Sunday Ramble
It’s been a heaven-sent relief to get away from the jungle over Christmas, laze around on the northern Peru coastline, grab some waves, eat fresh seafood, and chill out with the family. So much so that I’ve put off writing today’s ramble just as long as I possibly could. Not for lack of ink to spill, but simply because the sounds of the lapping waves floating across the desert air were too enchanting to pull me indoors until the family was put to bed.
My wife has reminded me that I write too often about COVID to think of myself as a diverse writer any longer. So while COVID is easy pickings, I’m going to avoid its glittery allure and instead choose to write about the topic of gratitude and luck. ‘Tis the season after all as I reminisce about the essential things in life: love, laughter, sharing joyous occasions, and appreciating the presence of family.
I've concluded that gratitude is the humble emotion that seems to be the root of all good luck in life. Perhaps it’s not even luck so much as the frame of mind that perceives events and circumstances as lucky. For example, the company I work for lost a couple of critical employees several months back. At the time, I reconsidered my commitment to the organization as well — it was the perfect time to bail if ever there were a time. But having observed the shimmering chimera of luck bestow itself more than once on Sazmining, I decided to carry on. And, as luck would have it, we stumbled on an idea much more significant and more doable due to our change in staffing. It’s an idea, unfortunately not disclosable yet, but one that has enchanted almost every bright mind we’ve shared it with. Will, the founder, and I have joked that it was lucky that the cards fell the way they did, or we’d never have discovered it.
More importantly, through the efforts of maintaining high spirits and gratitude for one another, the organization was able to find new legs again. And, for me, that’s the key. The more I express gratitude to the world, the more opportunities show themselves from unknown and hidden corners. It’s almost as if gratitude is the key to some ephemeral doorway that remains closed to the curmudgeonly. A thank you to a stranger, a shared smile, and a short conversation later, and you may be on a plane across the world to discover a pot of gold. Of course, it doesn’t always play out in grand outcomes, but more often than not, the attitude of being grateful for the small things creates an openness to opportunities that just otherwise isn’t there. I know because I’ve tried my fair share of selfishness and found myself running into more dark alleys than a blind drunk man.
No, I won’t advocate that everyone finds gratitude in the small things, but I will suggest it to those feeling stuck, spinning their life’s hamster wheel remorsely and getting no further than their nose. And, for me, the joy of getting away from the day-to-day grind is that it provides a fresh perspective and a slowed tempo when I do get back to it. So much so that these days, I schedule my downtime with a rich appreciation for being genuinely disconnected. Because it’s in a slower tempo, the opportunity to be grateful can come up. Running full tilt is an easy way to miss the little things that anyone in a long-term relationship knows are THE big things.
So as we move into 2022 and our third year of collective COVIDing, I recommend everyone take the time to kindle the grateful spirit within. Yeah, I know I said I wasn’t going to recommend it to everyone, but the holiday spirit and the warm desert air is getting the best of me. So here’s to more thank you’s and fewer resentments as we start the year with a blank slate.
And surely you'll buy your pint cup
and surely I'll buy mine
And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet
for auld lang syne.For auld lang syne, my dear
for auld lang syne
we'll take a cup of kindness yet
for auld lang syne.
Rad Things on the Interwebs
Whoa…
Bitcoin Price Prediction
Weekly Range: $45k - $54k
This last week closed at $50.7k after shrugging off another failed attempt to break below $46k at the beginning of the week. While that doesn’t mean that we’re about to turn the trend into a bullish advance, it does mean that the odds of a further breakdown have been thwarted for the time being. It’s now in the bulls’ best interest to keep pushing on the price, burying the underwater shorts. We shall see what this week entails, but a break of the strong resistance around $53k should see the price advance quickly. A break of the price below $48k would open the doors to a retest of $46k and perhaps lower. This last week was a moderately bullish development, but we’re not out of the woods yet, and I don’t anticipate an easy move higher for at least another week.
Bitcoin Q & A
Q: Can there be more than 21 million bitcoin?
A: No*
*Without more than 51% of the nodes changing the software version that they are running to allow for more than 21M bitcoin, it is impossible for more to exist. Practically speaking, it would be against the vested interests of the node owners to do so as that would dilute the value of each bitcoin the node owners operate.
Do you have questions or Ramble topics? Leave a comment or reply to the newsletter to reach me.
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Still enjoying the Rants Kent, so thanks for sharing. Good luck on the new project and look forward to hearing more when the time come! Also, it’s good to hear others outside the US with same Covid opinions so feel free to discuss away ;)
Cheers from Atlanta Ga!
Wow not sure if you are still in Peru, but hopefully everyone is enjoying sites and staying safe! Cheers! Just got my kids their first passports. Planning a trip for April somewhere abroad family friendly.