The boys and I just spent an excellent weekend up north with Becky’s parents. Spending time in the woods with their Grandpa Ken was awesome on so many levels. Time outside. Working with my hands. Time with my boys. Time with my father in law. Enjoying the intergenerational interactions between all of us. Lessons learned. Learning new skills. Talking about carpentry. “Shopping” for lumber in Ken’s shed full of wood. Hearing new stories. Sharing last memories. Laughing out loud often. Feeling Dad’s presence. Many new memories created.

At home I spent time focused on cleaning up my workshop. It’s going to take a while as I’ve really led it slide throughout the spring, summer, and fall. For a moment I was overwhelmed. Then I remembered to take just one action and I was off and moving. My mind was focused specifically at the task at hand and didn’t wander or stray. I somehow slipped into a zen like state of flow as I put tools away, vacuumed sawdust, and sorted through wood. Time flew by while I focused on each individual thing I was putting away. Afterwards I paused and reflected on the experience and realized just how calming, peaceful, and joyful it was for me to clean – specifically because I was present throughout. Serenity can be found in even the most mundane of tasks.

The process of conceiving this blog is another gratitude tonight. In my gut I knew I was grateful for many things, but it was more simplistic – time up north and hard work. There was more to my thankfulness and had I not blogged I would have left it at that. In pausing to gather my thoughts I was forcing myself to truly start to process the thankfulness on another plane. By really focusing on the specifics of why I was grateful I found new insights I would have missed otherwise. Taking time to journal daily provides me an opportunity to see my life more clearly.

Thanks!!!