In the dream, he is telling her that it’s done, and we aren’t even halfway through the year. She asks me for more. I say, “no.”

I stop by the office to make myself a decaf before I head down to the warehouse. It is just me and the power washers.

I can’t stop myself from thinking. “Too much time in the car,” I say to myself. I turn off the podcast so that the only words I hear are my own.

I listen intently to drown out my own thoughts. Cones and shields. Mosel and Alsace.Whites and reds.

This feeling is only temporary.

Rules…

1. “I coach what I believe.”

2. “To be a leader, you have to be brave.”

3. “Own it.”

4. “Mountain tops are small, and the air is thin.”

5. “Understand your audience.”

6. “Never be afraid to get fired.”

7. “Mistakes are inevitable, but don’t let them define you.”

8. “Everything depends on you, and when you start to think like that, everything is magic.”

9. “What is delayed is not denied.”

Taking my time.

Here they are. All three of them. What a difference a year makes.

Down 9-0 to tie at 10-10 to lose 15-11.

“We didn’t come this far to only come this far.”