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!!!

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!!!