Thankful for Learning Through a Project, a Very Full Day, & Moonrises and Sunrises

Day 3,791

Growth:

Remember to use the tools at our disposal. Put in the work to learn the why behind the processes. Work through the difficulty, but take a quick breath when you need to. Ask for the help of others (so grateful for that being one of my Top 3 Lessons to Remember in 2026!), they’re happy to have an opportunity to help carry the load and will create something bigger than what could have been done solo.

So many lessons and reminders from the project that consumed much of my day!

Appreciation:

So many directions to go on this one this evening, what do I choose? Nice thing for me that this is my blog and I can adapt as I see fit šŸ˜‰

As I wrapped up my fourth reading of Endurance by Alfred Lansing I found myself more moved than ever. For some reason I just connected with a few of the storylines a little more deeply and was moved to tears at the very end of the book. As I consider what was most different this time around I was truly struck by the ongoing optimism of the crew and and passion and love Shackleton had for his crew. Envisioning his reaction at the end was quite stirring for my soul.

At home this evening we had dinner as a family, played some Scrabble as a family, and then Gavin and I busted out a “Best of Five” one on one board game series. He won by a narrow margin, but we had so much fun playing, stretching our brains, and giving each other both a hard time and compliments. After what I’d written about last night with his powerlifting dinner this was a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the time together that we have.

In addition to those there were so many other great moments I’m grateful for. To everyone who played a role in bringing so much joy to my soul today (even if you didn’t realize it) – thank you!!!

Presence:

Talk about a daily double to start the morning! While Becky and I were on the back half of our run we caught an epic moonrise, a sliver of the moon looming over the bluffs in an awesomely dark orange light. The short distance it had traveled past the horizon made it appear gigantic, while the little fingernail sliver of it looked so delicate at the same time. So fortunate to see such a spectacular sight right away in the morning!

As if that wasn’t enough, the sunrise told the moonrise “hold my beer,” and proceeded to put up a stunner of its own! While it was at my back I was able to watch it slowly lift above the Mississippi River Valley and change the colors of the visible world. I was even able to sneak in a quick pic of it in the side view mirror.

Beyond grateful to start the day with such incredible views, how could life be anything but enjoyable with those two rises filling my soul?

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Intentionality, Reminders of Impermanence, & Recognizing Teammates’ Successes

Day 3,790

Growth:

There’s always a way to fit it all in, it’s just a matter of knowing what is most important and fitting it in first. There are also trade offs to be made, which are the ones we are most willing to make in exchange for the extra time. Taking a moment to remember what’s most important, working that into the plan first, and then taking action – much of that was the key to success today!

Appreciation:

This evening we tagged in to help out with the team dinner for Gavin’s powerlifting team, very appreciative of these opportunities to help him and his teammates out. As the sand slowly drains out of the clock of Gavin’s senior year I’m finding myself appreciating these moments more and more. Of course I’ve known this was coming and I’ve been grateful and present, seeing the number of events like this dwindle is starting to hit me more and more deeply. It seems like only yesterday Becky found out she was pregnant with Dominic, and now we’re months away from Gavin’s graduation. My how the time goes by in a flash!

These opportunities like tonight are reminding me of how important it is to continue to savor as many of these minutes as I can, there are not too many of them left! I still find it so interesting that one of the greatest drivers of appreciation lies in knowing that nothing is permanent, and the closer we get to seeing the end the more appreciate what we’ve had.

Presence:

Joining in with an entire team to celebrate the successes and accolades of a teammate – outstanding! Each month each of my teammates nominate another teammate for our “Star of the Month” award in recognition of living into our four core values. My role is to review all of the nominations and select the winner, and it is one of the highlights of my month! Hearing each teammate brag each other up, hearing about all of the ways they have had a positive impact on each other, and then having the opportunity to recognize and celebrate someone each month is priceless. Very grateful for that moment this morning!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Sharing Dreams, Great Teammates, & The Wave

Thankful for Sharing Dreams, Great Teammates, & The Wave

Day 3,789

Growth:

There is a power in writing down and sharing our dreams and goals. Thinking them is one thing. Writing them down makes them more real. Sharing them with others dramatically increases our odds of reaching them.

