I deeply apologize to the two or three people who check my blog on a regular basis. For the last few weeks you've read the same cheezy opening line, "Hi great big world!", over and over and over again, in the hope that maybe this day, or the next day, you'll finally be rewarded with exciting new material. I can only imagine how you feel upon reading that line for the gazillionth time. I am so, so sorry. If my present intention rises above a mere hope and become deliberate action, you will be delighted almost every morning by Josh's Deep Thoughts and Affirmations. Read on...

You see, I've been pretty successful sticking to my morning routine-the routine that's going to make me a Super Josh! I'll be bigger, stronger, longer, faster, smarter, and WAY more concerned about the children thanks to my morning routine. At the start of each weekday, I work out for 20 minutes; make and enjoy a high-protein breakfast of eggs, toast, and milk; read the paper; and clean my apartment for 20 minutes. In 3+ weeks I've failed to do this only twice.

The time is right to review what it is I'm doing in order to see if it is the best use of my mornings. By "the best" I mean the activitiy that most effectively stimulates my mind, body, or psyche (ego); as well as most effectively decreases stress in my day to day life.

Working out:
I'm definately seeing some filling in or plumping up of my chest, shoulders, and arms, but I'm a little dissapointed in the rate in which its happening. Its not that I expect much more when I'm working out only 20 minutes a day, but still, I think I've put weight on faster in the past. Yes, I can still incorporate a mass-building, healthy protein shake and an even healthier diet into my routine, and I plan on doing so soon.

Breakfast:
The increase in the quality of my life that I get from eating a substantial breakfast and not being in a hurry while doing so is huge. I have been addicted to toast ever since Fern and I's hostile experience in San Fransisco. That's a good thing given that bread is cheap and healthy, especially if its whole grain, whole oat, or the like. The only problem I have is trying to eat breakfast and read the newspaper at the same time. When I had a TV instead of a newspaper subscription, I had no problem shuffling food in my mouth while being informed and entertained. Now its a little more tricky. However, I'm not really complaining.

Reading the Newspaper:
Here's where I'm having a few doubts. In just a week or two, I've read stories about: 1) A Nampa woman who was stabbed by her husband and crammed into the trunk of his car where she was able to call police on her cell phone and tell them her general location before dying. 2) A man who barricaded himself in an Amish school with the intention of raping little girls for hours, but was confronted by police and ended up shooting the girls execution-style instead. 3) Another derrainged man shot a school girl in the head after sexually assaulting her. 4) A Florida Representative sent lewd text messages to young aides. 5) A local school teacher, a hero to many, was pinned in his car after being hit by a pickup. His car caught on fire and he died. 6) 8 U.S. soldiers were killed in one day in Iraq. 9) 3 motorcyclists in less than a month died in crashes around Boise.
And the list of tragedy and negativity goes on and on. Do I really need to spend a big chunk of my time reading about stuff like this? How is it making me happier? The short answers are "no" and "its not". Its also costing me money. So, I'm thinking of cancelling my subscription to the paper and using the time I'd normally spend reading it every morning to write a short blog. I'm excited about this. Because I'm running short on time, lets move on....

Cleaning the Apartment:
Its hard to believe, but 20 minutes cleaning a day does not ensure a pristine living environment. Dishes pile up every day, my desk becomes messy easily, and I've yet to engage in any real deep cleaning. I have little choice but to up the time to 30 minutes a day. My goal is not to come home to a "neat" apartment after work, but to enter an immaculate setting. I'm committed to making that happen. Its good for my soul.

So, the idea is to, each morning, take care of the very basic things I need to be happy, healthy, and confident so that when I go to work, my stress level is low, and when I get off work, my time is completely free. After work, since anxieties about how I should work out or clean up or write or whathave you are not present, I'll enjoy myself much more and will be free to do whatever I feel like doing.