Day 2,036

While reading on the beach this afternoon there were a line of clouds slowly heading our way. For a fleeting moment it looked like we would be spared, but we received a nice long dose of liquid sunshine. Sure, it was wet, but it was still plenty warm. Rather than fleeing for better cover we chilled under our little thatched roof sun umbrella. It didn’t cover all of us so we did our best to keep the rain off our faces and torsos.

The quiet the rain brought was a beautiful contrast to the ongoing background noise of fellow vacationers. The sound was soothing and made even better by the continued sound of waves washing against the shore. So peaceful and chill.

At one point we covered up a bit in our blankets. Becky got a nice little nap in while I chilled and enjoyed the sounds around me. Here’s a selfie I got of myself during the rain 😉

After a while the rain started to slow and people re-emerged. The stillness in the quiet of the rain while on the beach was something I won’t forget. How wild, I always hope for perfect weather on vacation and I’ve been so fortunate to have it so many times, but some incredible moments – like the stillness today – have been made specifically because the weather was anything but perfect.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,035

I’m still not quite sure how it happened, but I’d never read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. In many ways I’m a bit disappointed in myself for not having picked it up before. The crazy sense of humor blended with some science fiction goodies was right up my alley.

Equally as surprising was my avoidance of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Becky had recommended it long ago and Gaiman is one of my favorite authors. I figured I’d read it at some point but it never quite was the right choice.

What changed that caused me to read both of these books? Oh, did I mention that I’ve read both of them in the past 36 hours?

VACATION!!!

One of my favorite parts of vacation are the extended periods of reading time. While the backpacking / hiking / adventure vacations are typically my jam, a beach vacation like this one is the perfect opportunity to get back and snuggle up with some good books. Two down in the past two days, a handful yet to go. I can’t wait!

Thanks!!!

2,034

Seven years ago if someone had posed the question, “would you like to know more about the writing process,” my answer would have most likely been muffled by my yawn. Hmm…. Maybe I’d rather do something, anything, else. Writing? Nope, not me, I’m more of a talker.

I’ve always had a creative itch, but only once do I remember the act of writing become the scratch (the research paper I did in college was much more enjoyable due to the process of researching rather than writing). Put new problem to solve in front of me. Spend time in my workshop. Not writing. Ugh… sit in front of a keyboard, or, god forbid, write with a paper and pen? Yuck.

Then life changed in its slowly evolving nature as it seems to always do. First a blog. Then writing a a book. Now working on a few different book ideas at once. The process has become intoxicating in many ways. Not for the sake of writing in of itself or as a way to become rich and famous, rather, it forces me to take time to walk through my thoughts and ideas. To go from a blank page to creating something means I must pause, think, consider, translate the abstract thought into a cohesive whole. As I write I am spending time alone focused on understanding myself in previously unexplored ways. It is a form of deep meditation, soothing while simultaneously discomforting and unsettling. Crazy, right?

Yesterday I was in between audiobooks so I opted to fire up a podcast I’d downloaded quite some time ago. Tim Ferriss had an interview I just HAD to listen to with one of my favorite authors. Neil Gaiman is definitively on my “Mount Rushmore” of writers and experiencing an insight into his mind was something I could not miss. The podcast and interview did not disappoint, the only knock on it was that it was only an hour when no less than 8 would have satisfied me.

What’s really been resonating in my thoughts over the past 24-ish hours was the insight into his writing process. Since I’ve started to enjoy the act of writing I am finding myself more and more fascinated with the ways in which authors ply their craft. There are technical aspects which are interesting, the timing, the rituals, the typing versus hand writing. So many various ways to actually write and create.

Even more fascinating is the thought process, the creation, the ideation process. Start with a simple thought and write straight through. Start in the middle of the story and then work backwards and forwards. Create an outline as a skeleton and then add the flesh. Start an idea, lock it up for months for “aging.” Start with a question. Start with a character. Start with a twist.

Additionally, it is interesting to hear how perfectly imperfectly human they each are. Start with fears of getting the idea right. Nervousness about making the first keystrokes which mar the perfection of a clean document. The impostor syndrome, the fear of their work not being worthy. In hearing and reading about each author I’m able to more strongly connect what I do with the craft they’ve turned into their livelihood. They suddenly go from being “authors” to “people,” and people I can relate to.

While I continue down my current path of writing I’m blessed to have access to so many interviews, notes, conversations, and stories with these folks who’ve found the joy in the craft I’m enjoying more and more.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,033

Days like this almost make it feel a little too easy to blog, but seriously, look at this scene! On our way back from the halfway point of our run we encountered this incredible view. The sun getting ready to pop out from behind the bluffs in the distance. The calm waters of the Black River. Pelicans floating in the background. In case that wasn’t enough a great blue heron started to fly across.

Starting a day with exercise, being outdoors with Becky, and soaking in the scenery like this? Perfect. Absolutely perfect.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,032

Today was a focused effort from start to finish. I started with a handful of tasks from the past couple of days and added many more to cover the next week or so. Some of those tasks also included mapping out the next four plus months which was pretty wild.

There’s a joy to be found in being able to go from one task to the next, crossing them off one after another. While I often find the most joy in strategy, the beauty in knocking out tactic after tactic felt amazing. Really knocking the crap out of that list on Wednesday felt pretty amazing!

Another thing I’m thankful for is the bearing of the next finish line. I’m a fan of looking at much of life as a series of sprints with a little recovery in between each race. I’ve been going strong for quite some time and I’m really looking forward to hitting the next finish line in the near future. My body and mind can tell that I’m getting to the point when I need to take that deep breath, pause, and recharge. See you soon finish line!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,029

Quick heads up, this is going to be a bit of a short one, I’m exhausted. Long weekend away from home, got off track with my normal sleep schedule, short-ish week ahead packed as if it were a week and a half. Throw it all together and I’m ready for bed!

That said, I just wrapped up a 30+ minute long phone call with my brother. Our schedules have been out of sync recently and this was out first time to catch up in a while. Yes, I was ready for sleep, but I had so much fun catching up with him that there was no way I was going to cut it off early. Spending time shooting the bull with him was an excellent way to end the weekend on a high note.

What also helps is that I’ve been working on banking up sleep as much as I can. Had I been running on almost empty as I did a decade ago staying up may not have been an option. Sure, I won’t have the eight I’d like, but I’ll still be over seven.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,027

Funny how some of the little actions we take somehow grow legs and echo through eternity. In the moment we feel like a small action could be seen as almost insignificant, so minor that we question whether or not to make it a reality. When we do we find that it was far from significant, so much so that the action takes legs of its own and continues through others. That’s when it becomes our legacy, after others continue to take the same action. The funny thing is that often we won’t even know the legacy we’ve created until after we’ve passed. Future generations will live it and we may not even know it.

The reason for that thought today was something that Dad passed on to me. The action itself isn’t relevant, maybe another day I’ll open up more. Long story short there were times when he was smiling bigger than normal. When I asked him why he’d share what he’d done and we’d both be smiling. His actions would brighten lives in a couple of different ways, ways we heard more about after he’d passed away.

Today I was compelled to do what he’d shown me. In the last two months I’ve often talked with my teams about what he did as a way to help us grow and shape our culture. This morning was an opportunity for me to do the right thing, to take a page out of Dad’s playbook, and it was awesome!

When Dad took action I’m sure the last thing on his mind was creating his legacy, he just did it because he felt it was the right thing to do. When I did it I did it because it was the right thing to do AND I was inspired by Dad’s actions. After it was done I realized that in that moment, in that action, Dad’s legacy was alive and well. To be a steward of it has left me smiling all day.

Thanks!!!