A Break From Writing, Not From Life
Today is March 23, 2026. It's been almost two weeks since I've written one of these. That doesn't mean life slowed down—if anything, it picked up. Lately, Eve and I have been going on nature walks with the kids, exploring different trails, sometimes almost daily. It even led to something new. I created a YouTube channel called Trail Explorers.
Today, though, had nothing to do with trails.
A Job That Tested Patience
Instead, Eve and I took on a landscaping job in the neighborhood. From the start, it was one of those jobs—the kind where nothing is quite right no matter how much effort you put in. Every detail was questioned, every adjustment critiqued.
I even went above and beyond to fix an issue she was having, without charging extra, thinking it would help smooth things over. It didn't. If anything, it just gave her more to critique.
In the end, we made $47 for about 1.75 hours of work. not terrible, but not great either considering the effort and the added stress.
Some jobs pay money.
Some jobs cost patience.
When Frustration Spills Over
After the job, we went back to my house and had a short window—about 45 minutes, no kids, just us. I tried to take advantage of that time to reconnect, but she wasn't in the mood.
That part hit me harder than it should have.
It wasn't just the moment—it was the timing. Everything lined up perfectly, and still... nothing. I let that frustration sit instead of letting it go.
And it showed.
For the next couple of hours, I carried that energy with me. When we got back to her place, I started raking her backyard. What began as helping quickly turned into something else. I pushed hard—too hard—trying to burn off what I was feeling.
I raked half of a large backyard in about fifteen minutes, fast enough to leave blisters behind. After that, I slowed down, but I kept going, still carrying that same intensity, bagging up a good amount by the time I finished.
Resetting the Evening
Afterward, we shifted gears. With what we had available, we put together a new kind of chili for dinner. Nothing fancy, just working with what was there.
Later, we went back to my house. We fixed the trampoline, something that had been needing attention, then took a shower and settled in for the night.
We ended up watching a movie while I continued looking for more landscaping work—trying to line up the next opportunity, the next step forward.
What I'm Learning
Today was a mix of effort, frustration, and recovery.
Not every feeling needs to turn into action the way mine did. I know that. But I also recognize that I'm still learning how to handle disappointment without letting it take over the moment.
Even so, we worked.
We made money.
We fixed things.
We ended the night calm.
And right now, that counts.