My drive to Menomonie started fairly early. A quick shower after our run, get dressed, and out the door I went. Thanks to the sun rising earlier and earlier each morning I had an awesome view of the sunrise over the Mississippi River Valley for the first hour of my ride. I know, I write of the drive often, but today here was an extra healthy dose of wildlife to complement the scenic views. There were well over a dozen bald eagles, some overhead, some in trees, and one all alone in a field. Ducks and waterfowl were scattered throughout the wetlands. What really took the cake was the view of a beaver swimming across a fairly large backwater pond what a treat!

One of my habits while driving early in the morning is listening to my audiobooks. The one this morning was Effortless by Greg McKeown. My mind was almost 100% focused but I’d catch myself drifting off in thought a little. As luck would have it that was right about the time he talked about ways to stay focused. Perfect timing! One of the points brought up was remembering that we must pause to re-charge sometimes.

I took note of that idea and paused the book. Within seconds I had some music playing instead and I opened the moon roof. I sang, I relaxed, and I enjoyed the ride. After a short period of relaxation I turned on some very chill music without words and proceeded to put tremendous thought into a few challenges I was working on today. My brain felt refreshed and I was able to process my thoughts more clearly.

On my ride home I balanced out some deep thinking, some chilling, some podcasts to let my brain wander in other directions, and some calls. The balance was a great way to get my head back in the right place for the week.

Tomorrow is another crazy one as is Friday, but I’m glad I’m taking time to re-charge throughout. I’ve already been able to see a few things more clearly thanks to that quiet time. Throw in some beautiful sights on the drive and life is good!

Thanks!!!