Our drive back home today was amongst the most peaceful of all time. Each of us were pretty chill and off in our own thoughts (or devices) and it was a stark contrast to the activities of the past weekend. Having time to largely enjoy the sound of silence was a great way to chill after an excellent night of Christmas festivities with a very large family.

Before hitting the road we spent some extra time at Ken & Mary’s. No agenda, no specific reason, just some bonus conversation time. We had a great time just talking about anything and everything as we all chilled and relaxed. The bonus conversation was a wonderful way to wrap up the holiday season with their family.

Tonight we’re chilling on the couch, just the four of us, watching A Christmas Story and joking around. We’re sharing stories, laughing, and having a blast together. Frozen food for dinner, popcorn as a snack, and a little hot chocolate – exactly what the doctor ordered 😉 This is the best way I could imagine finishing up Christmas night.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Thanks!!!

LOL – I know, I sound like a broken record. Same type of blog multiple times in the past week. What can I say, I know what I like? 😁👍

Today becky and I got a great hike in on some snowy trails. In addition to the usual beauty of the woods we were treated to various animal tracks in the snow. Deer, rabbits, and squirrel trails were everywhere. As we went deeper into the wood we found some coyote tracks that were fresh from yesterday. Further along the path we found tracks that were much fresher and and were atop the coyote. Turns out they were bobcat tracks, how cool is that?

After our hike I went out with Ken and the kids for some four wheeler riding on the trails. The rain started just as we headed out and we spent the next hour or so riding in the woods in the rain. It was wild! Thanks to some rainproof clothes I stayed dry and warm while having fun watching the kids drive each other around on sleds through the trail.

Another day of lost of time outside, perfect!

Thanks!!!

Nothing like a long walk in the woods, especially in the sun on an unseasonably warm day. This afternoon we had the opportunity to hit some of Ken and Mary’s trails. While the boys zoomed through the woods on four wheelers with their cousins we wandered the trails with no set destination. What a wonderfully relaxing way to start sometime off!

Before we left town I paused and struggled to decide which book to bring along with. I kept leaning towards some of the more dense reading I’ve been doing, but I knew I was forcing it rather than going with my gut. At the last second I happened to notice If It Bleeds by Stephen King. In an instant it was packed up in the car.

My brain needed to get some space and relax. Reading it has felt like the right decision for sure. I was quickly rewarded more than I’d imagined possible. Imagine my surprise when I came across a paragraph which helped offer advice to a challenge I’d had. Without getting into too detail the paragraph was more specific and detailed than I could ever have thought possible. It was truly uncanny. Leave it to Stephen King to surprise me yet again!

Thanks!!!

A while back I started using the WeCroak app to get several quotes throughout the day to remind me to be present and alive in this short time I am blessed to have. When I saw a quote that really hit home for me I took a screenshot and saved to go back to for future reference. Once in a while, and more often recently, I go back through the album of those saved quotes and review them.

Through reading and rereading the quotes I’m starting to get the at a deeper level than I initially did. The more I go back to them the more I catch myself recalling them during my waking hours without the need of a reminder. They keep helping me hone my thoughts and values while reminding me to stay present.

Such a simple practice, taking a screen shot of great quotes. Maybe next year I’ll start writing them so I have a physical copy to go back to for review. I can see taking them out in the solitude of the woods to read and think on while surrounded by nature. Somewhere in that peace they may take an even deeper root.

Thanks!!!

Once again I’m amazed at how the universe seems to work sometimes. When there is something specific I need to hear, need to witness, or need to have attention drawn to it seems as if there is a never ending supply of that very thing… if I remember to watch and listen closely for it.

Today I found comfort and understanding from an unlikely source. A nugget of wisdom that helped me see I wasn’t alone. A conversation reminding me of purpose. Quotes leading me toward me growth. Thoughts pushing me towards where I want to go in the next twelve months. Reminders of the blessings I have to be grateful for. Opportunities to live into the type of me I should grow into.

All I need already surrounds me. I must remember to listen, breathe, and surrender to it rather than assert my desires onto the present. Before I ask for what I want God has already provided what I need.

Thanks!!!

My drive to work started with The Woods by Hollow Coves and led into another handful of their songs. Time alone in my car, my space to breathe and think. As I once explained it to a teammate, my car is sometimes the cave I need to disappear into to reset a bit. Listening to Hollow Coves while driving by newly formed stalactites of ices hanging impossibly off the bluffs with a pinkish hue thrown off by the soon to rise sun was total bliss. The moon slowly setting behind the bluffs over the rolling hills of the cemetery added more beauty and wonder to the drive. Yes, I drive a little ways out of my way most days in Winona to intentionally pass slowly by a cemetery… A wonderful reminder to live in the moment while I am still fortunate to have one.

