2020 begins.

1/1/2020

(Above: The washed gate area that will soon be primed and painted a new, stand-out color.)

Active Summary: Today’s early hours began as many of my recent mornings have: with creative writing and a ride through the beef pasture. Following these activities, I ventured to the Master Blend freezer room where I rigorously wire-brushed all of the metal belonging to the red-painted chute area before wiping most of it down with some sopping shop cloths. Intermittently, I would grow weary of the cleaning and tend to other tasks, such as helping Madre move some plywood, fashioning an edge/head guard for the low-hanging piece of metal onto which the chute used to be fastened, and removing the piece of ‘trip-steel’ that extended from post to post directly under the aforementioned low-hanging metal. I was eventually able to complete most of the gate-sluicingbefore returning to Jacobhouse to write for a little while longer, and as for finishing the morning, it included my journeying in to Ocala with Madre to procure a delicious lunch from Sushi Bistro.

(7:19 PM Update:) This afternoon began with my tending to a few customers who made an impromptu and admittedly hefty Master Blend beef order. Ensuing activities included the usual: cattle work, bovine feeding, calf treatment, and a herd health survey. To finish off the pre-evening activities, I finished wiping off the metal gate area in the Master Blend freezer room.

TIL: One of today’s more unique activities consisted of my brother an I ordering some high-speed train tickets from Paris to Avignon. During this task, we learned some very interesting geographical and technological facts:

• The distance from Paris to Avignon is 428.6 miles – 125 miles farther than the 303.8 miles between Ocala, FL and Miami, FL. Previously, I would have thought those values to be reversed, but such is not the case.
• The high-speed train will take 2 hours and 43 minutes to travel 428.6 miles. That means the locomotive will be traveling at approximately 155 miles per hour.
• If Florida had a bullet-train from Ocala, FL to Miami, FL, the trip would take approximately 2 hours. If such a train ran from Ocala to Orlando, it would take a mere 25-30 minutes. That would be a quick ride to the airport.

Commentary: Of course, today’s commentary must include something about the New Year. The thing about New Year’s Day, however, is that it is exactly like any other day* excepting the significance we grant it. Many people think of the ‘1st’ as an opportunity for a fresh start, and along those lines, set new goals that they hope to accomplish throughout the year.

I refuse to allot goal-making to any single day of the year – a limiting strategy – but I do use the first of each year as a checkpoint of sorts to ensure that I am moving in what I consider to be the correct direction. For example, last year I had already been working on Jacobhouse** for a few months, and I simply wrote in my personal logbook that ‘I would like to have Jacobhouse finished and move in within the next year‘. It happened with a few months to spare. Similarly, I wrote that I wanted to progress with my creative writing – something that I have been working on for multiple years now. This goal was fulfilled, as well. Despite not completing my primary written work, I spent at least one hour every day working on it (and often more). Progress was made.

And that does not even account for the major and minor tasks that were found, begun, and even completed throughout 2019, of which some of the more major ones were: become capable of teaching English online/overseas (begun), plant and harvest a garden (completed), make the Master Blend freezer room a better place of business (begun***), and Find Walden(?).

The point I am attempting to make here is that goals – no matter how large or small or ridiculous or logical they may be – can only be achieved with constant effort. If I truly care about a goal, I will find some way to work on it every day, even at the expense of leisure. This work can be a mere few minutes of meaningful thought or a great many hours of hard labor. No matter what sort of work it is, though, it is progress, and I shall endeavor to toil toward that goal each day until it it is reached or until there are no days left.

Final Note: Tomorrow I will likely prime the metal gate area for its next coat of paint. What color will it be if not green, orange, or white? I believe I will let images reveal the ultimate decision. As for the time when I am waiting for the primer to dry, I may see if I can procure a pressure washer from Madre and then use that to clean the gables rather than climbing up and down the ladder.

*Subtracting the fact that all days are unique in their own minor ways.

** According to the journal, I was working on elevating the sewage/drain line that extends from the bathroom to the utility hole.

*** The interesting thing about this goal is that it has been on my list since February 3^rd of 2019. I did not make time to begin working on it, though, until Jacobhouse was complete. Some goals are simply more important than others.