Day 3,834

With so much turbulence (for lack of a better term) in my soul a day like this was what was needed to calm the waters. Very little agenda, not too many tasks, and a lot of extra time and space.

Early in the day Gavin and I knocked out tasks, watched Dominic play rugby thanks to the streaming of Notre Dame, and find a little time to chill. Gavin had plans to watch Project Hail Mary with friends later in the evening so he was in full on crush the audiobook mode for most of the day – volunteering to do all the housework so he had an opportunity to keep busy and moving while he took in the audiobook. This gave me time to knock out some additional things including busting out the grill for its maiden voyage of the season.

Later in the afternoon we headed to Trempleau Wildlife Refuge to knock out some hiking with Leia. Gavin kept his AirPods in and I just enjoyed all that was around me, the fresh air, the wildlife, the scents of spring. All around was the calming of the life of the outdoors – no calls, no distractions, no demands, only calm stillness. In that stillness were muskrat, beavers, and so many birds – including the first ever Wilson’s Snipe I’ve seen in the wild. In those hours of stillness my soul was at ease, relaxed, where it should be. Any and all stress melted away, there was only existence in the moment.

We took our time on the way home, taking the long way, driving slow, enjoying the moment. At home was more calm as we still got housework done, but in a very relaxed way. After Gavin left I confined to read on the couch for quite some time. Soon I’ll be off to bed, well before 10pm on a Saturday evening so I can be up early and off with Leia for some hiking before dawn.

So much calm today, exactly what I needed.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,832

Growth:

No mater how badly I want to change the dynamics of the time space continuum I am unable to have enough time to do all of the things I would like to do. Accept that fact, pause to choose what lives more intentionally into the person you should be, do that, and let go of what cannot be done.

Appreciation:

Interesting how the answers to the most difficult questions in life can often be found all around us, but only when we start to look for them. If we’re fortunate we’ll feel a nudge towards something or a little Universe gravity pulling us towards something, but quite often it’s not going to appear until we take the intentional action of flipping the switch on for our flashlight. As soon as the light turns on we see all the nuggets reflecting the light back towards us, helping us find our way. Quite often this may be through friends, books, ideas, memories, action, and the like. Once we had the illumination we can stay to move forward.

Cheers to the reflectors that drew me today – specifically the books I’ve read recently, the quotes I’ve saved from them, and the time I took to reread them today.

Presence:

Taking time to breathe, to pause the world for a moment. Finding the quotes from a recently read book to jot down for later. Reading other ideas which seem to line up well. Creating space and removing myself from tension. Space to think and reflect.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,831

I finished re-reading No Country for Old Men today. It has rapidly become one of my favorite fictions for so many reasons. Each time I’ve read it I pick up more and more, see more of the depth of the characters, and the story resonates a little more with me. Gotta love books like this, the ones you can read, re-read, and re-re-read and enjoy differently each time.

Between the conversations and thoughts of Sheriff Bell, the inevitability of Chigurh, and the entire arc of Moss my mind was absolutely spinning this time around – soaking up so many more details and hidden themes. I might go back and re-read this one right away, something has just gotten stuck in my brain in a wonderful way!

The movie is great, the book is next level story telling and nonstop thought provoking food for the soul.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,830

Growth:

Sleep really leads to feeling so much better in all the ways! Taking time to get a little over eight hours of sleep has a significant positive impact on my overall well being, no question. Back in the day I used to think the only people who slept a lot were either lazy or not being as busy and productive as they could be. Now I realize that helps drive productivity in a very positive way. Cheers to plenty of sleep!

Appreciation:

So often the storm we are staring down and facing seems very frustrating and insurmountable. When we pause, allow the clouds to blow through we are able to see how badly we needed the rain, how the world was a little different, but not completely changed. Most commonly, the world is actually a better place as a result, but it takes a little while to see it from that perspective.

In an interview today my teammates really surprised me with several wonderful compliments, each of which was forged in moments of difficulty in the past. Each of their specific positive feedbacks could be ted directly back to a struggle, a challenge, a failing I’d had in the past. In each of those moments I never would have thought there would be an upside to the situation, but hearing it in the form of a compliment from their own mouths helped me see how I’d grown stronger as a result of those challenges.

Presence:

Dinner as a family was especially nice this evening. No rush, no other plans, just relaxing and catching up while we eat. As Gavin’s college season starts to roll in closer and closer these moments and dinners are all the more appreciated!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,829

Wild how quickly new habits we’re trying to add to life become the ruts we are most likely to follow!

As I get back into the swing of real life after a little break I was in full swing of back to normal today. Waking up early to go for a run. Reviewing my annual plan and setting my intentions for the day. Making a very healthy breakfast and eating it on my drive. Listening to an audiobook while driving. Knocking out the normal Monday morning task list. My normal meetings at their normal times on Monday. Eating my standard lunch which was meticulously weighed and measured to help me eat more healthy. Spending time with my teammates, catching up with them. Diving right back into the challenges we’d been workign through prior to vacation. A normal bedtime, a normal evening routine.

Feels so good diving back into the good habits I’d been working on for a while, they still fit like a glove!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,828

Getting back to grocery shopping on Sundays.

Eating the normal foods we are used to.

Spending time as s family having dinner together.

FaceTiming Dominic from home for our normal Sunday call.

Making my lunch for work, prepping my breakfast for tomorrow.

Spending time with Becky and Gavin while we’re all home.

Going to bed in my own bed.

Routine is s beautiful thing!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,827

For the past day Rick and I have had the opportunity to spent time hanging out like we’ve done so many times over the past four and a half decades. Talking about life, playing games, shooting the bull, laughing until our stomachs hurt, doing the things that great friends do. We talked about everything from family life to professional endeavors, long term plans to travel, wonderful memories to the same stories we talked about almost every time we’re together. The day was a time to pause and reconnect, continue to grow our friendship, and to make wild plans for the future.

Life gets busy on so many ways, this was an opportunity to pause all the busyness and enjoy hanging out, such an awesome day!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,826

Super tired, super short blog, all the reason for gratitude today!

A long night of sleep and waking up in my own bed. A fun car ride with Becky catching back up on real life and a splash of religion. Great music on another car ride. Spending hours either one of my best friends, shooting the bull and seeing overlap in our dreams.

An awesome day!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,825

Very grateful for planning ahead to take some time to recover from a long travel day yesterday as well as from a nonstop vacation. I was able to get additional sleep to help make up for the crazy travel day, knock out the laundry from the trip, completely unpack, get caught up on some work, make supper, pick up the dog, and breathe a little. I’m still exhausted and totally going to bed immediately after typing this, but I can already tell a huge difference based on the way I had today planned out.

Almost feeling back to reality, still got more to get done, but I fell like I’m already making significant progress. All that thanks to pre-planning to take the day off to focus on recovery.

I love my travel time, I appreciate the adventures I have, but as I get older I’m also realizing I need a little extra time to get my body refreshed and back and ready to rumble. So often I attempt to pack as much as humanly possible into a trip, often more than I should. Tonight I’m grateful for finding a way to counteract my own self as much as possible 😉

Thanks!!!