It was a good full day today.

I got up at a good hour and spent a few more of those at Flying Star, posing as a writer, but really mostly watching some old training videos from back in the 1940’s on how to preflight and start up a B-17. Why? I started a story ona B-17 pilot a few weeks ago, and I realized I didn’t truly know what went into the preflight routine of getting one of those off the ground. My curiosity took me to Google, which took me to YouTube- and lo and behold- there are original videos produced by Boeing and the Army Air Corps featuring a training pilot walking you through all of those routines.

After writing time, I came home and went for a jog.

I then headed down to FatPipe downtown to commune with handful of writers in a creative review group, where we critiqued two short stories presented by members of this group. It was a good experience. I read the stories and thought I’d have little to offer- but in turn, after the meeting, I almost felt like I said too much to the two writers whose works we reviewed.

This evening was this year’s version of the dance club’s Winter Ball, which is always a nice event, if only because it is held in a room in the Convention Center downtown, is semi-formal, and features a pretty good meal. I find I reconnect with quite a few dance club friends at this event because there is space and time (and light) to stop and chat a bit to catch up, and that was what a good amount of pleasure was from attending. But the dancing was also enjoyable, and seeing people dressed up and having a nice time.

The highlight of my day, though, was probably my jog, though, because I had not really seen or got to spend some time recently checking in with my sister, and she met me at noon at the Dion’s parking lot by the Academy. It had felt like a while since I had seen her and just had some personal time, and I also realized I had been missing that.

I had taken this picture last year when she and I had some time and met one morning at the Botanical Gardens, and it really does sum up a lot of who she is to me. A leader, a scout, a pioneer, but also my older sister, who has always had a leading role in my life as an encourager, supporter, and, in adulthood, a friend. Life is not always easy, and it comforting to know there are some people you can always depend on in your life, but when they are absent to some extent, you feel it.

So my highlight of my day was spending a little time talking to my sister, catching up on her family and work activities, and her thoughts about stuff going on in her world of late.