Earlier today we had our weekly learning session. After hitting our values very hard over the past 9+ months we opted for a slightly different direction. Each week one teammate shares something they are very passionate about. This week was my turn in the rotation and from the start I knew what I wanted to cover.

Having an active dream list has had a hugely positive impact on my life. From my first iteration of it on June 28th, 2007 through today I’ve got a running list of the dreams I would like to accomplish as well as the ones already knocked off the list. Fourteen years later I’m still shocked to find the increased percentage of success when I write my dreams down versus just dreaming them in my head.

In our learning session I shared how I used the process, what resources I’ve used in the past, and how we’ve worked together as a team in the past to help each other reach some of the lifelong goals we had.

The best part? We spent time sharing what some of our personal dreams were. Quite often one or more of us seemed to be adding another person’s idea to their personal lists as well. Sometimes the dreams were ones someone had already done or had some knowledge of the dream to help the person out. The only thing better than accomplishing our dreams is helping other accomplish theirs while fueling ours.

Sharing my passion of keeping a dream list was very rewarding and motivational. After I blog I’m planning on taking some time to add to my dream list. The team had some pretty sweet dreams that certainly caught my attention and fancy.

Thanks!!!

By 8pm last night the roads were sloppy, icy, and pretty much devoid of traffic. I was going to head to bed but inspiration struck as I looked outside. In an instant I was calling for Dominic to put a jacket on. When I told him where we were going Gavin decided he wanted to join us as well.

Where did we go? In some pretty awful wintery driving conditions after dark I took Dominic out for a driving lesson. He has to drive 30 hours to get his driver’s license, might as well get used to Wisconsin winter roads early while knocking out some hours!

I figured this would be a perfectly timed opportunity to get him out in greasy road conditions with bare minimal traffic. He had not really had any night driving experience yet so that was an added bonus.

We drove on roads with melted slush. We spent time on roads with lightly packed snow. When we were in a safe place with no traffic I had him drive outside of the ruts of past cars to feel how the deeper snow would move the car around. I had him hit the gas from a complete stop in an icy spot to see ho the car wouldn’t take off the same way. In a safe spot I had him get up a little speed and then jam on the brake and yank the wheel to see how it feels when the back starts to spin out. At another point he got to experience driving through deep snow going about 40mph and then sliding as he jammed on the brakes. His eyes got really wide and he said he had no idea the car would slide that far. It was perfect – almost every safe scenario we were able to play out to help him see how the car would handle in the snow and how it handled differently in all types of snow.

Having Gavin in the back seat taking note of the conversation and the feel of what was happening was a cool head start for his future driving lessons too.

I’m grateful for taking advantage of the unique opportunity last night. Driving in the snow is something I’ve learned to respect – not fear. Hopefully the lesson last night will help both the boys feel the same way.

Thanks!!!

Did anyone else catch the sunrise this morning? It was amazing! While getting dressed this morning I noticed the deep dark red of the sky. There was hardly any light, it was a dark crimson glow similar to the color of clouds over a volcano. As the sun slowly made its way across the horizon the shades of purples, reds, oranges, pinks, and yellows were so vivid and exquisite. By the time I got up to my workspace the east facing window allowed the light through just enough for the white west wall appear to have been painted a wild shade of pink and orange.

I was so lost in enjoying the sight that I only had time to take one quick picture from through my window. It hardly does it justice, but you’ll get the point:

Starting the workday off with a sight like that was perfect for a Monday!

I’m currently waiting for Gavin’s soccer practice to wrap up. It’s about 20 minutes from home and last for about an hour. Might as well bring my laptop and work from the car while I wait, right? That would’ve been an excellent idea… has I not forgotten my laptop sitting on countertop at home. Whoops! By the time Becky noticed I was past the point of no return.

Fortunately I had my ultra portable computer with me – my iPhone. The screen and keyboard are way smaller than the laptop but I have to pause and be grateful for a device like this. Thanks to the handheld computer I keep in my pocket o was able to wrap up the last few things I wanted to accomplish tonight and type this blog. It’s so easy to take the computing power of my iPhone for granted, today I’m taking time to appreciate it.

Thanks!!!

Earlier today Mom & StepBrad came to our house and we spent the majority of the day relaxing, talking, watching bald eagles, eating, playing games, and enjoying each others company. While their dog, Ruger, was being chased incessantly by Skywalker the rest of us largely chilled and shot the bull. I had an excellent time relaxing and catching up – what a perfect way to spend a Sunday! All six of us just hanging out and having fun with zero agenda. While we haven’t spent nearly as much time together as we’d all like this was another example of appreciating something so much more due to not having it as much as normal. Also, I’ve got to also mention how grateful I am for Mom bringing her zebra brownies… I love those tasty treats!

