Often my thoughts and blogs are cluttered with unnecessary words and details. In an effort to clearly communicate I talk or write too much which detracts from the thought of emotion I’m attempt to convey. Occasionally I feel compelled to write more to “prove” my point, a terribly ridiculous thought when I’m writing for myself in the first place. All of these feelings and habits lead to more words, overcomplicated rather than accurately portraying my thoughts.
Tonight is different.
Amongst the busyness of a large family gathering I saw the moon slowly rising over a mirror of a lake. I walked to it in silence. I paused and took in the simple repose of the majestic sight. In that moment there was only stillness, peace, and beauty.
I paused and took it in, allowing my soul to mirror the simplicity and stillness surrounding me. I breathed it in and was grateful for life.
LOL – I was going to type in the Tetris music but realized that wouldn’t work so well!
What a day! It was stacked from start to finish. Largely good, the events of today had to be packed in tightly and accurately to fit perfectly. Knocking out early morning emails. Jamming in a couple of completed projects. Keeping on point in meetings to stay close to the appropriate end time which correlated with the next meeting. Taking a partial lunch break to pack camping gear. Making a call while driving to get Gavin to band. Eating supper quickly to get Dominic to his first soccer game of the year – while Becky ran Gavin to and from his soccer practice also. After Dominic’s game finished well last my bed time I rode with Dominic so he could punch out his last 40 minutes of required night driving. Now crashing bed to blog before I wake up in about six hours and do it all over again.
Just like playing Tetris everything had to be stacked together. I’m just about to the end of this current sprint and I can see the finish line ahead. when I pause and look at all that’s happened today I. Ant help but be thankful for a Tetris day like this, they are crazy busy but also amongst my most productive.
Ahh… yoga… What happened earlier today? Was it a busy day full of excitement? Was it wildly productive and flew by in the blink of an eye? Heck if I know anymore!
Another Wednesday night and another wonderful yoga session. When Becky asked if I wanted to join her I almost said no so I could have a chill night at home. The chillness I am feeling right now blows away the state of relaxation I would have had if I’d stayed home instead. The workout itself felt invigorating and the following chill from being in such a state of focused presence was so soothing for the mind and soul. The day before 5:30pm was a blur, the time since 6:30 has been bliss.
During a warm up in our team training today I talked about one of my dreams that I will accomplish in the next 3-5 years – buying a camper van. At yoga tonight we again talked with the yoga instructor who took a camper van for a test drive last weekend. After yoga we talked with her husband who confirmed how awesome it was. Camper van dream, alive and well, a great motivator in the back of my brain.
In my normal routine of of cycling from autobiography/biography to business/learning to fiction books I’m currently parked on a mindblowing book, Billy Summers by Stephen King. AMAZING!!! Talk about a page turner! I am listening to the audio version and catching myself looking for a reason to get extra drive time in so I can listen to a little bit more. Loving this book!
I was about to start typing my blog after we got back form a quick grocery run. Dominic had recently gotten home and was about to eat supper so I figured I’d blog in the dining room with him. I pulled out the laptop, logged in, and came to this page. There was already a post in my head and I was ready to go.
Instead we spent time talking about soccer and school. In no time I realized he was in the mood to talk so I did the best thing I could… I closed the laptop and talked with Dominic.
We just wrapped up talking and had a great time. There wasn’t anything truly important covered, no world problems solved, or anything like that. We just talked. And it was awesome.
There have been so many people who have warned me of how fast time flies by with kids. Dad often mentioned how time seems to go by faster and faster each year. Earlier today I was talking with a colleague who now has more grandkids than kids and hoped I was taking time to enjoy life with my boys. Yes, yes I am.
Blogs will come and go. Taking time to write and think will be there until I no longer have the ability to think. My time with my sons at home is fleeting. We’ll certainly have more time as they become adults and have families of their own and live their lives, but this will be the most time I have with them… and I appreciated almost each minute of it 😉 For reals, I’m so grateful for closing the laptop and living life rather than only being thankful for it.
The first thing I did at work this morning was very different than any of my usual initial tasks each day. I left my laptop in the car, grabbed my pruning shears, and did a bit of hedge trimming by our entrance way. It had been a while since the bush had gotten some love and it was starting to get in the way of folks coming into our building. Fifteen minutes or so later and the job was finished. Talk about an exquisite sense of serenity and accomplishment first thing in the morning!
This really stuck out for me today as I reviewed my personal activity log later in the day. Each day I’m tracking all I do at work and noting whether it was the right thing to be working on or not. Each activity is also scored in relation to how engaged I was and if it brought me energy. This specific activity really set the course for the day for me. I often start off a little lower on engagement or energy, but this simple activity boosted both. The results of which were apparent throughout most of the day. It seems I’ve possibly found a sweet little mind hack to get my brain engaged and energized – a simple task which can be completely quickly with tangible results. Now the trick is to help myself see more of those opportunities more regularly.
I’m typing this while out on the deck. I’d be remiss to not mention just how grateful I am for this perfect deck weather. This is fantastic! Sitting outside to wrap up the day, breathing in fresh air, relaxing, and all at the perfect weather. Ahh… What a beautiful change to go from too hot to just right.
After lunch we headed off to one of our favorite hiking locations – Wildcat Mountain State Park. The drive is a very scenic hour or so from La Crosse and takes us through some wonderful valleys. More on that part later 😉
The hike was exactly what we’ve come to expect while taking time to enjoy the area. Beautiful, quiet, excellent pine forest smells, and many hills. The past month has been kind of a blur and hasn’t included nearly as much hiking as I’d been used to over the previous several months. Getting outside and wandering the trails was exactly what I needed today. Fresh air, exercise, time with the family, the simplicity of the outdoors, and a general sense of peace. Perfect on a summer Sunday like this!
