as well as a regulated indoor environment for greater comfort. Moreover, I get the opportunity several times a week to help encourage and mold children into responsible adults. I help them overcome behavior issues, psychoses, as well as having a platform to influence them on healthy lifestyle choices. And let's not forget the main theme: I get to teach them skills that nobody can ever take away.

Overall
I could go on, but some would just think that to be bragging. In the end, it doesn't really matter though. These facts provide great fulfillment to my life, and to those around me and my family.And for that, I am truly thankful.


.