I’m also grateful for urban camping. To be sure, on the surface it was a total flop. The city lights were brighter than expected and sound pollution was a constant. At any moment there was either a bright light in my eyes or sounds of traffic or both. By 1:30am I finally admitted defeat and went inside for the rest of the night (the boys had already opted to head in earlier in the night). I had a choice to make. Be frustrated by living in the city and being surrounded by distraction… or…

…choose to use this as a reminder of why there is something so calming about being out in nature. Being directly confronted with the sounds and lights that I’ve been taking for granted for the past 15+ years reminded me of just how much background “noise” there is in city life. While it was frustrating to be distracted to the point I only tossed and turned for a few hours I can’t help be be thankful for the awareness it has brought me. I understand more than ever why I appreciate being in the woods – not only for what it offers, but now for realizing what it lacks and how that adds to its mystique.

Urban camping, not nearly as enjoyable as I’d hoped, but at least it was still time in the outdoors, time to think , and an opportunity to learn more about myself.

Thanks!!!

Over the past week I’ve been working on making a couple of changes. I’m focusing on my diet and setting a clear goal based on helping me achieve more of my other goals. Additionally, I’m taking more specific action towards another goal thanks – more on that one at a later time. Both of these changes have been largely inspired by friends of mine. I’m grateful for friends who have a positive influence in my life. Thanks everyone!!!

This is the second time I’m blogging from my hammock and I’m pretty pumped about that. Yes, I have a perfectly good bed that I could be sleeping in, but I really felt like soaking up a little more fresh air today.

The weather today was outstanding! What a perfect day to get outside to clean the grill, mess around with my camping hammock, and to eat outside. The sun was out, the temperature was perfect, and I was able to enjoy it with my family – how perfect is that?

Back to sleeping in the great (urban) outdoors!

Thanks!!!

Maybe I’m a little strange Okay, I know I’m a more than a little strange, but I am thinking I may not be alone on this one. When you’re talking with someone who is by the ocean do you ever suddenly remember the scent of the sea, hear the slow crashing of waves, and feel a cool ocean breeze?

This afternoon I had the pleasure of talking with someone who lives on the ocean… like right off of one of the most beautiful beaches in Southern California. When she mentioned walking her dog on the beach I swear there was a change in the air in my office. Suddenly I was no longer in Wisconsin, I was on the coast. The funny thing is that while I immediately pictured an amalgamation of several of my favorite beaches they fit perfectly into a uniform whole. There was the smell of salt water and ocean in the cool breeze blowing in from across the sea. It took all my concentration to stay focused on the conversation at hand as opposed to drifting off to memories of perfect days at the beach. When she mentioned spending time on the beach meditating that same sensation of being at the coast rolled right back over me. It was awesome!

COVID took much of the wind out of the sails of traveling to the ocean this year. In times like this I’m thankful for the memories I’ve already made by the ocean and for the dreams I have that I’ll live one day of being back (and possibly living there for extended lengths of time). While I can’t be at the ocean right now I can remember to use my passion for being on the coast to fuel future dreams while also creating smiles from excellent memories.

Ahh… the ocean… the beach… the coast… I may be missing you now, but I’ll be back before you know. In the meantime I’ll keep smiling as I look back to memories made by the sea.

Thanks!!!

…yawn…

It is way past bed time for this old dude! Up before 4:40am and now late to bed before another early morning tomorrow. Should I have gone to bed earlier? Totally. Am I thankful for making the right decision and staying up late laughing with friends? 100%.

Hanging out online with a few of my buds was a total blast tonight! Just joking around, playing a game, and laughing until it hurts were the only items on the agenda. So much fun on a Thursday night.

Yup, I’ll definitely be tired in the morning. Each time I yawn tomorrow I’ll pause, remember the laughs, smile, and I’ll know it was well worth staying up late for.

Thanks!!!

Sometimes I’ve got a blog in me all bottled up and ready to go and all I need to do is let it loose. Other times the act of sitting down to type my blog is exactly what my brain needs to process the events of the day. The writing itself becomes a combination of thinking, learning, reinforcement, and therapy. Tonight? Tonight is totally one of the nights when I’m looking forward to taking the time to pause, slow down, and think.

My morning started off with intentionality. I was sure to go to bed early last night to be well rested to jump right back into reality. It felt wonderful to get back into my normal routine of reading, thinking, and reviewing my goals before getting out of bed.

