Day 3,962

Whew – that was a full Sunday! It started with some quiet time out in the woods with Becky, we went for a hike and enjoyed listening to the birds singing away atop the ridge. Is there any better start to a Sunday? Getting outside, spending time with Becky, taking in all the sights and sounds and scents of the outdoors?

We came back home, work on a couple of projects, and headed off to church. An old friend of ours was there and we spent time catching up with him. Throughout the ride home we talked, joked, and relaxed with Gavin. Many comments about how he is only a few weeks from moving out, and that this was likely the last mass he will be joining us for until Thanksgiving break, possibly Christmas. He spent time getting ready for shopping for meals for their upcoming backpacking trip, it was fun hearing him go through the entire process of figuring out exactly what was needed and which store they should go to for the best prices. Fun getting bonus time with him!

There was only a little adulting to get done so we knocked that out quickly. The project I’ve been working on has a large milestone coming up on Thursday night, super excited to get that all wrapped up! So many hours put towards that today, many new lessons learned, new skills being honed, and so much time getting lost in the flow of creating. One of my favorite types of project for sure! In so many ways it seems like I’ve been building towards this over the past twenty years, it feels incredibly rewarding to be getting closer to setting it free.

Becky and I had a great time catching up with Dominic! One more week of work, one more week of class, and then he’s off for a month of adventure! Catching up with him is always fun, even more so as he’s getting ready for travel. Looking forward to seeing him for a few minutes late on Thursday after he gets home and I return from my project.

More time working on the project, more pieces coming together. Now off to an early bed to start the week fresh!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,961

Today had one big goal, to hike Perrot State Park. Not just hike in the park. Hike the entire park. All the hiking trails. Even the little entry points that I had to do a quick out and back on. Fifteen and a half miles, almost 3,000 feet of elevation, & five hours later it was mission accomplished!

I did not realize just how much my soul was longing for a hike like this until I was into the groove. There were several deer on the trails with me, one little fawn bounced away as I turned the corner. In the picture below I’d spooked out a tom turkey who took off like a shot. So many birds, baby rabbits, and every type of bug (but no mosquitoes and ticks which was amazing!). The scent of the forest in the morning just about blew my face off at a primal level, it was so calming! Throw in all of the amazing views and it was an epic morning hike for sure!

While on the hike I had my open ear headphones on and had some quiet music mixing with the forest sounds. About an hour in I realized I had just about the right amount of time for something a little different. In what I can only define as “sublimely discordant” I listened to the entire audiobook of Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. The combination of the solo outdoor trek and the fantastically dark book were unlike anything I’d experienced before, but they fit together so well!

The entire hike was amazing, I’m pleasantly surprised with how well I felt throughout, and the retreat into nature was exactly what I had been dreaming of!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,960

More of a short version grab bag tonight as I’m headed off to bed to get a nice night of sleep before heading out for some early morning hiking tomorrow.

Had a very engaging day with my fellow Express owners for our regional meeting, always a pleasure to reconnect with peers and learn how they’re taking on different challenges. I walked away with many notes and even more ideas! Getting the opportunity to catch up with those I haven’t seen for a while is always delightful, kind of like a family reunion. Also having time to zoom out really helps to see our day to day operations so much more clearly. When we’re in the heat of the moment and facing urgency it’s so much easier go with the flow and the same old. Stepping out of it provides space to see the issues more clearly and choose a better solution.

I was also able to really beat down and make some serious headway on another project this evening. Getting into a flow state while working on a project I’m passionate about always feels great, the extreme dichotomy of going from zooming out to putting my head down was invigorating. A sweeter balance than I expected!

Thanks!!!