Week of July 5th, 2026

 Date of Writing: Sunday, July 5th, 2026

Time of Writing: Approximately 2227 hrs.

Journaling Week #1

     Does Sunday begin the week, or does it end the week? On a yearly calendar, it is the beginning of the week. In my mind, and in the minds of many Christian believers, it ends the week and is considered the lord's day, a day of rest (does not mean do absolutely nothing, it means put your normal work habits to the side and thank the lord for this last week on the earth).

     This week as a country we celebrated our 250th year of Independence. There are many people, some we know, some we do not know, some who are still present with us, and some who are no longer with us, that fought for our country's freedoms then, and still today. 

     One thing I have noticed that has changed greatly over my 42 years of existence, is people's manners and respect for one another. On Saturday, July 4th (our Independence Day), a small family business down in Cherry Hill, NJ (The Bagel Spot-one that I have been wanting to try) was open for limited hours. As I ordered breakfast for myself, Rosie (my ex-girlfriend) and her dog Chubani (has had recent health issues), only one person out of the approximate 5-10 people that had popped in and out of there used the following words during the interactions:

-Sir or Ma'am

-May I please have ....

-Thank you

-Have a good day (whatever variation of that is appropriate person to person)

     That person was the last customer who made a purchase prior to me departing that business. Most customers kept their smart phones in their hands, started sentences with "Can I get a..." and carried themselves in a rude manner.

     With having Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday off this week, I really thought I would have checked off adding another quality item to my health and wellness regimen, but life had different plans for me. On Thursday, Chubani suddenly collapsed on his back legs, was falling all over when walking and could not stand on his own, with a tilted head and vertical nystagmus. After going back and forth 3 days with Rosie, he has been showing signs of improvement at his age of 15 plus (still acts like a puppy, which is why this was so brutal to see in front of my own eyes).

     This week I learned that no matter what opportunities come, whether they are to help better your life, your family’s life, friends’ life, earn extra money, go to a certain function etc... you must always prioritize all these things and do what is right. I was glad I was able to make the right decision and spend my days with Chubani, who has been like a little best friend to me over the last year plus. My prayer is that he continues to get better and maybe goes back to being the chipper perky dog he was prior to this.

Lesson of the week:

"Do what is right always, it may not be right for you, but it is right given the situation at hand."