Chris was up at O-dark-thirty because he had a plane to catch. He wrangled the dogs, made the usual morning coffee (see previous post), wrapped my insulated mug in a tea towel to keep it warm, kissed me goodbye; I woke up enough to hug him and thank him for my daily spoiling, and went back to sleep. Woke in plenty of time for breakfast, still-warm coffee, and the weekly trashcan roll to the curb.

My business partner  no longer drives, so I drove halfway across town (there is no direct route) early to fetch her and drive to Winters for our weekly marketing meeting. Great meeting; packed house, all kinds of energy happening in Winters. In the next 5 years the population might double, maybe even more. Yikes.

A colleague who mentored me during my leadership years is a casual cyclist; her boyfriend is much more avid. She asked the obvious questions regarding Winters’ remaining bike-friendly. The mayor answered in the affirmative. I sincerely hop she’s right & committed to that — we bike to Winters for food, coffee, fun, and we invite many out-of-area friends to join us in enjoying Winters. I wouldn’t be happy to see Winters lose its wonderful bike-friendly culture.

The latest offer was accepted, yay! And now my sweet & naïve seller, so high maintenance, is excited and nervous and requires me to repeatedly bring him into focus. It should be okay in the long run, and as much as I’m used to the hustle and the continual need to be on my toes, I admit that it’s mentally and emotionally taxing. Usually I ride my bike to work that out; tonight, however, I’m enjoying a craft beer (locally made, no less) and a Romeo Añejo cigar on the patio, listening to the wind blowing through new leaves, and relaxing. Breathe in, breathe out, let the tension go. This is just what I needed.