Month: October 2025

Thankful for Listening and Preparing, Little Gaps, & Yoga

Day 3,675

Growth:

Over prepare, gather more info than is necessary, confirm or refute what you think you are observing, and then have the conversation. Don’t rush into unnecessary dialogue, make sure you have an understanding first. Ask questions and listen, ask more questions as you learn more, and then listen. If necessary, speak.

Appreciation:

This was a nonstop kind of day, very similar to the way the weekend went! Throughout the day there was just enough time to pause and prepare for the next meeting or conversation. I had loaded the day up pretty full, but the small gaps in between were just what I needed to help me stay calm and under control throughout. What I’m appreciative of today are those little breaks in the calendar, the little gaps of time that Past Mike created for Future Mike, allowing him to be Fully Present Mike.

Presence:

Ahh… yoga. After a busy weekend of people-ing, even very fun and engaging people-ing, I needed a bit of down time to chill and still my mind. Yoga was exactly what I needed this evening to help get my mind back in the right rhythm.

When in doubt go to the yoga studio, pose and twist and hold and sweat and breathe… all will be well!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for a Blursday Kind of Weekend!

Day 3,674

Whew – this was quite the weekend!!! From the nonstop fun of yesterday we blasted off right into this morning. Had a relaxing morning conversation with Becky and my brother over coffee, watched some soccer, played with a nephew a little bit, took the dog for a nice walk, re-hung pics and curtains after Becky’s painting work from this past week, hit the grocery store, got a bonus surprise visit from Dominic and his girlfriend, grilled some supper, chilled on the couch and shot the bull, and now wrapping up to head off to bed. Nonstop!!!

This has been an awesomely enjoyable weekend, so much family time and conversation, so many smiles. At some point it will feel great to take a deep breath and pause, but weekends like this are well worth the energy, no question!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Awesomely Busy Days Full of Family

Day 3,673

Another short one due to how tired I am, which is exactly what I’m grateful for. From start to finish it has been a day full of family time, at home, at the soccer fields, at the store, on the deck, and back to the couch. Hanging out, shooting the bull, and acting like a kid with my youngest nephew. So appreciative of days filled with family time like this!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Difficult Conversations Once, Gratitude via Story, & Gavin’s Football Game

Day 3,672 – Short version, up at 4:40am for our run, just laid down at 11:40pm, I’m exhausted!

Growth:

Would I rather have a difficult conversation once or re-live an uncomfortable moment often? Have a quick conversation, provide clarity, and move forward.

Appreciation:

The more I dig into The Kite Runner the more I realize how grateful I am for the life I have, for how we share many experiences across time and culture, and how powerful love is.

Presence:

Enjoying Gavin’s last regular season football game – had a blast!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Daily Reminders of Goals, an Invigorating and Insightful Run, & Bluffs in the Fall

Day 3,671

Growth:

Gavin has been reading The Kite Runner for his English class and has been enjoying it and talking with me about it often. As a result of keeping a focus on spending as much time with Gavin as I can this year I paused what I was reading and swapped over to his book. We’ve already had more conversation on it which have been fun and engaging!

Another example of the benefits of setting goals and keeping them in front of me daily!

Appreciation:

Becky and I had an invigorating run this morning while having a conversation on philosophy. Quite the mind and body wake up session to start the day!

Presence:

The bluffs in the fall covered in clouds and fog, priceless! So enjoyable watching the colors shift seemingly hour by hour. The swirling of fog into sunlight seems to add to the mood of constant color change.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Existing Simply, Busyness, & Moments of Awareness

Day 3,670

Growth:

This quote, truly stunning and so true:

“The secret of the mountain is that the mountains simply exist, as I do myself: the mountains exist simply, which I do not. The mountains have no “meaning,” they are meaning; the mountains are. The sun is round. I ring with life, and the mountains ring, and when I can hear it, there is a ringing that we share. I understand all this, not in my mind but in my heart, knowing how meaningless it is to try to capture what cannot be expressed, knowing that mere words will remain when I read it all again, another day.”

Peter Matthiessen, The Snow Leopard

Appreciation:

What a nonstop thrill ride of a day! This has been a runaway train full of productivity, all towards a good cause. That said, I am exhausted and ready to crash. This bit of time on the couch blogging is about the only moment of stillness I’ve had throughout the day. To have a nonstop day is to be very present, very focused on the moment and what is at hand. As I write about later, the moments in which I was not as focused were the moments in which I lost presence and was ocused on what was lacking.

Busyness towards a good cause – a pathway to presence.

Presence:

Pausing to consider my thoughts and emotions, why do I feel this way or that? When feeling unpleasant / unhappy today I realized that the emotions were caused by a “lack” of something. Something wasn’t happening like I’d wished, I wasn’t getting what I wanted. In the moment I realized the unhappiness was caused by lack it was as if a spotlight were shown upon it, I saw it for what it was, and I was able to choose differently.

What we are aware of we can control, what we are not aware of is control of us. Today I’m grateful for the moments of awareness in which I was able to shed a light on my mindset and make a better choice. Here’s to the brief moments of clarity we all hope to cultivate more frequently.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Remembering to Live, Starting Early, & Sunrise

Day 3,669

Growth:

This quote struck a chord for me, so much so that I had to pause to let it sink in, and then re-read several times. How true this is for so much of life?

I’m forever getting ready for life instead of living it each day. 

Peter Matthiessen, The Snow Leopard

While I’ve written tonight’s blog in reverse I also see how unbridled “planning” can become a hindrance to presence, but it also helps me visualize how to utilize a plan to help guide me and prepare me for whatever changes the universe throws at me. More guardrails and momentum than a plan maybe?

