Day 45: Happy Mother’s Day

Morning Run

Unfortunately, I didn’t make it out to Heidelberg as planned. I ended up falling asleep last night much later than anticipated, so I had a late start to my day. I spent a good portion of my morning in bed catching up on overdue reading. I’m currently reading Becoming Trader Joeby Joe Coloumbe, founder and long-time CEO of my favorite grocery store in the US.

One thing and one thing only influenced Joe Coloumbe’s management priorities: pay employees well and higher than your competitors. Happy and respected employees earns loyalty and naturally generates top performers. That enduring strategy has led to a well-known underdog story and success. It’s worth the time to read. I’m a big fan of small teams achieving massive outcomes.

I took advantage of the beautiful weather and went for a run around Stuttgart. There was a gentle, warm breeze, which made for a comfortable and easy run. I had to do some street running in the bicycle lane (when it exists), which I take it is a bit atypical in Germany, given that one driver got very upset with me and honked his horn furiously. I had to cross the road at a construction site, which was not at a marked cross-walk. I saw him about 300 feet away from, plenty of time and distance to make sure I got out of his way. Still, he felt the need to honk his horn and roll down his window to yell at me. Judging by what he said, I don’t he was actually German, but rather Spanish. I won’t repeat it here, but all I could do was look at him and laugh, which aggravated him even more 😅.

Afternoon Snack

Finishing my run, I stepped out to grab a post-run snack / late lunch. I went to galāo again. This time I had a sandwich (cheese, chorizo, and sun-dried tomatoes) and yellow lentil soup with a Paulaner Spezi (a non-alcoholic soda - cola crossed with orangeade). After lunch, I had a few scoops of ice-cream to beat the heat.

Laundry

Kicking back on the couch and resuming my reading, I ended up falling asleep and took a short nap. When I came to, I went do laundry and finally clean my shirts. They’re now drying on the bench, towel warmer, and television table.

Expedited Shipping

I finished off my night with a family WhatsApp call to wish my mother a very happy Mother’s Day (Muttertag in German) and some final preparation before work starts again tomorrow morning. This will only be a 3-day weekend in Germany due to a federal holiday on Thursday and a bridge-day on Friday. Companies are obligated to give a Friday off if Thursday is a federal holiday, known as a bridge-day, so I’d like to wrap up as much as possible before heading out to London on Thursday. I’m really excited for that trip!

Frieden und Liebe ❤️ (translation: peace and love)