Sunday’s With ScootyDub (The 19th ed.)

Happy Sunday!

I’m enjoying a peaceful Sunday off of work today. After working long(er) shifts over the weekend, it’s nice to have nothing to do. Nothing to do other than finish this newsletter, of course.  My plan was to have it completed before the weekend. But my actions lead me to where I am now, writing this Sunday evening, shortly before I press send. 

It’s a good reminder for me that even the best of plans are only worthwhile if they lead to the things actually being done. It’s a gap I am working to bridge in many facets of my life. To acknowledge it and to act on it here is a good step in applying it to other areas. 

I can’t believe the month is already over. I know November tends to be a forgettable month, but this one seemed to go by particularly fast. And while most of the month was routine, I did have a few interesting things happen. 

November Highlights:

🚙  It was the eve of Halloween when Francis called to ask if I’d be interested in buying his CRV. His 2010 CRV with only 82000kms. I immediately said yes and slowly felt the weight of that particular problem ease off my shoulders. The transfer is still on hold while Francis awaits the delivery of his new vehicle in the next week or two, but the problem of finding a new vehicle has been solved! 

 🚗  I sold the Jeep! After confirming the purchase of the CRV, I needed to figure out what to do with Wade. I didn’t think anyone would buy it, but my mechanic convinced me to list it on Kijiji. I snapped some glamour shots, wrote up an honest ad, and asked for $1555 because it seemed like a fun number. I received 20 inquiries in the four days the ad was up. Based on a few of the offers, I thought I might get closer to my asking price than I originally thought. Then the reality of selling on Kijiji arrived and only one guy actually showed up to see the Jeep. He looked it over, seemingly unbothered by the aesthetic damage. So far so good. He asked if he could start it up. I handed over the key and started around the front to get into the passenger’s seat. First thing he did was try the driver’s window. Oops. I forgot to tell him the window didn’t like to come back up once it was down. He drives only for a few seconds before he tells me the front end is loose. I don’t know what that means but it can’t be good. We drive to the end of the block and back. He gets out to inspect the front end closer. He tells me the front strut on the driver’s side wheel is barely hanging on. I can’t say I’m surprised. At this point, I’m expecting him to thank me and walk away. But he asks how low I will go. I say $600. He counters with $400. I say $500. He tells me with the state of the car, a picker won’t give me more than $200. I tell him I’ll wait for the other guy who was coming to see it. He counters with $450 to get it that night. I looked over at the Jeep, with the window stuck half down, and the undeniable tilt of the front end. I think about how much luck I’ve already squeezed out of it. I decide I’m lucky to be getting $450 for someone to take it off my hands. I agree to the offer. We sign the registration and I grab the few things left in Wade. There was a bittersweet moment as I knew it would be the last time I sat in it. I also regretted putting $30 worth of gas into it two hours earlier. I double-checked I had everything and then bid my farewell. The buyer drove off in his truck, calling a tow truck to pick up the Jeep. I thought it would be the next day. An hour later, Sarah and I went down to empty the garbage, and Wade was gone. A quick finale to an arduous yet adventurous relationship. 

 💪  I’ve had two more therapy sessions. We continue to unpack my aversion to emotions. The cool thing I’ve noticed is the synchronicities that come up because these things are so present in my mind. Whether it’s in books I’m reading or things I’m listening to, I see more and more things that apply to my struggles. It reminds me that the solutions often aren’t as complicated as you think and the greater difficulty is doing what you know you must. 

🚶‍♂️ This week I walked to work. I was lucky that a Chinook was blowing through and it was a very mild November night. The walk took about 40 minutes and it was an invigorating journey. I felt grateful to be able to walk to work. To wander through downtown, taking in the sights and sounds. Dusk was fading but the city was alive with energy from the evening commute. People walking, cars driving, and trains screeching. I encourage you to take a walk, wherever you are, and really pay attention to what is happening around you. 

Three value-packed things to share 🌎

📖 BOOK on the role of emotions and beliefs in time management

Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman 

This book is a philosophical reminder of how little time we have to do the things we want and how valuable it is to apply our attention to those things. It resonated deeply with me due to the author’s emphasis on denying emotions to try to control time. This book found me at the right time. It’s the most impactful book I’ve read this year. I can’t recommend it enough. 

🎙️ PODCAST discussing creative consistency, artistic outlets, and doing the work

JRE #1901 with Steven Pressfield (Spotify)

I’ve shared a podcast with Steven Pressfield here before. He has a wonderful way of describing the creative struggle while offering tools to fight through that resistance. His core belief is that there are no short cuts. There is only one path and that path is doing the work. I really enjoyed this conversation. 

📱 APP to help you make better choices at the grocery store

Yuka

This free app scans the barcodes of food items and shows you a health score report. It will help you to find out what is actually healthy and what is full of hidden chemicals. I’ve used it to compare things I buy on a regular basis (mostly snacks) to pick the ones that are slightly-less terrible for me. 

Photos of the Month 📷

I’ll leave you with a quote 🤔

If you enjoyed the newsletter, do me a favour and share it with one person.

I haven’t figured out how to do one of those auto-share buttons, so you’ll need to copy and paste, like we used to before phones got so smart. 

I hope you have a delicious December!

Scotty

P.S. Time to remake the Titanic? 

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