The "Grind"

Well, it has been awhile, but I am back at the "grind."  Did I ever mention, I really do enjoy the "grind" most days? I finally figured out, or maybe just read somewhere, that the difference in a bad day and a good day is just your attitude!
As many of you know, I do sell real estate full time but recently found myself the caretaker for my 83 year old dad, recovering from a broken ankle.  Those days are behind us but I have to tell you, although I love this man, he is not the same man that raised me.  My dad was in many ways, the class bully, the good-looking 17 year old with fast car, a strict dad and above all, a proud MARINE!  Many early mornings my siblings and I were awakened to his humming version of the Marine Corp Hymn.  Poor dad, he could never sing, or even hum, for that matter   What I am attempting to tell you is that he was a strong personality with a lot of pride.  Now 50 something years later, that picture has changed.  Dementia has set in and that pride, has taken a back seat to his daily needs. Somewhere in that magical space we call a mind, my dad lives in a world of his own.  Luckily, he has trips back to reality and I feel encouraged for those moments and those conversations.  I am grateful for all the time, but particularly "real time."  Just yesterday I received an email of encouragement from a dear friend.  In this note, the friend confided a family history of dememtia.  That family history has left her with the fear that it could possibly invade her life someday.  That got me thinking (and that is dangerous)!  
In 1985, my dad retired from the high pressure world of oil and gas.  His "retirement" job was to be a sheep farmer/rancher/herder!  For about 10 years he did the farm thing quite successfully.  One day he abruptly announced he was through, and sold everything, but the farm which he leased.  With all the crop and stock gone, dad begun to lay around.  Once he sat in the recliner, he was finished.  Quickly, he began to lose names and faces, and details no longer mattered.  Finally, he is merely a shell of the man who raised me.
All emotions aside, I must tell you that the last thing my dad has taught me, to date, is to never quit.  Whether quitting, hastened his dementia, we will never know for sure.  I can tell you, I believe it did.  I vow to stick with the daily grind as long as I am capable!  Yes, it sometimes is a grind, and it does happen daily, but keeping your mind alert and on task is vital!  Real Estate is definitely a business where the mind is stretched and pulled.  I am grateful to have been led into such a vocation. 
Life is good and it just keeps getting "gooder" right here in Norman, OK!