The past few days have been filled with spending a lot of time with many different people and filling my brain with many different ideas and thoughts.
This evening I paused and savored some quiet time. Becky had gone to bed, Gavin is out with friends. I’m on the couch, listening to music, letting my brain decompress.
After so much thinking and time with others, my brain really needed an hour or so of relaxation and absorbing everything from the past couple of days without actually focusing on the ideas. Letting them have space to breathe, not pouring more in, letting everything just sit and simmer, letting it ferment a bit. This time of quiet calm, exactly what I needed to wrap up my week!
First thing’s first – big day in the Kreiling house! Gavin officially passed his Eagle Scout Board of Review this evening!!! After many years of hard work Gavin’s efforts have culminated in the final step of earning his Eagle Scout rank. Sure, it will be “official” at his Eagle Court of honor, but we can definitely celebrate it tonight!
Today’s been a day full of connections. Time with teammates, time with cohorts. Time with family. Time with my niece and her boyfriend. Time with a friend. Time on the phone with my brother.
Seemingly around every corner of the day there was interaction with others. The only times when that wasn’t the case was when I was driving. Outside of that it’s been a day of nonstop people-ing. While I can tell my social energy batteries have been tapped I’m grateful for the connections made. Very solid day shared with others for sure!
This line from No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy has been resonating in my brain for the past couple of weeks. How often do we allow ourselves to be distracted, to chase a frustration that really should be let go, only to lose more of our precious time and life energy chasing down that which was never really taken from us?
Even in moments as simple as being stuck in traffic, this quote really slaps:
You wear out, Ed Tom. All the time you spend tryin to get back what’s been took from you there’s more goin out the door. After a while you just try and get a tourniquet on it.
Cormac McCarthy, No country for Old Men
Appreciation:
On Friday night we went to watch The Odyssey as a family. As a bunch of fans of both Christopher Nolan and Greek mythology it was a sure winner. Over the past few days my mind keeps getting drawn back to it for a variety of reasons, What I’m most grateful for today is the ability of people to pause, listen to a specific story, and then shift the perspective of a main character in a major way.
I’ll save the spoilers, but let’s just say that the Odysseus of the movie and the Odysseus of the Homeric epic are driven by very different motivations. They still do much of the same adventuring on their return trip in search of their home, they have some of the same characteristics, but the character flaws and motivations are different.
For me there is a beauty in seeing the same person through multiple perspectives – no one but the person living the life itself actually understands the full picture (and I question if they ever actually do either!). To look from multiple views helps us better understand the complicated weavings each of us humans are, tapestries of experience and thought and emotion and circumstance.
Christopher Nolan – cheers to another master class in story telling!
Presence:
Woof! The sensation of leg muscles being just about worn down over a prolonged time – not ideal, not necessarily something I enjoy, but something I can greatly appreciate. Each slightly stiff and slightly tender step reminds me of the work I’ve been putting in. Not all sunshine and rainbows, but each little moment of discomfort is a reminder of putting in the reps, or progress being made.
Hot yoga this evening really helped to loosen everything up a bit, I’m feeling like all is well. That said, tomorrow will be a minimal effort day, an opportunity for my body to catch back up a little. Another form of progress was felt when I was able to stretch a little further a little more comfortably than usual at that practice tonight – more signs of growth!
Whew – the emotions started hitting today as this marks the likely last time Becky, Dominic, and Gavin will all be in the same place until November. Crazy to think how much life has changed over the past couple of decades, this change will be one of the biggest by far.
Fortunately, we had the opportunity to spend the overwhelming majority of the day together. Ken and Mary came for the day, Caitlyn joined us for a good portion, and we were able to get some quality time in together.
Fittingly, Becky, Dominic, Gavin, and I got to hammer out one more family game night around the kitchen table. Gavin pulled out a victory in one of the tightest games of Catan we’ve ever had. That bonus time together as a family warmed my heart.
While I’m already missing having the four of us together, I know we will have plenty of time as a family in the future as well. So grateful for the time we’ve been able to share, the love we’ve shared as a family, and all the memories we’ve created together. Our futures may be different than we are used to, but we will continue to experience them together.
As I prep for the handful of hikes I’ve got upcoming today was my last opportunity for a test, a trial of miles if you will. Two Saturdays ago I hiked all of Perrot State Park, knocking out 15.5 miles and 2,800′ of elevation gain. Last Saturday I knocked out almost 21 miles and 2,400′ of elevation. This evening was something quite different, a focus on elevation and hitting 3,000′ in 10 miles in a repeated loop on The Quarry Trail.
