Day 2,833

Growth:

Living with a strong sense of purpose really makes a huge impact in how life is lived. When I stay the course on purpose my life seems so much more fulfilling. When I allow myself to drift I find bits of initial happiness but quickly feel less full, more empty.

“People who labor all their lives but have no purpose to direct every thought and impulse toward are wasting their time-even when hard at work.”

Marcus Aurelius

Appreciation:

Today I finished a book which was amongst the best I’ve read in a very long time. The story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and the crew of the Endurance is so unimaginable that my brain struggles to realize that their survival was even possible. When I consider that it was over a century ago my brain pretty much breaks.

For almost two years the crew of the Endurance survived in some of the most hospitable conditions known to man as their attempt to cross the continent of Antartica went horrifically wrong almost from the start. Their story of survival and rescue is so improbable that there were sections I had to re-read to make sure I read it correctly the first time.

There are so many nuggets of information to take away from this book, it is definitely one I’ll be re-reading. Honestly, as I finished the book I was moved to powerful emotion. I am so grateful I finally read this. My mind is blown.

Presence:

There were a handful of moments which really stuck out today. From my morning run with Becky to watching a deer sneakily walk through a cornfield to finishing Endurance to a moment of kindness from a teammate to focusing on transferring information for the next week to an interview which went incredibly well to pausing my book to listen to music to sing loudly to in the car alone I could choose any one of those moments and be very satisfied.

Spending time with Becky and the boys listening to their adventures from the past week took the cake. So many laughs, smiles, and memories made, hearing about them and be 100% focused on their stories was amazing. I am so glad they had so much fun and I’m thankful for the memories they stirred in me.

Thanks!!!