My mind has been racing in a few different directions for today’s post. True to form I’m going to go with the strategy that has helped me hatch many ideas in the past… only write the first part of the title (Day 1,436 – Thankful for…) and then process and work it all out as I type.

There are a few things I’ve really been focused on today. The power of presence in the ability to focus on the beauty of nature really captured my attention. In order to continue practicing yoga without risk of COVID we’ve been going during the week at a local park. We all space out well beyond the six feet and practice while the instructor gives directions a little more loudly than normal.

One of the things I appreciate most about yoga is the focus on the present through focusing on my breath. In doing so I find myself more “in” the present than normal. There’s typically no inner monologue going on or anything, just a focus on the sensations of my body as I move from pose to pose. Tonight there were several things in nature that caught my attention. There were two squirrels running and playing nearby. When we all turned to do a twist in their direction they froze in their tracks and just watched. It was awesome! Throughout practice some nests of flying ants seemed to erupt as the sun hit them just right. A times it looked as is thousands of them were literally pouring out of the ground like fireworks. There were so many I could hear their buzz when relaxing. Yes, bugs can be kind of gross, but there was a very cool feeling to this hatching. Both of the flying ants and the squirrels would have been totally missed had I not been focused on the present.

What if I were more present more often in all of my life? What other beauty would I find that I may otherwise pass by without noticing? Today was a great reminder of the beauty of stillness.

Something else I’m thankful for are friends who give the honest feedback I crave. In working on a project I got in touch with an old friend and asked for their feedback. While most of it was positive they did an excellent job of pointing out potential mistakes and how I could improve the product. It was pretty awesome.

At my core there is something that continues to build. In some ways it’s almost as if there’s about to be a storm. The pressure is building and I am liking where it is all going. Sometimes the best ideas need time to truly ferment and I’m going to give this one all the time it needs to be ready. As I close in on five years of blogging each day I’m starting to see patterns and cycles in my life and my response to the world. Putting these thoughts into a cohesive whole is starting to building my brain and is something I’m looking forward to putting into words. Sometimes when a storm comes it’s best to take shelter. Other times I get giddy with anticipation and sit out on the deck to admire its majesty as it rolls in. I’ll be sitting on the deck for this one.

Thanks!!!