Day 3,784
This was one Becky has wanted to do for over twenty years, so grateful to be able to check this dream off with her!
Such a remarkable sight, felt like I was in a natural Dr Seuss world!
Thanks!!!
Day 3,783 – another short one, I’m zonked and we’ve got an early morning start to the day tomorrow.
Always awesome catching up with a friend you haven’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!!!
Day 3,782
Long day, short blog! More to follow tomorrow for sure, but it’s time for this guy to get some sleep.
I made excellent use of the travel time today and read Fight Club cover to cover. One of those books that somehow gets better with every reading!
Here’s one of the quotes I copied down to save:
Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
One minute was enough, Tyler said, a person had to work hard for it, but a minute of perfection was worth the effort. A moment was the most you could ever expect from perfection.
Thanks!!!
Day 3,781
When Gavin and I started driving back from our backpacking trip in Canada we fired up an audiobook and then proceeded to complete the series throughout our college visits later in the summer. When I think of that book series one of my first thoughts goes back to the stretch we drove as we left Kootenay National Park and Radium Springs, driving the campervan across a majestic landscape. Funny how certain memories can attach themselves via various vessels like books and music!
Today saw me pulling out of the garage a few minutes after 6am and pulled back in a few minutes before 6pm. It was a nonstop day, a lot of work backed into a long day, but well worth the time to be able to wrap up everything before getting a little time away! Crazy how quickly days can fly by before time off!
Thanks!!!
Day 3,780
Growth:
Reading and re-reading books, amazing at how everything strikes just a little different each new read. As I’ve written before, I love the phrase, no one steps in the same river twice, the river is constantly changing, as are we. Re-reading The Book of Joy has already caught me slightly differently than in the past. In the past thirteen months I’ve read a handful of books which have helped to shift my perspective a bit – including The Choice, Man’s Search for Meaning, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, and Endurance. As I read The Book of Joy this time through I keep finding myself drawn in more and more deeply.
Appreciation:
There are some people who will push us outside of our comfort zone, they push us past the edge of where we think we can go, and help us grow. Whether it is something like coaching us through a difficult professional challenge or helping us look at the world through a slightly different perspective or as simple as helping us stretch a little further in a yoga pose, the friends that are willing to push us to better than we were are the friends we should surround ourselves with.
Presence:
After a week of frigid weather we got our first run in with the three of us together in over a week! Having Becky with Leia and I made the pack feel complete, what a perfect way to kick off the week! Regardless of how the rest of the day would pan out we started with a cool run under the full-ish moon and on fresh snow – can’t go wrong with a start like that!
Thanks!!!
Day 3,779
Growth:
A beautiful quote / story that seems extraordinarily fitting today, a personal reminder of one of the biggest ways I can work to close the gap between who I am and who I should be:
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Appreciation:
A change of perspective can make a large difference in the experience. Church this morning was very similar yet extraordinarily different than our normal experience, and the change made a large difference in the way I soaked in the message. I’m very grateful for the subtle shift creating a very positive experience!
Presence:
This morning we went to a different church and had an opportunity to re-connect with and old friend we hadn’t seen in person for years. It was wonderful getting to know him again catching up with all the ways life has changed. Gotta love those unexpected moments in which we’re able to get bonus time with those who’ve made a positive impact on our lives!
Thanks!!!
Day 3,778
Many hours were spent at the gym today for Gavin’s powerlifting meet. What made it all the more awesome were all of the guests throughout including Rachel and our nieces, my mom, and even a surprise guest appearance by Dominic! So much more fun taking in an event like that while sharing it with others!
Gavin definitely gave us a show, he was 100 pounds out of first place with the last event remaining, the deadlift. With his last lift of the evening he picked up 530 pounds and won his weight class by only 5 pounds. Talk about an exciting finish!
All in all an awesome powerlifting meet for sure!
Thanks!!!
Day 3,777
Whew, just realized how late it has gotten, I was totally wrapped up in Stephen King’s The Long Walk. I’ve read this several times, but each time grips me tight and won’t let go once I start.
Much of my work day was focused very directly on a handful of projects relating back to purpose. The hours flew by, got to love productive days working towards purpose.
I tagged out a little early and took Leia for my first true trail run in years. My legs are now exhausted, but it felt absolutely remarkable! Running in the quiet, snow covered terrain was exactly what my soul needed today!
Thanks!!!
Day 3,776
Growth:
Find our lane, stick to our strengths, and find ways to focus on what brings us the most energy – that’s where the magic happens. We can’t always do only those things, but the more we can lean into those the happier we can be. Prime the happiness engines, keep them running as much as you can!
Appreciation:
What I am most grateful for today are the people who inspire me to be a better person. These are the people who hold themselves to high standards and values, who always go above and beyond the call of duty. The ones who are selfless when it comes to helping others. By their very actions they help me see the gap between who I am and who I could be, and they motivate me to work on closing it. Through their actions, their very existence, they make the world a better place.
I am very thankful for being married to one of those type of people. Becky inspires me to be a better version of herself, her actions and her caring for others lay a path and foundation to help lead me to being a better human.
Presence:
The hours melted away as I worked on a presentation today! I cannot overstate just how lost I got into this project, time flew by at a crazy pace. Working on a project with purpose, pushing myself just past my comfort zone, learning new things – all these components combined together to create an awesome day full of flow.
Thanks!!!
Day 3,775
Growth:
This morning I took Leia out for a run, bundled up from head to toe, even wearing Dominic’s snowboarding goggles to keep my eyeballs from freezing up. As we ran down one of her favorite trails I heard a part of American Gods by Neil Gaiman which has always struck a chord, but this time it almost brought me to tears.
If you have a copy of the book be sure to pause, skip ahead to Coming to America, 1778 at the end of Chapter 11. The first 2-3 pages will deliver a gut punch to the soul in the best possible way.
“There are stories that are true, in which each individual’s tale is unique and tragic, and the worst of the tragedy is that we have heard it before, and we cannot allow ourselves to feel it too deeply. We build a shell around it like an oyster dealing with a painful particle of grit, coating it with smooth pearl layers in order to cope. This is how we walk and talk and function, day in, day out, immune to others’ pain and loss. If it were to touch us it would cripple us or make saints of us; but, for the most part, it does not touch us. We cannot allow it to… …There are accounts which, if we open our hearts to them, will cut us too deeply.” Neil Gaiman, American Gods – Coming to America, 1778
Appreciation:
This has been a day of action, of moving forward, of busyness, of flow. Throughout the day I’ve been going almost nonstop with very little time to pause in between – and I’ve enjoyed every single moment of it! As I think about it I can’t help but think back to Jim Valvano’s speech and his insight: “If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that is a full day.”
Today I’m grateful for having lived a full day!
Presence:
Several years ago I read Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson and it had a profound impact on a part of my life I was not expecting. In the book Isaacson shares how da Vinci would paint the same scene multiple times – and always at a different time of day in order to learn more about how the ever changing sunlight transforms the colors and the highlights of the scene. Ever since reading that nugget I can’t help but take a moment to appreciate the bluffs in the Mississippi River Valley on my drive each day with the sun changing the hues ever so slightly based on the exact time I drive past.
Yesterday was a seeming fire erupting from the horizon, today was golden lit bluff tops. Each morning and evening the lighting changes just a little, but just enough to amplify the majesty of the natural world all around me. I’ve made that drive at least 5,000 times and it never ceases to draw me in.
Huge thank you to Walter Isaacson for a wonderful bit of wisdom which has sustained and grown my appreciation for the natural world.
Thanks!!!
Thankful for Forty 