Last week I was grateful for the opportunity to let a thought sit and ferment over a long period of time before taking action. I utilized that process again today and it paid huge dividends. My initial train of thought would not have been nearly as effective as where my thoughts eventually led. At one point I paused and smiled and soaked in the joy of seeing something come together almost perfectly. Without intentionality I usually tend towards taking action. Pausing before taking action was exactly what led to success.

Today I’m thankful for not visiting Dad. Dominic learned a valuable life lesson about driving today. Meanwhile, I am pretty sure he shaved a year off of my life in the process. Everything is good, nothing was damaged and no one was hurt – excepting, of course, my heart. After the shock subsided and my blood pressure went back down I got a laugh out of knowing that I must have done the same to my parents way back in the day when I learned to drive.

I’m also thankful for perspective. In thinking about Dominic’s maneuver while driving I couldn’t help but think about how I would have reacted if I were in the other car. Would I have been frustrated and angry or calm, forgiving, and understanding of a novice driver? I know the answer, it wouldn’t be the right one, and that’s something I need to remember.

I’m grateful for open mindedness and seeing new metaphors to help me understand some of the deeper thoughts of life. There are so many things I’ll most likely never understand while I walk this earth, but I know that if I keep a closed mind I am certain to never see or understand them. By keeping an open mind I can provide an opportunity to possibly see something to help me truly see. When listening to a podcast on our trip there was a discussion about finding ways to see different types of energy in outer space. Before we learned how to see them we didn’t know they existed. Once we saw them we were able to better understand. What in life am I not seeing as I am not ready to see it yet or haven’t been looking for in the right way?

One of the other thoughts ringing through my head over the past day or so is the need to create space for creative time. There is a time and place for busy-ness and action, but there is also a time for quiet thought and creation. In many ways, that is exactly what this has become for me tonight. I am thankful for so many things today – some I’ve written about and others I’m holding in my heart – but taking the time to write and create this evening is what is providing me the opportunity to appreciate all of those blessings even more this evening.

There was more I’d like to write, but I have a LuLu to attend to. With being away from home she’s decided it’s time for me to stop writing. My focus should be on her – according to her. 😉

Thanks!!!

COVID may have thrown our vacation plans for a loop, but we were still able to figure out ways to have a safe family road trip. From the St Louis Arch to Hot Springs National Park to digging for gems to spending time with Becky’s sister and our brother in law our road trip was a huge success. There were many smiles and many memories made while also remembering past trips as a family.

One part of the road trip I’m always grateful for is a safe return home. It’s easy to get missed and taken for granted, but it’s definitely something to be thankful for. Getting home on time, in one piece and 100% healthy is the best part of wrapping up any vacation.

Something else I’m thankful for is a specific podcast that Becky downloaded and got us both hooked on – StarTalk by Neil deGrasse Tyson. What an awesome way to be reminded of the wonder of the natural world (and many other topics)! In our time on the road I learned more about black holes, the concept of time, volcanoes, and astrophysics than I’ve learned in my entire life combined. The funny thing was that Becky really nailed the way we were feeling about black holes – “the more I learn the less I understand.” The podcasts were a perfect way to keep learning while also staying entertained during hours and hours of driving. I haven’t done the Patreon thing yet, but this would be one of the first I’d contribute to.

Thanks!!!

What’s your favorite autobiography? If you were going to recommend one autobiography to a friend, which would it be? What is it that you appreciate the most about that book? What was the biggest insight you took away from it? Why are you grateful for reading it?

One of the reasons I enjoy reading autobiographies is the ability to see the world through someone else’s eyes. By pausing my life to read about theirs I’m able to see how differing thought processes work. Often I catch myself in my own paradigms of thought as those thoughts are the ones I know best. When I think of my life experiences I have the tendency of thinking that everyone has had the same life experiences.

The most recent autobiography I’ve had in hand is The Push by Tommy Caldwell. I’m only a little ways in, but I’m already enjoying the story behind how one of the greatest climbers of all time grew into that title. Reading about his childhood has left me scratching my head on more than one occasion already. A few times I’ve had to pause, go backwards, and then remind myself that he was only 6 when he climbed Devils Tower, only 12 when he climbed The Diamond at Long’s Peak. I like to think I’m pushing the boys by having us go out to camp several times each year. When he was six he’d go off camping by himself. It’s wild!

Reading an autobiography like this is such a great way to help me expand my mindset and views. Hearing the extremes people will go to for their passions motivates me to do the same for mine. When I think something isn’t possible I can remind myself of how many times others have done the impossible. It is also common to go through periods of questioning themselves – the difference is that they push through instead of listening to the voice in their head.

Thanks!!!