"Optima dies... prima fugit."

The line above was written by Virgil and means roughly, "the best days are the first to flee." This phrase appears on the title page of Willa Cather's "My Antonia." It also seems to fit Cather's theme. The book is about a man's childhood friend, a Bohemian immigrant by the name of Antonia. Growing up during their youth, life ultimately takes them in different directions, but the friendship they have remains solid. After reuniting after a number of years apart, Jim Burden reminisces with his friend...

"Do you know, Antonia, since I've been away, I think of you more often than of anyone else in this part of the world. I'd have liked to have you for a sweetheart, or a wife, or my mother or my sister - anything that a woman can be to a man. The idea of you is a part of my mind; you influence my likes and dislikes, all my tastes, hundreds of times when I don't realize it. You really are a part of me."

She replies:

"How can it be like that, when you know so many people, and when I've disappointed you so? Ain't it wonderful, Jim, how much people can mean to each other? I'm so glad we had each other when we were little. I can't wait till my little girl's old enough to tell her about all the things we used to do. You'll always remember me when you think about old times, won't you? And I guess everybody thinks about old times, even the happiest people."

I've been fortunate enough in my life to have some friendships similar to this. That no matter the time and distance placed in between, nothing can diminish those memories (some of my "best days") and the beauty of lasting friendship.

Heed or No?

Ever feel the prompting of God's Spirit, close your ears and walk the opposite direction? I did that this last weekend. John and I talked about going to see a movie. We debated several movies and finally landed on one that looked to be funny, though likely would be a bit crude. I knew the Holy Spirit was prompting against it, because I even asked John about the rating on that and another movie we had been comparing. But, finally, I gave in. How bad could it be? I can stomach a few crude jokes or scenes in the name of entertainment.

Well, we sat through maybe half of the movie and were disgusted a number of times by the subject matters and the visuals. At some point, we finally got up and walked out of the movie (way after we SHOULD have walked out). What a waste of a perfectly good $18.00. And it's sad to know I'll never get that hour of my life back.

Lesson reaffirmed: When the Holy Spirit prompts, follow It's leading.

My Adventures in Ensenada

I was telling some auditors today of my exploits in Ensenada, Mexico. Back in the day I had a state-side audit client with a maquiladora (a manufacturing plant) down in Mexico. It was an amazing opportunity. Two different summers I was able to fly into San Diego, meet a driver and be driven down through Tijuana into Ensenada.

At this point in the story, one of the (male) auditors asked surprisingly, "you went by yourself?!"

That reminded me of sitting in the Las Vegas airport. I think I pulled out a journal. (Yes... the precursor to the blog... paper and pencil.) That's when I first realized the potential hazard I may be walking into. Single girl... trusting to be met by a driver - male, a stranger to me... being driven outside of the USA, through Tijuana... one of the roughest areas in Western Hemisphere... staying in a hotel by myself... what in the world was I doing?!

But, it was the most fun I've had in any of my audit travels. The hotel was amazing. It overlooked a marina with many sailboats. Since I wasn't on the first floor, I felt comfortable leaving the balcony doors open for the fresh air and view. The bathroom was huge and afforded me several relaxing bubble baths. I had some fresh seafood with some Tijuana auditors. I enjoyed shopping on Calle Prima (1st Street) and watching the cruise ships come in and out.

I was more that happy to go the following summer. And, to be honest, I'd love to go back again!

Nerdvana

I was at coffee with friends this morning, and one of my "friends" described my recent experience with an Excel spreadsheet as one of "nerdvana." Unfortunately, I believe he's probably right.

Part of my job consists of overseeing our accounts receivable and work-in-process balances. I've created a spreadsheet that tracks the balances of those assets each month for the past years. I have all of those balances graphed for each year - A/R vs WIP vs Revenue. These graphs are things a beauty. I learned two things from studying my graphs. First of all, our business is seasonal. I already knew that, but my graphs make it very clear - spikes twice a year in Spring and Fall busy seasons. But, it's interesting to note that A/R generally lags a month. If revenue and WIP spike in March, A/R spikes in April. The same is true in the fall, only the lag is less pronounced. For the last several years, A/R has hovered significantly about revenue and WIP... mainly because we were carrying a lot of old receivables.

As you can tell, I was highly focused on my spreadsheet. So much so that when I looked up from my spreadsheet around 5:45, I really couldn't tell you what time it was or even what day it was. I'm serious, it could have been 10:00 at night for all I knew. As someone else pointed out, I must not have any problem concentrating on my task at hand. I only wish that was the rule and not the exception!

Return of the Barbasol

So I finally stopped blaming my family for the sudden disappearance of my can of Barbasol. That's right, I use Barbasol, "The Beard Buster." Seriously... it's great for shaving my legs (etc.), and it's cheap! It may have a bit of a manly scent, but who cares?! As I mentioned, it's cheap!

Right after Thanksgiving I couldn't find my can. All I could find was my husband's Gillette - "The Best a Man Can Get," according to him. I used it a time or two, but it was nearly always in the front bathroom when I needed it in the back shower. And, it has a much more distinct "manly smell." All that to say, I blamed this sudden disappearance on the men in my family, because it was here before Thanksgiving and suddenly gone after the family left. What I realized several weeks later is that I had stuffed it into a random grocery sack to get it out of the bathroom during part of the bathroom house project that same weekend. Whew! What a relief! Not only am I clean shaven again, but I can rest easy knowing my family doesn't include a Barbasol thief!