One of the songs helped get me moving towards a possible theme for me to consider for 2022. My mind has been drifting to next year and thinking about my goals and focus for the upcoming spin around the sun. In the lyrics of the song I heard a line which came so close to summing up my thoughts… so close, but just not quite right. Progress, always an excellent feeling.

Recently my reading list has been full of some pretty dense and thought provoking stuff. I’ve still got my copy of The New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton on my nightstand, but I realized I could use a little levity. After considering a handful of potential reads from friends I couldn’t help but go back to favorite of mine – Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. What’s interesting to me is the depth I’m finding in it this second time around. I remember bits but not much of the actual plot and am getting a deeper insight into the characters on this second trip with them. It’s fun, entertaining, and exactly what my brain needs at the moment (along with an early bed time).

Thanks!!!

Once in a while my blog posts are the result of the ongoing rumination of my mind. They start as a seed floating on the wind. Occasionally one of the seeds take root. Today is an awesome example of that.

Sometimes I need contrast in my life to help me see a bigger picture. When it is in focus other aspects of life seem to make more sense. Should I take this path I can expect to see this, otherwise I can see that. The clarity provided through experience of the contrast helps me choose a better path.

In many ways it is similar to the concept of only truly appreciating something when it is gone. The potential paths look so ethereal in concept and so much more concrete when shown specific examples. Contrast can really help push me forward as I more completely understand the potential destinations.

Thanks!!!

After breakfast with our whole family the four of us took off for a walk through the sand dunes surrounding the place we’re staying for our family Christmas in Nekoosa. The views were pretty awesome, I had no idea we had sandy plains like this so close to where we live. The terrain was very unlike what I was expecting.

While walking on the dunes there was something I kept noticing. Due to the wind blowing the tall grass and shrubs around the leaves and stems made beautiful circles in the sand. The geometric patterns that nature traced in the sand with her own creation was spectacular in its simplicity.

There was a pond at the base of the sand dune, right in our backyard. Dominic had found a golf ball and threw it across the pond. It took one bounce off the ice and landed in our backyard. A moment later there was a lovely and magical sound made by the ice. It started at one side of the pond and worked its way across the pond, paused, and then reverberated back across. I can’t even begin to describe the sound, it was so unlike anything I’ve heard before – the sound of beauty in nature.

Great time with family, great time outside. Perfect!

Thanks!!!

As I was checking out from Festival Foods today another couple approached me and started a fun conversation with me as I scanned my groceries. Within moments we were laughing and smiling as if we were all long lost friends. By the time I left all three of us were grinning and chuckling.

So much joy from a simple conversation with strangers.

It is so easy to stay closed up, stare at my phone, and ignore other people around me. There is an appeal to being disconnected from others, but how often have I missed the opportunity to experience the joy of connecting with others?

As I spend more time in thought and listen deeper to the world around me this moment really stuck out. Such an ordinary encounter, yet the meaning rang clearer than a well struck bell in the cold winter air. There was something so extraordinary in that ordinary moment. The presence of something greater.

The connection of strangers in smile and conversation… there’s the voice of Father Mark resonating in my head. Something about “God’s favorite dwelling place inside the souls of others.”

Of all of the moments I’ve experienced today that one fleeting conversation with a couple of strangers has touched me more deeply than it had any right to. Pure joy. Connection. The feeling of love for others. Beauty.

So simple, so complex, and I am so grateful.

Thanks!!!

One of my favorite parts of Saturday Night Live back in the 90’s was Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey. Amongst his many humorous quips was something along the lines of:

“Sometimes the so called experts actually are.”

Jack Handey

After all these years it still makes me chuckle!

While I often like to fix things on my own there are times when it is best to bring in the experts. I was reminded of this today as I reached out for advice on a specific challenge. Prior to the conversation I’d done plenty of homework and thought I already had it all figured out, but I still wanted the expert advice to make sure I wasn’t missing anything.

As luck would have it my assessment was proven to be pretty much spot on. Before I could congratulate myself for my work the expert then else to down an entirely different path that I didn’t even know existed. By the time our conversation was complete I’d quickly realized how improved my thought process could be thanks to the advice I’d just received.

There is a definite cost to expert advice, but it is money well invested. Through one conversation with an expert my outlook has been greatly improved.

Thanks!!!