On the way home I took the backseat so Becky could stretch her legs out a bit while Dominic keeps getting some driving practice hours in. Before I knew it I was reclined a little, closed my eyes, and took a little nap. Between the fresh air, the sun, the exercise, and staying up late last night a nap was exactly what the doctor ordered. A nice little bonus after the hike.
Most often my blog comes at the end of the day. I’m either sitting on the couch with my laptop or in bed thumbing away at my phone. Both scenarios are for the same reason – it is nice to see what the day will bring before pausing to blog about it.
Occasionally I’ll write earlier in the day. In those rare cases it is likely I’ve had a profound experience that I am compelled to type about right away while it is fresh in my head and I have spare time.
Most infrequently are posts like this one today. I’ve got a long day full of exciting plans ahead. By the time I get around to typing I’ll either be completely exhausted or it might be after midnight – either of which are no good. Today I am grateful for these types of posts!
The reason for my gratitude is pretty straightforward. I’ve got an awesome day of fun planned with Gavin and we won’t be done until way later in the evening. So late that I’m positive I’ll be ready to crash. The plans themselves are also something I’m wildly thankful for as well – but I’ll save that surprise for a potential blog tomorrow 😉
Knowing that taking time for gratitude is important to me, so important that I’ll plan ahead and make time for it, helps me see just how this process has become a core foundation of who I am… and I know that I have really cool stuff planned for later! Kind of like a gratitude appetizer if you will.
Over the past couple of weeks I’ve had the opportunity to consume a couple of excellent books – both of which I highly recommend.
Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth taught me way more about the Alamo than I’d ever been taught in school. Since finishing it I’ve bought a hard copy and it will be required reading for both of my boys. The true story of the Alamo is so wildly different than legend I’d heard in the past. I want to make sure my boys hear the historically correct version before they hear it any other way. The people looked upon as heroes were far from that. The “villains” were actually the ones who wanted to abolish slavery. There are so many inaccuracies with the way it has been portrayed by Disney and Hollywood that when one reads the historical facts one can’t help but laugh.
Amazing book, wildly enlightening, and I highly recommend it.
Quick side note – did you know Texas is the only country (they were their own republic for a short period of time) to include the legalization of slavery in their constitution while also making emancipation illegal?
The other book I’d encourage everyone to read – especially my fellow men – is Man Enough by Justin Baldoni. Quite honestly, I’m not quite sure where to even start on this one. It was highly recommended by my writing coach based on the topic of the book I’m getting ever so close to finishing. Once I started I struggled to put it down.
Growing up male is a uniquely complicated thing – much as I would imagine it would be to grow up in any gender. Never in my life have I had so many moments in which I realize I’m not crazy, I’m not a weirdo, and I’m not nearly as different as I often felt I was. Baldoni’s honestness and humility about so many difficult topics was refreshing, therapeutic, and inspiring. I can’t even begin to share just how much this touched me on so many levels. This one is definitely a book I’ll re-read at least a few more times.
Two wonderful books in completely different directions helping me grow and see different sides of myself. Thought processes have already started to change, my dialogue with Dominic has changed (as it will with Gavin when I pick him up tomorrow), and I have changed… something I don’t say lightly.
If you have read them and want to discuss in more detail (agree or disagree – either way is cool) I would love to set some time to talk. If you haven’t read them please let me know if you’re planning to and we can set some time to talk while or after you do. I’d welcome the conversations.
Becky went for a hike with a friend after supper so Dominic and I decided to fire up a couple of games of Battleship. After being soundly trounced both times he took mercy on me and pulled out Jenga. The weather was pretty close to perfect so we took it out on the deck and started stacking.
After a handful of games we both agreed that neither of us will be on the Pro Jenga circuit anytime soon. We were laughing and having a blast while knocking the stack over way too quickly.
Instead of putting it away we decided to do some engineering. We each built a small structure with a few blocks. We then took turns flicking a block like a kicking a field goal with a paper football at the other’s structure across the table to attempt to knock it over. Before long we’d gone from three blocks to two dozen each as we tested our architectural skills. It was AWESOME!!! So many laughs together as we kept learning both through trial and error as well as each other. We were competing in the most fun of ways, together.
By the time we’d packed it up we had smile lines and bruised fingernails, scars well worth their price. Time outside in excellent weather. Time hanging out with one of my sons. Time creating a game to fit our personalities. Time playing and making memories. How perfect is that?
LOL – I already had a great post in mind for today, but it has totally been usurped over the past two hours. It must have needed more time to percolate, maybe it’ll come to life another day, but maybe not.
Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) Yoga has quickly become one of my favorite summer weeknight activities. Finish work, change into swim trunks, jump on a board, and float and stretch on the lake in the sun. Shut off everything else, focus only on the present, breathe, stretch, hold, and soak in the beauty of nature around the lake. Yet again the simplicity leading to a deeper joy.
Our instructor tonight was telling us about their opportunity to take a camper van for a spin next week to try it out. Before we left we’d spent a ton of time talking about the van. Every word spoken about it was a gallon of dream fuel. Buying a camper van is the gift Becky and I plan on getting each for Gavin’s graduation. Yes, we’re buying ourselves a present, we will have earned it over the previous couple of decades of raising our boys. Talking about their upcoming trip got my brain going in hyperdrive and I can’t stop smiling when thinking about all the places we’re going to take our camper van in the future.
Soon….
On the way home a recommendation of Culver’s was thrown out and unanimously approved by the occupants of our car. Concrete Mixer on a hot day like today after sweating in the sun? Heck yeah!
Thankful for Forty 