Day 3,824

Holy buckets, it’s been a long day of travel! My day kicked off just over 24 hours ago in Rome and is now wrapping up in La Crosse (and will have one more short stint as I pick up Becky from the airport at 11:30pm tonight).

Very exhausting day of moving a lot (like 5,000+ miles) while not really moving at all as we were sitting for most of it.

Now I’m laying in bed, ready to drift off to sleep rather quickly, recharging after vacation. Returning home this tired on a travel day is an awesome reminder of how much of a good time we had on vacation to leave me this exhausted!

Cheers to the post vacation coma!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,823

Growth:

A couple of life lessons to remember today:

• When in doubt, wear pants instead shorts in Rome, some places won’t let you in.
• Always carry a copy of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, you’ll never know when it will come in handy.
• You can learn a lot about the life someone lived by their tomb (Pope Francis specifically).

Appreciation:

Sometimes we have an opportunity to listen to a nudge from the universe and we don’t listen. If we’re observant, we may have the opportunity to listen the second time. When we finally do and take action we’re often rewarded in ways we’d never expect.

Presence:

Walking around the Forum and through the Colosseum were so surreal! To walk where others walked thousands of years ago was wild!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,822

Growth:

The habits we engineer and built during periods of calm and clarity increase our ability to follow through on them during times of stress and challenge.

Tonight I’m especially grateful for honing those habits before I needed them.

Appreciation:

Dominic had quite the travel adventure in his attempt to get back home in time for his college classes today! The good news is that he made it AND learned some excellent things about traveling that will pay off in spades for him in future travels. I’m thankful for his maturity, ability to use strong reason and sound logic to problem solve, as well as for all the travel we’ve done in the past that helped him build his self confidence. All of that paid off in spades and helped him figure out how to get back in time despite all the craziness of the weather.

Presence:

Our tours today involved seeing so many ancient works of art! Bring absolutely lost in the present moment taking in things I’ve only seen in books and online, taking in a stronger emotion based on the close proximity of those pieces was truly awesome.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,821

Growth:

Take s deep breath, let go control, adapt to what the universe offers up. Life will be so much less stressful that way!

Appreciation:

Last night the boys stayed up late getting some bonus brother time in before Dominic flew out early this morning. It was their opportunity to spend a little more time together, something h that always warms my soul. I’m so grateful for the love they have for each other and the bonds of friendship and brotherhood they have built.

Presence:

Seeing the Column of Marcus Aurelius in real life was wild!!! Something dedicated to one of the originals, almost two thousand years old, and still standing were it was built. Amazing!!!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,820

Two quick hits before I zonk out and then wake up early to hop a bus and then a train tomorrow.

Gotta love clutch sports moments, when the suspense builds, pressure mounts, and then all the hard work and preparation have an opportunity to shine. Had the opportunity to savor one of those moments with Matt and his Paralympic teammates as we watched our nephew, Aidan, hit the two go ahead free throws with 8 seconds left in their sectional final basketball game. As their mental toughness coach put it, how cool that the athletes who were competing at the top international level just a day before suddenly switched placed and completely lost their minds cheering for a high school basketball game. That is the appeal of sports!

Super grateful for guideposts today as well. They help us stay on the path when it could become easy to stray. We put them up before they’re needed and then use them to remember where we are going. They kept me on track today.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,819

Growth:

The spirit and soul of our passed loved ones are alive and well in our actions. Funny how an action learned from them rekindles their memories in our hearts.

Appreciation:

Today the boys got to experience their Christmas present – snowboarding in the Italian Mountains. Hearing how much fun they had, seeing their pictures, watching the smiles on their faces as they enjoyed sharing the memories they made together were amazing! So much fun seeing them enjoy time and experiences together – one of the best gifts a parent could ask for!

Presence:

Becky and I went for a nice long hike today, taking in more of the Dolomites. The scenery was amazing, the mountain views continuing to blow our minds, and the weather was perfect. We were able to touch history spanning from the 1100’s through WWI, and got to hear and see an Alpine Ibex.

While all of that was well worth the price of admission, what I appreciated most about the hike were the moments shared with Becky.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,817

Crazy to think this was a real life moment this morning…

Blue skies, mountains, and taking the boys to the Paralympics. Quite the Wednesday morning!

Always a great day when you have the opportunity to combine a dream with a dream with a dream – nice to have it all covered in one fell swoop.

Had a wonderful day of spending time outside, time with family, and time relaxing – I even snuck in a little nap!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,816

Gavin and I have traveled approximately 5,000 miles over the past twenty four hours – not quite planes, trains, and automobiles, just swap out the trains for a bus and we’re spot on.

It’s been a ridiculous stretch, but so much fun. We’ve made a ton of memories, had so many laughs, and have had some great food as we got to experience some new cities.

Totally exhausted, but worth every single yawn! we got to Cortina just in time to get greeted by Becky and Dominic, shower up, and make it to Matt’s curling match. Ready to crash, but enjoyed making a ton of memories with Gavin as we literally traveled across the globe!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,815

As luck would have it I started watching a series that a teammate had recommended to me a while back – the show is called Severance.

That’s a great way to explain how I felt at about noon today as Gavin and I headed off to the airport and I unplugged from work for a while.

It already a feels great to slam the brakes on what has been a nonstop train of absolute busyness – from new business, growing business, curveballs, trainings, work travel, and all the rest. This time away was more needed than I had thought, very grateful to have the time away!

Thanks!!!