Last night I was in bed and asleep a little before 9:30pm. I finally woke up and got moving at 7:30am. Ten full and restful hours of sleep were exactly what the doctor ordered!

Becky asked if I wanted to go for a run with her and at first I declined. Then I grunted and realized that the right answer was yes, even if I didn’t necessarily feel like it in that exact moment. From past experience I’ve found that I have yet to regret getting some extra exercise in. Never. Not once. No matter how much I didn’t feel like it at first by the time I’m done I’m so much better than I was and am always thankful for it.

Next thing I knew my tired self was out the door running. Within a short period of time I was already feeling much better and more awake. That bonus run got my mind and body warmed up and moving better than a couple of cups of coffee would have. For clarity, I still had multiple cups of coffee afterwards.

The energy from the bonus run kept me going all day long. From taking stuff off the boat and putting it into storage to running an errand to hanging several pictures to cleaning up my workshop it’s been a go go go kind of day. I’m thankful for the time at home. I’m even more grateful for the feeling of extreme productivity throughout the day. Sure, there hasn’t been much time to sit back and chill, but I truly love productive days like this. Knocking so many things off the to do list gives me a greater sense of inner calm.

As I was hanging up our new family pictures I took down an old one that is one of my favorites. When we went on our first trip to Australia we spent some time hanging out near Sawtell. We’d later bring the boys back to spend a couple of days there as it was such a peaceful and scenic spot. From atop the headlands it felt like we could see forever across the ocean.

One of the days we were there our group split up a little bit and one person kind of went off on his own. Becky and I followed Martin up the trail up the headlands. Along the way I thought we’d already seen the coolest part of the hike, one of the many poisonous snakes in Australia. Little did I know that when we go to the top of the headland we’d have such a gorgeous view. It was up there that I took this picture.

Beautiful, right? Blue sky with some clouds. Perfect sandy beach with rocks jutting out. Wave after wave slowly rising up the beach.

It wasn’t until much later that I realized I’d accidentally caught Bill in the picture. Take a look on the furtherest back rock structure. There he is, sitting on the rock, looking out to the ocean, hand on his chin, deep in thought. How crazy that I happened to catch him in the shot, especially in the spot on the photo he’s in.

His presence in the picture is what makes this one of my favorite pictures I’ve ever taken. One of the reasons I love this so much is of course due to the scenery itself and the memories it brings back. The addition of Bill in the picture really puts my mind into the right perspective. Look at how huge and vast the world is all around him, then notice how small and almost insignificant he is sitting there. The disparity in size reminds me to remember how small I am and how great the world is. In an instant I’m humbled, put in my place, and reminded of how small I am in the big picture of things. Looking at this photo brings me so much serenity and I’m grateful I took it.

Thanks!!!