Day 2,021

Soccer weekend for the Kreiling’s in Des Moines, Iowa for the next 24+ hours. Gavin’s first games have gone very well, a nice 2-0 win followed by a 1-1 battle. At least one more game tomorrow, pretty sure if they win they’re in the finals and get a bonus game. Fingers crossed!

The weather has been PERFECT soccer weather. The sun is out, very few clouds in the sky. There’s just enough breeze to make it feel fresh and the temperature is hovering around the mid-50’s. Not too hot, not too cold, just right! With all the ways the weather has been brutal in the past I’m ecstatic that there’s no rain, no snow, no frost, and the temperature is above freezing. Weather like this? I’ll take it anytime!

Before Gavin’s games we’ve been incredibly fortunate. There’s a beautiful trail system right across the street from the parking lot. We’ve had plenty of time to head out for a nice long walk before each of Gavin’s games. What an excellent way to spend a little extra time outdoors. Why sit and wait when we can be out and moving in a sweet little swamp / forest area? So thankful for the trails nearby!

Last, I’m typing this up early while I am waiting for Dominic to finish up his track practice. He was supposed to have track practice today, but with heading to Iowa that was an obvious no go. Instead he talked with his coach, got his practice plan for the day, and is now getting his run in on a track we found near our hotel. It’s awesome seeing his commitment to track and his willingness to work hard for something he’s excited for.

Thanks!!!

Back in the day I’d run until I collapsed. After a long while I learned a bit; I remember writing about putting my hand out to feel for the wall before I ran into it. Today someone asked how I was doing and I gave a very honest response which would have hurt my ego too much to accept even just a few years ago. How am I? “I’m tired.”

The past couple of months have been very busy for mainly positive reasons. Even the difficult moments have been opportunities to grow, but their weight still has worn me out. I need to recharge. I need to pause for a moment, rest, and jump back in.

Having a stronger sense of purpose really helps me see that I must be rested and ready to live into it completely. What an unexpected lesson from focusing on purpose – I must take better care of myself… not specifically for myself, but to better be able to do what must be done. Another reason purpose truly powers everything!

In living into that purpose I’m elated for the opportunities to share what has been shared with me in the past. Whether by mentors, friends, or my own mistakes – having the opportunity to help others with those lessons is very fulfilling. Taking a note from de Mello, I’m doing my best to simply ask questions rather than the lessons themselves so others may grow into their own. They don’t need my tainted thoughts, just the opportunity to consider a question they may have otherwise not asked themselves. No leading, only asking.

Thanks!!!!

Today was the 2022 HR Conference and my keynote presentation on Minding the GAP: Choosing Growth, Appreciation, and Presence. There are many things to be thankful for today, but one really trumps them all.

What I am most thankful for are the dozens of people who helped to create this presentation. I wish there was a way to help them all experience the applause at the end – they all earned and deserved it. The message may have come out of my mouth but it was crafted by so many.

From the people who helped me create the idea to the people who’s acts of kindness helped inspire me. Teammates who listened to the presentation and offered feedback to the friends who texted before the presentation. The wonderful team at the event who helped get everything set up to people who’ve presented in the past who inspired me. The people who offered up difficult but honest and necessary feedback. The people who built up my confidence. The people who helped script specific words and phrases. The people who’ve introduced me to the concepts.

Most importantly, two people in particular who’s roles were front and center throughout the entire process.

Becky for the never ending love and support, the belief in me even when I struggle, and the inspiration to live into my biggest dreams.

Dad for growing and cultivating the values discussed today, all the gifts he gave me through his life, and the lessons he continued to teach me through his death. Each time I practiced this presentation I had an opportunity to re-live that wonderful last time we were together in person and that final hug we shared. What a gift!

To all of you who helped to create this presentation – thank you, thank you, thank you. I love and appreciate all of you. Thank you for creating something beautiful.

Thanks!!!

Tomorrow is the big day, the 2022 HR Conference presentation! I’m borderline giddy with anticipation as I’m about to attempt to sleep.

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve rehearsed this presentation over 20 times. I’ve practiced it in order, out of order, and with some of the possible surprises practiced. Practice, practice, & more practice, tomorrow is the time to perform. my bag is packed with everything from my laptop to my spare laptop to my flash drive to my clicker to the spare battery for the clicker to the video adapter. I know the venue, the microphone set up, & the timing of the event. All that can be reasonably prepared for has been. I will still slip, trip, stumble, & be surprised, but nothing I cannot learn from or work through.

I know I’ll sleep well tonight. The heavy lifting is done, tomorrow is the fun, the dessert.

An excellent friend had a great bit of advice today… “Enjoy it.” What a perfect reminder to come back to tonight. As much as I’ve been stressing there is no reason to. I enjoy this, I can brighten lives through this, this is a core of my purpose. I will totally enjoy and savor the moment while working through it as well as I possibly can.

Thanks!!!

With the presentation only a couple of days away it was incredibly helpful to give a practice presentation over lunch today to some of my teammates. Getting a full test run in felt great in of itself, the feedback and ideas I received from my teammates felt even better! Each teammate had a couple of great ideas and thoughts to add to the mix. Put all their ideas together into the presentation and I am confident it will be more of a success. So awesome to have teammates to help with feedback like that!

