25 minutes in Adoration is a very pleasant way to end the week.

Biden Praises Retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer - WSJ

Mr. Biden said that he has been studying candidates and their backgrounds, but said he had made “no decision except one—the person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity. And that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court.”

Asians and Hispanics need not apply?

A deeply ironic public use of racial preferences on the same week the Supreme Court ignored the Administration’s pleas and took up a case on the use of racial preferences in college admissions.

The President has sole discretion to determine the criteria of a SCOTUS nominee. If the President wants to select a nominee of a particular demographic, that’s his prerogative.

But to kick off the process with such exclusionary criteria, and an absolute screener based on skin tone and sex is an utterly unserious political decision made by a deeply unpopular President. It won’t fix inflation, the border, crime, Russia, or empty shelves. Voters get daily reminders of those dysfunctions in every town in America.

Regardless, Biden and his nominee should sent a fruit basket to Mar-a-Lago to thank Trump for completely whiffing those two Georgia Senate races. Couldn’t have done it without you, Donald!

I prefer Customer Support reps that have a personality.

Older Investors Have a Lot of Money in Stocks. How to Check if It’s Too Much. - WSJ

Data from Fidelity Investments’ 20.4 million 401(k) investors shows that almost 40% of 401(k) investors age 60 to 69 hold about 67% or more of their portfolios in stocks.

Negative bond performance in an environment of 7% inflation is not going to cut it.

They need maybe 4% of their portfolio this year for spending, meaning 96% of their portfolio can stay in the Market and ride out this volatility.

A 60 year old has a 20-30 year investing time horizon; they’ll be fine. Quit with all of this alarmism.

Biden Administration Explores Ways to Cover Covid-19 Tests for Medicare Enrollees - WSJ

The policy requiring free coverage of tests for people on private insurance falls under 2020 Covid-19 legislation that requires group health plans to provide Covid-19 testing with no cost sharing, administration officials say. But Medicare coverage is largely determined by statute. For Medicare to cover a specific item or service, it has to fall into an approved benefit category, such as preventive services.

If only this President and Congress had an opportunity to pass a blow-out bill whose intended purpose was to address COVID and testing. That would be the perfect vehicle for making this necessary legislative change to provide more testing options to vulnerable seniors.

Oh, wait.

I guess they were going to stick this useful provision in the American Rescue Plan™️, but were too busy on essential governance like regulating cryptocurrencies, 1099 reporting for Etsy stores, and allocating dollars to schools that won’t be spent until 2028.

Why is it so hard to create a new routine?

I spent a lot of time listening to productivity podcasts in the early 2010s. A recurring theme in those days was the idea that you needed enough structure to keep you focused on your goals, but not so much rigidity that it was inflexible and brittle.

I’ve observed my life and habits closely over the past 10 years. I know what I need to do, it’s just a matter of doing the work. It’s about proper preparation so that when the alarm goes off, I get out of bed and know exactly what to do.

Taking care of four small kids and homeschooling adds complexity to an otherwise simple schedule format. Each child is the x-factor, the known unknown. Each morning, I’m greeted by a completely new and different composition of attitudes, ready to shape our shared day.

January is almost over, a marker to reorient my drifting days back towards my goals. The new year is a recurring reminder to focus. I have a new rhythm sketched out, and I know it’s workable. I just need to have enough gas in the tank to push through. The missing element, the thing that’s knocked me off course so consistently, is ignoring my needs. I must cover my bases so that I’m ready to serve. Quiet time in the morning is the right start to my day. I require mental space before three pairs of feet come crashing down the stairs, full of plans and ideas for the day. I need to walk for an hour each morning to wake my mind and my body up.

For this new rhythm to work, I must achieve one over-arching goal; I must protect me time. It’s the schedule that I have, and it’s time to make it work.

When design delights.

☕️