Like u/imblasted, I was told that I posted my SOTD in the wrong thread on this date. Below is the original contents of that post for the bots. u/EldrormR and u/Semaj3000 have been messaged and now pinged. Thanks u/JoboozeRum for the heads up and your diligence in Mammoth challenge tracking. You're a lifesaver.
Edit: tagging for pings.
Aug. 4, 2022 - AA Day 4 - The best is yet to come?
So tonight I heeded some advice given after my terrible experience the last 3 days and, well, the shave was a bit better. I only had 1 nick (well, 2, but in the same spot) and to be fair, it was a slice on a pimple, so, had that stupid bump not been there it would have been a nick free shave. I had been trying to hold the razor pretty flat to my skin, but after someone else mentioned the importance of holding it really flat, I overexaggerated just how flat it was and it went a lot better. I also took some more advice and didn't go for a BBS and still ended up with a pretty darn good shave - with the grain and across the grain, and then I buffed just a bit on my chin area so I won't get any complaints from my wife. My neck - where I typically have the worst time - is the most rough still, but, it looks clean shaven and nobody is going to feel that part of my neck anyway. So - thanks for all the tips and tricks and advice!
The Zenith continues to open up and again whipped up an excellent lather. I am very excited to see this brush at the end of the month, I have a feeling it's going to end up as one of my favorites. If it's already this good, I can only imagine how great it will be when it's fully opened and splays even better. Very excited. I'm glad I went with this handle, too - it's super comfortable to use. I'm finding more and more that I prefer larger handles to smaller.
Sonder, again, was excellent. I got more green tonight than I have the last few days and, again, as I sit here the cooling of the synthetic cooling agent is doing wonders for post shave feel. While the shave was green, I get a nice touch of sandalwood in the post shave. It's such a simple and elegant scent. Big fan.
And now for the sonder thought of the day. Today at work (church) it was the funeral of a long time member and well known woman in our church family. Our senior pastor shared an encouraging message and some family members shared stories and then I was privileged to conclude the service with a prayer and benediction. But - her widower caught wind during planning that I had a really funny story of how I met her (Barb) and I got to share that, too, which was really fun. I know funerals aren't typically "fun," and this one had moments of grieving, too, but by and large it was a beautiful celebration of the life she lived and the faith she clung to so tightly. I left encouraged and grateful for such a solid service. And then, as I went about the rest of my day, I thought a bit about her husband, who is still alive. That service was every bit as beautiful for him - I watched him laugh and cry throughout. But tonight, he's home. His wife of 30-40 years has been gone for a week and her funeral has been held. And while I come home to my family, he's adjusting to a new normal, without her. In spite of all the "preparation" time he had due to her battle with cancer, she's still gone. Death of those close to you is always sobering and puts life into such perspective. My wife, or myself, or my kids, could get some terrible disease diagnosed in the next few weeks and everything could change. It happened to this family. And yet, I too often hold onto petty arguments rather than overlooking mistakes and celebrating the wife and life I've been blessed with. So, as I consider Barb's widower, tonight I will choose to drop any irritation I have with my wife over silly things and choose closeness and unity rather than division and separation. Life is too short. And then, tomorrow, on my day off, I'll do everything I can to enjoy it with my family. I'll put my phone down - leave it in the other room, even - and be present. Soaking in the little mundane moments that we've got together and trying to better count even the difficulties of having a family as the privilege that they are. I know that if something happened to any of my family I would be devastated and would do anything to have them vying for my attention again. So, instead of pushing it off, I'll work on enjoying it for the limited time I know I'll have it. Barb and her husband had a long, fulfilling marriage full of ups and downs and I'm willing to bet that as her husband lies alone in that bed tonight, he'd give just about anything to have a few more minutes with her. So - ladies and gents - love the people close to you well. Let the small stuff go and love deeply. I've yet to hear from a spouse who was left behind that they regret loving and not getting enough back, but I have heard about regrets around "the stupid fights and arguments."
Anyway. Heavier sonder post, today. But, it's what's been on my mind and what I thought about while I shaved tonight. Maybe tomorrow will be lighter - who knows.
Have a good night.
#mammothmafia
#RawHoggin
#GEMsOfWisdom
sotd.djudgement_invitations: [<DjudgementInvitation 223>, <DjudgementInvitation 1996>, <DjudgementInvitation 2606>]