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!!!

The nice thing about having been here before is knowing I’ve been here before. Big presentation? Trust the process. Brainstorm. Write. Read. Revise. Speak. Revise. Practice, practice, practice. I’m thankful for trusting the process. One week away and I’m ready.

For much of my life I’ve enjoyed doing my own thing. Something not going well? Act like Boxer the Horse and work harder. Frustrated? Work harder. This does not work over long periods of time or in pursuit of a noble cause. There’s a time for solo work, but there’s also a time to share the load. Both my old self and current self struggle with remembering that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. My current self and my future self know that asking for help is both a sign of wisdom and the path to true success. Friggin’ ego… must always remember to tell it to zip it in order to accomplish the best of things. Having others around me to help share the load and remind of how much they appreciate the opportunity to help is truly priceless.

As it typed that something seemed to click. Funny how others help me see how I need to grow, my ego was thinking I could figure it out. Trust in others!

Hurricane Season by Billy Pilgrim. Perfect song for the drive home. “Batten down the hatches boys, it’s hurricane season.” So spot on for so many reasons today.

Wrapping up the night on the couch with Dominic playing Connect Four & Battleship was PERFECT!!! I so enjoy the times when he’s in a talkative and playful mood, I’ll soak up as much as possible before he leaves for college in just under a year and a half. Where has the time gone?

Thanks!!!

Early in my drive to Eau Claire this morning I wrapped up the audiobook I’d been reading. I then went through a practice run of my presentation for next week. After a brief pause of silence in the car I felt compelled to fire up a book I had not read for the first time until late last year. Even though it wasn’t too long ago since I picked I up the concepts seemed to be calling to me. Next thing I knew I was deeply engrossed in Awareness by Anthony de Mello.

I can’t remember offhand how I descried this book in a previous blog and I won’t until after I’m done writing today. What I’m getting this time through it feels like a deeper understanding of the concepts as well as some realizations of the vast gap between who I am and who I am called to be. This book is really pushing me, definitely one in which there is the opposite of comfort. I have been knocked off balance a few times already and I’ve got a long ways to read yet.

What’s interesting was that it called to mind a quote from Father Mark Pierce’s last homily at our church:

If your faith doesn’t make your life more joyful, you’re doing it wrong. Now “joy” isn’t the same as “happiness,” and it is often the opposite of comfort.

Fr Mark Pierce

In many ways that nails the feeling I’m having. A deep sense of peace and calm, and a lot of discomfort. So much to learn, so much to grow into, so much to let go of.

Thanks!!!

When the day has been a whirlwind like today it is so helpful to pause and chill before sleep. Recently I’ve been reading The Annotated Edition of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. It is a dense and deep read, but perfectly broken into bite sized pieces to relate back to the day. The thoughts often are still fresh upon waking and help guide the day. Pick it up, read with my amber reading light, close it up, and drift off to sleep.

Thanks!!!

Life is better when you live with someone who is a positive influence in your life. Becky singlehandedly got the rest of our family pumped and engaged in a little community service project we otherwise wouldn’t have done. It was very eye opening on several levels while also making a huge difference in something we love about where we live. By the time we were done we had an awesome sense of accomplishment. Special kudos to Becky and Gavin for all the extra time they put in. Again, life is so enriched when you are surrounded by people who make a positive influence on you. I’m thankful for her influence today and all the many times she helps me live more closely into who I should be.

I also had fun wrapping up a project today. In so many ways my career lends itself to a lack of a sense of completion. There are always more jobs to fill, more candidates to find work for, more coaching to work on, more projects to take on. We’ve even tabbed it “completion deprivation.” One of the reasons I love woodworking is the sense of completion when the project is done. Today I totally soaked in that moment and enjoyed the sensation.

Thanks!!!

I know, this sounds crazy, but I appreciate hitting the grocery store by 8:30am on a Saturday. So many less people, the shelves are completely stocked. An early-ish shopping time like this is fantastic. One less thing to do tomorrow too! With all the stuff the boys have going on we’ll take advantage of it when we can.

Our half marathon training plan said today was a break from long distance in favor of a 5k. Should be a blast, right? 3.1 miles instead of 8? Done! Except when your first half includes running into 20+ mph headwinds. I don’t know that breathing while running has been that difficult for a reason outside of physical exertion. The wind was constantly shoving itself down my throat as I struggled to breathe. It sucked. That said, once I got my head in the right place it felt good to gut out a crappy feeling run like. Those are the ones that test my resolve and grit. Today I won (actually Becky won, but I beat the suck).

Homemade pizzas after church on a Saturday night just feel right. They can be a it of a pain, but well worth every pokey moment of it. An opportunity to create, experiment, and complete something while making something delicious and doing something for my family. They do so much other stuff for all of us, feels good to do something for them that they enjoy too. Throw in some bonus kitchen time with Gavin and it was a wonderful experience.

Thanks!!!