Appreciation:

I’m very thankful for starting to plan my goals for the next year early. Over the past week my mind has been toying with new ideas, twisting, inspecting, and testing to see what may make the biggest difference in my ability to improve in 2026. Some of the concepts that have been resonating include additional metrics like the number of minutes spent outdoors daily, the number of cravings I have each day versus the number of cravings I give in to, and setting a number of total miles to walk/hike in the year. For sure my mindset/theme of “Less, but More” for 2025 will sustain, but I’m not quite sure how… Maybe something as easy as “More of Less” would be fitting. We’ll see where I end up!

The inspiring part is that I’m already starting to sift through the data of my 2025, find patterns of what brought me the most joy, of where I found purpose, and my mind is already starting to process the path. Yes, it is still quite early to lock everything in, but that’s also the point. I have more time to process and choose wisely to create my best possible 2026 plan.

Presence:

The sunrise lighting up the tops of the bluffs was stunning this morning! The shifting colors were greatly enhanced by the dark clouds slowly wandering the sky, I was reminded of watching sunrises on the mountains in Patagonia. Such a wonderful time of the day, catching the first sun beams ripping through the clouds to light up the hillside. Throw in a shard of a rainbow and the glowing pinkish orange skies and it was a spectacular ride up north today!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Being, a Excellent String of Books, & Couch Conversations

Day 3,668

Growth:

We never know the struggles others are facing. We will never understand their perspective. We will never truly grasp their entire backstory. We are human, known truly to no one, not even ourselves.

Rather than judging each other we should be focused on loving each other. Rather than wanting what others have we should be appreciative for all we have. How much more simple would life be if we were but thankful for this present moment, this breath? In that presence and contentedness there is no room for envy, fear, or anger, only love and appreciation.

Pause, breathe, be thankful for the breath we have, for the moment we are in, for all the beauty surrounding us. Don’t want, instead be.

Appreciation:

I’ve been on a pretty epic hot streak of reading recently! After a book on Roman history that was a pretty big miss I’ve been knocking out one great book after another and it’s been great!

The most recent book I’ve started is The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen, a gem written in 1978 of an expedition to Nepal. The author writes in a flowingly epic style, just enough detail to fully engage the mind’s eye without becoming tedious. The focus on what he sees and learns in chunks of smaller stories within the journey has caught my full attention.

Once in a while there is a book that I really just don’t enjoy. More often there are books I decide I would prefer to not read again. This recent streak has been full of books I’ll be re-reading at least one or two more times each!

Presence:

Sitting in the living room, having random conversations in spurts with Becky and Gavin as we each do our thing – Becky reading, Gavin doing homework, and me blogging. Interspersed in the moments of quiet focus were jokes, comments, and conversations. A perfectly chill way to spend time while also being focused on what we each needed in the moment.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Appreciation, My Dream List, & Pockets of Time with Gavin

Day 3,667

Growth:

Appreciation was the main theme of toady’s sermon at church and it was a winner! Father John shared examples of how this past week had been a series of struggles, unexpected obstacles in what was planned to be a relatively relaxed week. Throughout those challenges he did as much as could, controlled as much as he could, and then finally have to give in and allow space for help. While he focused on that being the space in which God helped, I saw it slightly differently.

After he tried to do something on his own it was only after he failed when he asked for help. When the help was provided he found gratitude in that space, an appreciation for the help. How true this is in so many ways! What if we all learned to accept help sooner in order to work through a difficulty?

Another note that caught my attention and resonated with the concepts fo so many of the books and stories I’ve read lately – we grow most and have the most to be thankful for when struggle, when we face adversity. That is when we are pushed to grow, to receive help, to see we are not alone, and to be grateful.

So much to take away from this one, I’m glad it is recorded so I can go back and re-listen and absorb it more deeply.

Appreciation:

This afternoon I skipped the Packer game and focused on working on my dream list. Rather than taking in a game I realized my time would be better spent ensuring I was working on the right goals for the upcoming years. It started off a bit uncomfortable, I struggled to get the list up and running. With each successive dream recorded I gained momentum. The sunlight on my face while sitting on the deck, the music playing quietly in the background, and the fresh air provided the perfect environment to stay focused on shaping my future.

While I typically wait until the beginning of the year to reset my dream list I realized last year that there was a benefit to getting this rolling early as I start my annual planning process for 2026. Crazy to think that 2026 is only two and a half months away! If I want to live into my best life I need to remember to put the focus on intentionality and planning. Glad I did both this afternoon!

Presence:

While Becky and I had our mini-date on Friday and Saturday I had a nice pocket of one on one time with Gavin today. Nothing crazy, eating lunch together while watching football. Joking around and playing some cards. No real deep conversation, just enjoying each others company.

There are not too many of these times left, I remember how quickly Dominic’s senior year flew by. The inertia of time somehow continued to increase throughout that school year and was gone before I knew it. To have the opportunity share a pocket of time with Gavin like this was sublime!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Gratitude, a Mini-Trip with Becky, & a Day of Moments

Day 3,666

Growth:

We always told our kids there two ways to be rich. One is to make a lot of money. The other is to not want much.

Christopher Mark as quoted in Who is Government? by Michael Lewis

Appreciation:

Getting outside – always the right answer! This morning started with waking up in Devil’s Lake State Park and was quickly followed with coffee and a hike. So thankful Becky and I paused life for a day to get out and enjoy a mini-date trip to bookend Gavin’s football game last night. Getting that time to the two of us to relax and enjoy the outdoors together was fantastic!

Presence:

So many moments today! The hiking was amazing. The chill time with Becky was outstanding. Pockets of time with Gavin were great. Getting Dominic’s rugby update was awesome. A phone call with my brother was invigorating. Dinner as a family on the deck was perfect. A little quiet time reading and listening to the Brewers game was stellar. Excellent day all along!!!!

Thanks!!!