After seeing each of the boys head out on the tube I started to get an idea. Once Nick jumped on with Lauren I saw the idea could hatch into a reality. Against my better judgement I asked Nick if he wanted to hop on the tube like we did back in the good ol’ days when we were kids. Jennifer hit the throttle and we were off!

Between all the bouncing from wave to wave I learned a few things:

• Re-living childhood memories can be a blast, albeit a little uncomfortable
• My back hasn’t quite bend like that in many years
• I don’t remember all of my body parts hurting that much when I was younger
• No matter how hard I dug my toes into the water behind me they were no match for the power of the boat motor
• Even after 40 years of knowing each other Nick and I can still talk each other into fun/bad ideas
• Shared suffering with a brother can also be an awesome source of laughter
• It’s fun to act like a big kid

Something else I’m thankful for? Getting back on the boat in the same condition as when I got on the tube. Funny, thirty years ago that wasn’t even a thought. Today it something I’m grateful for.

Throughout the day we’ve had a ton of family time which has been awesome. Occasionally there’ve been some moments of downtime. In those quiet moments I’ve reached for one of my favorite books – Essentialism by Greg McKeown. If I could only read a half dozen non-fiction for the rest of my life it would be one. Sometimes I’m a slow learner and I need to read, re-read, re-re-read, and re-re-re-read books to let them start to sink in completely. Honestly, I’m not even sure how many times I’ve read Essentialism, but I know it is four at minimum. Each time different things hit me a little deeper than before. I’ve enjoyed seeing points where I’ve made progress as well as finding next areas of weakness to target. The whole mindset is very much a process and re-re-re-reading it is helping me continue to stay on the path.

The funny part is that this time its been because of what I’ve learned from this book that I have time to read it! By eliminating the nonessential (mindless tapping and swiping on my phone) I’ve created more space in my life to read.

Thanks!!!