During a morning call I shared the lesson from Dad about working smarter rather than harder. Long story short, he demonstrated a lesson in thinking before acting with a crowbar which I’ll never forget. Pause, think, take action, learn, repeat. That memory has been bringing a smile to my face all day long.

The worst enemy of a big idea is myself, the one who thought it up. Before the idea even has a chance to mature I strike it down and throw it in the burn pile. Sometimes it just needs to start, to get legs, to take a little bit of action. Just enough to get it started. Once it starts it has the opportunity to grow into something much bigger. Often I’ve shut down an idea, this time I’m starting one bigger. And it’s making me smile.

Thanks!!!

This weekend is the last weekend at home with quiet until we are into the month of June. The next two months are going to be a blur of action largely focused around Spring sports for the boys. Dominic has track, Gavin has track and soccer. Many weekday practices and meets, many weekend matches and meets. Throw in a vacation for Becky and I as well as a work trip for me and it’s nonstop for the next 8+ weeks.

I have very much enjoyed the calm today, though it didn’t involve a lot of chilling. Rather, I spent most of my day wrapping up little projects I wanted to get done. The grill is now clean. A quick modification to my new handcrafted bookshelf is complete. I helped Becky and Gavin pick up litter on one of our favorite roads for a little while. The cars are both washed and gassed up. My winter clothes are all packed away. My work clothes are washed. Supper was grilled up and delicious. I’ve got a couple more practice runs of my presentation under my belt. There are books we never read ready to be re-purposed tomorrow. Helped the economy by running to Menards. Some of the books I want in my new bookshelf have been relocated. All that and I’m pretty sure I’m forgetting something or two. Nonstop action!

Today was the calm before the storm, in many ways the calm before the chaos. I am thankful for taking the time to “batten down the hatches” as I recently quoted from the Billy Pilgrim song, Hurricane Season. I can roll into the busy and crazy knowing that I’m ready. All has been done, everything has been prepped. Bring on the fun!

Thanks!!!

Our training run today was a rough one. For some unknown reason some runs just seem more brutal than others. Today was my first nine mile run since the last bad marathon a few years ago. I’ve run three times this distance in the past, but this one just hurt. No injury or anything, just all types of stiff, sore, and tired.

We hit yoga first thing in the morning and got a lot done while it rained and snowed. Once the skies quit precipitating we went out – definitely much later than our normal early morning runs. Maybe that had something to do with it. Who knows?

What I do know is that it feels great to work on closing the gap. All of the stiffness and soreness is my body building itself back up. Next week we’ll run 10 miles and I know we’ll be successful specifically because we built up mile by mile. Just like in life, the discomfort means I’m growing.

One other thought – the power of stillness strikes again. In the last couple of moments of yoga my mind was completely still. A few very interesting thoughts found purchase and grew when I quieted all the other stuff in my brain. Most likely blog posts for another day, but a couple of quick thoughts include the importance of being as present as possible in the moment of my death as I’ll only have one opportunity to experience it and doing right for the right reasons trumps doing right for wrong reasons even if the end result is the same. Interesting ponderables I’ll think on more in the future.

Thanks!!!

The rivers flows so quickly, carving its way through the path of least resistance. It’s course will continue that way until an obstacle causes such a disruption that it splits and changes direction, finding a new path. Remove the obstacle too soon and the waters flow back to their original course. Wait long enough to eliminate the dam and the newer course remains flowing.

In many ways my life follows the same course. I make plans and changes, shifting the course towards the direction I desire. When I remove the habits used to create the changes too quickly I slip back into old habit. I must do a better job of keeping the new habit controls in place longer to help sustain the desired path.

In one powerful moment today I was reminded to pause and review the gap between who I am and who I am called to be. The gap was wider in places than hoped, and closed better than expected in others. When looking at the difference between the two there was a on undeniable truth. The one in which I’ve continue to focus on has closed a bit, the other grew while ignored. Now I’ve got a decision to make…. Have the habits of the successful been in place long enough to sustain the path so I can double my efforts in another direction or should I continue a bit longer before taking on a new endeavor?

Regardless of the choice, I’m grateful for remembering to review the gap. In seeing the gap for what it is I can intentionally live into the right direction. Without it I drift.

Thanks!!!

Often the details behind the post are either unimportant or of a nature which need not be shared. In some ways those details would almost get in the way of the focus of my gratitude. Today is an example of this.

Let’s just say it was a rough day. In the middle of the frustration there was an act of kindness which caused me to pause, made my eyes a little cloudy, and brought a ton of joy. From seemingly out of nowhere was a simple act of compassion put into words.

“How are you doing? Are you okay?”

With those simple words there was a ray of sunshine to bring light to a dark moment. So simple, so powerful, and so appreciated.

After work I received a text from another teammate.

“Everything okay today? You seemed a little down.”

Again, simple words creating a moment of light, a moment of joy.

How simple it is to ask about how someone is doing. To pause from our own busyness and chaos to stop and truly listen to a friend and a teammate, to make sure they are okay. Letting them know that you are there for them when they’re up and when they’re down. Showing compassion and being 100% present for them. So simple, so easy, and makes such a difference.

Today I’m thankful for both their individual actions and the inspiration their actions were for me today. They both helped me remember how I can better live into the person I should be.

Thanks!!!