Each workout was a trial of it’s own kind, pushing me to see how I could handle the distance and elevation I’ll need for our upcoming hikes. Each an opportunity to get outside and push myself, to get some time outside and in the woods, and an opportunity to test myself to make sure I’m prepped and ready.
Now begins the fun! In less than two weeks we’ll be hiking in Shenandoah NP and New River Gorge NP. Labor Day weekend will have Dominic and I knocking out a beast of a hike in Thunder Bay (20+ miles, 4,000′). A couple of weeks later my brother and I will have a very short and compact weekend trip to Colorado to summit a 14er, and then we’ll chase that up with a long weekend of hiking for my birthday in Thunder Bay for round two.
First, the trials of miles, the mile of trials to prepare for the hikes themselves. Then, the trials of miles, the miles of trials on the trails themselves. Double the fun!
This evening we went to The Odyssey as a family, such an excellent movie! One of may favorite old stories, seeing it come to life on the big screen was better than expected. Experiencing it with my family and seeing how much the boys appreciated it was even better.
Prior to the movie we had time as a family to finish up Becky’s Mother’s Day puzzle, grab some dinner, and then catch up with all the pictures the boys took on their recent Rockies adventure. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the pics they snapped of their mountain hiking trip, so cool seeing all they did and experienced together.
Earlier in the day, while Becky and I were at work, the boys celebrated their “Brothers Day,” a day full of the two of them hanging out together and creating additional memories while they’re together. With Gavin heading off to school this was likely the last day they’ll have to the two of them until at least Thanksgiving. Super proud parent moment kicking back and hearing about how much fun they were having together, how much they enjoy spending time together, and the friendship they’ve built throughout their years.
While there is so much to write about today this is going to be a very short one as I’m still spending time with Gavin before I head off to bed. We had an entire evening of the five of us home for supper and spent time putting a puzzle together that the boys had given Becky a while back. As Dominic and Caitlyn have taken off, Becky has gone off to bed, and Gavin and I are about to go through some of the creative things he’s been working on.
So I have a decision to make… type a long and heartfelt blog about the day – OR – focus on my biggest goal of the year and be present with Gavin.
The boys are back from their epic summer road trip after successfully hiking to the summits of Long’s and Pike’s Peaks!
Ever since they came up with this idea when we were in Colorado last summer they’ve been talking about it, joking, planning, and prepping. From setting physical activity requirements for each other to practice runs of packing gear to waking up early to register for campsites they have been giddy about this adventure.
As the boys kept working on their plans I kept getting motivated by their dream:
It was part of why I set a goal of eight shared mini adventures for this year.
It was part of why I set a goal of growing myself into adventure ready physical capacity (with specific hiking / elevation / pack weight goals).
It was part of why I invited my brother to go on a road trip out to the mountains with me.
It was part of why Dominic and I have a hiking trip planned over Labor Day.
It was part of why Becky and I have a hiking trip planned over my birthday weekend.
It was part of why I’ve put in some long hiking mileage over each of the past couple of weekends.
Funny how their dream – the ideation, the planning, the prep, and the completion – all helped to motivate me to live more into my own best life. In their living of their dreams they inspired additional joy and happiness for others.
It seems like that how dreams are, they have this ability to magnify and multiply, especially when shared.
This quote from Fahrenheit 451 really got my brain turning today as I keep working on refining my other project:
Don’t ask for guarantees. And don’t look to be saved in any one thing, person, machine, or library. Do your own bit of saving, knowing you were headed for shore.“
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
Appreciation:
While my work day wasn’t the most exciting day ever it was very satisfying to work on a specific project to help move the team forward in a meaningful way. It was a bit tedious, but it really helped me get a better feel for the challenges being faced and helped see potential ways to help us all become more efficient. Nothing glorious, not my normal jam, but very satisfing nonetheless!
Presence:
Outdoor yoga at Mount La Crosse this evening was splendid! Getting outdoors to take an hour to chill while stretching and exercising was exactly what the doctor ordered after a day of driving to and from Eau Claire for work. The shift from usually being in the studio to getting outside and having nothing but the ski hills way out in the horizon shifted the practice more significantly than I would have imagined. Such a perfect way to wrap up a day!
Thankful for Forty 