How did Becky and I end up going to The Wave last week? She had the dream twenty plus years ago and shared it with me. I wrote it down and started applying every month in the permit lottery until we finally won. Had she never shared that dream I wouldnā€™t have written it fine and worked towards it. She hatched it when she first dreamt it, but she brought it into being after she shared it.

Appreciation:

During a planning session with other Express franchisees today I shared our path for my teams for the rest of 2026. In doing so I had someone comment on how ā€œdifferentā€ I sounded compared to past years, and they asked what had changed. This quickly helped me realize just how grateful I am for my teammates. Over the past year and a half they have inspired me in so many ways. It brings me great joy to be able to work with them daily. The right teammates with shared values and purpose make life so much better in so many ways!

Presence:

This moment still blows my mind! Iā€™m putting the video together today I was reminded of how awesome the moment was!

The Wave, AZ

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Endurance, Batching Bore, & a Morning Run

Day 3,788

Growth:

Iā€™m re-reading Endurance and this quote still bends my brain in so many waysā€¦


And so November was drawing to a close. They had been on the ice just a month. And for all the trials and discomforts, these weeks of primitive living had been peculiarly enriching. The men had been forced to develop a degree of self-reliance greater than they had ever imagined possible. After spending four hours sewing an elaborate patch on the seat of his only pair of trousers, Macklin wrote one day, “What an ingrate I have been for such jobs when done for me at home.” Greenstreet felt much the same way after he had devoted several days to scraping and curing a piece of sealskin to resole his boots. He paused in the midst of his task to write in his diary: “One of the finest days we have had… a pleasure to be alive.”

In some ways they had come to know themselves better in this lonely world of ice and emptiness, they had achieved at least a limited kind of contentment. They had been tested and found not wanting.

Alfred Lansing, Endurance

Appreciation:

We all have tasks that have to be done for work and life that we are not big fans of. These are the things that drain us of energy, typically arenā€™t strengths of ours, and are voted ā€œMost Likely to Happen Last.ā€

This afternoon I bundled up about a dozen of those types of tasks, beared down, and hammered away until they were all completed. Not the most exciting hours of my day, not the most energizing moments, but much needed productive ones for sure. Hereā€™s to knocking them out all at once.

Presence:

Getting our first run in since a vacation was invigorating this morning! Sooooo much warmer than the runs before we left, I appreciated not having to bundle up while taking in the fresh air!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Acceptance, My Adventure Partner, a Busy Day with a Chaser of Yoga

Day 3,787

Growth:

This insightful quote on acceptance was included in The Book of Joy and caught my attention this time around:

.. deeds are done which appear so evil to us and people suffer such terrible evils that it does not seem as though any good will ever come of them; and we consider this, sorrowing and grieving over it so that we cannot find peace in the blessed contemplation of God as we should do; and this is why: our reasoning powers are so blind now, so humble and so simple, that we cannot know the high, marvelous wisdom, the might and the goodness of the Holy Trinity. And this is what he means where he says, “You shall see for yourself that all manner of things shall be well,” as if he said, Pay attention to this now, faithfully and confidently, and at the end of time you will truly see it in the fullness of joy.Ā  āƒ Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love

Appreciation:

So much to be grateful for today, but I what I am most grateful for is a life partner who has a passion for experiencing the outdoors in all its splendor, who is always up for an epic hiking experience, who finds joy nature, and who experiences a profound sense of awe and reverence for all things in the natural world. I couldn’t have found someone who fits my shared passions so well! So thankful our paths crossed so many years ago and who is so willing to join me on trails around the world!

Presence:

Holy buckets, today was a nonstop thrill ride of fun and excitement at work! For reals, it was one continuous stretch of high energy activity from start to finish. After leaving work late I had to cruise home quickly in order to get to our Monday Yoga Date Night, the perfect chaser to the crazy busy day. The chill kicked in so quickly and was a wonderful counter balance to my day!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for an Excellent Start and Dinner with a Friend

Thankful for an Excellent Start and Dinner with a Friend

Day 3,783 – another short one, Iā€™m zonked and weā€™ve got an early morning start to the day tomorrow.

Always awesome catching up with a friend you havenā€™t seen in a while! We were able to do just that this evening with our tour guide from our Grand Canyon backpacking trip.

Our first day of hiking was stunning! The colors, the landscapes, and, of course, the sun and warmth were amazing! And this was just the appetizer, bring on tomorrow!!!

Thanks!!!