It is easy for me to get my mind in a bit of a slump for a day. One thing doesn’t go as planned, the next thing is a little off, and next thing I know I’ve let the day snowball.
Today I’m grateful for remembering that each moment is an individual opportunity to choose my attitude, my perspective, my emotions, and my perspective. Just because one thing doesn’t go as planned or I make a mistake or I choose a poor attitude doesn’t mean that the day, hour, or even minute are shot. Even in that moment of imperfection it is an opportunity for me to learn and grow – a reason to be grateful.
Each moment is a unique opportunity to live into my best self… even if I wasn’t living into it a moment ago. Then is gone, the future is not a guarantee. Live in the now.
My morning routine is pretty straightforward. Wake up, turn on my bedside light with my eyes closed. Lay there and let my eyes adjust through my eye lids for 15 seconds or so. Open my eyes, reach for my book, and read the page for the day. Set the book down, think on the reading for a moment. Reach for my phone, re-read my 2021 framework and then my dream list. Take a deep breath, get out of bed.
When I start my morning with a thought provoking reading followed by reviewing my values, goals, dreams and other short lists my mind is very active. I see the concept I just read about and envision how I can live it. Simple. Easy. Just save that thought in my backpack for later and then pull it out when needed. Execute the concept flawlessly in the heat of the moment the first time. Repeat. Easy. Simple.
Ahh… the benefits of philosophy in a vacuum. So very simple.
Reality seems to offer a very different set of challenges. There are other people involved. There are emotions involved. Variables not discussed in a book seem to change the calculus of the solution. That simple, easy, and flawless execution dreamt about while laying in bed? Not a chance. While in bed the concept is a dream, in reality the concept is action. The action is always so much more difficult to execute than the dream.
Today I was reminded of the difference of my early morning philosophy and reality on several occasions. In some cases I did not act in the way I’d envisioned and thought about. In other situations I executed almost how I’d imagined. Had I not practiced in the morning I would have most likely failed all in action today. By having reality rough me up a little today I was able to see the areas I need to work on. I was able to see progress – both already made and in the future. Experiencing the difference between early morning philosophy and reality today reminded me to practice more completely in the morning, to envision the action happening and not just think of the concept in a vacuum.
At the core of it I am thankful for both thinking on how to act and then actually acting in reality. If my mindset stays focused on growth I can find ways to improve and grow. If I get frustrated at either side my progress will stagnate, then wither, and then die. I’m grateful for remembering to cut myself some slack for my imperfections while also holding myself to higher standards. It’s kind of a weird dichotomy, but if I stay the course I’m excited to see where it grows.
Over the past couple of years when the temperature dropped below zero Becky and I would opt for an indoor run instead. Not only have we moved that dial a bit, but we’re wearing less layers than we would have been wearing at significantly warmer temperatures.
This morning was a chilly one! Based on the air temperature and wind chill we were at -6. We kind of both looked at each other and shrugged. Becky then pointed out that the 50+ year old guy we watched on the video last night was shown surviving in Alaska and being out and about in the wild when it was -45. If he can do that cold we can easily do this, right? And off we went.
There were times on the run when I was a little chilly, especially at the beginning. By the time we’d wrapped up our miles and were back on our street I shucked my shirt and jacket as I was sweating. When we got to our house I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of my shirt and jacket both showing frost and ice where the sweat had been just a few minutes earlier. The ice in my beard was a little extra thick and took longer to thaw than some of our past runs.
At the start of our run I just kept thinking about Richard Proenneke living in his 45 degree cabin, spending time outside in -25 to -45 degree weather. Me spending time in my 58 degree workshop/office and running for a small handful of miles when it’s -5? In perspective it really wasn’t that bad. It’s really about acclimatizing to our surroundings.
I cannot choose the weather or the temperature, I can only chose how I react to it. Remembering that it isn’t that cold, that I can get used to it, and keeping the right perspective can help me not only survive it but thrive in it.
This past Friday the boys and I watched a video a good friend had shared with me. Mike (my friend, not me talking about myself in the third person 😉) said this one was right up my alley, especially with as much as the boys and I enjoy watching Alone. Not only did I enjoy it immensely, I loved it so much that it was fired up for an encore presentation tonight so Becky could see it too!
The video is Alone In the Wilderness and is focused on the first year (of 30+) in which Richard Proenneke moves to the Alaskan wilderness and builds a cabin by hand. Did I mention he also built his own tool handles, fireplace, cooler, sled, and hinges? Watching him craft a cabin out of the wilderness was mind blowing and inspirational. The entire time he also shot footage of the beautiful national park all around him in views that looked th
The entire movie is a balance of so many of the passions in my life. As I think of how I choose to live my life this year (& moving forward) I can’t help but see many ways in which this movie will help guide me and my actions.
I’ve written many blog posts inspired by Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. My paperback copy goes on all vacations with me and has been read many times. So many of the concepts run through my brain on a very regular basis – though my actions don’t always live into them. Regardless, it has become one of the guiding lights of my joy, gratitude, and mindset.
Throughout Meditations and scattered across many of the Stoic books, newsletters, and articles I read have been a few names. One in particular seems to appear more often than others. When I see this specific name, Epictetus, I smile and prepare my mind for exercise.
When I’ve been tempted to read his Discourses I’ve felt a knot in my stomach as I’ve been told it is difficult to read. As such I’d picked up a copy a couple of months ago, read the first pages, and then decided for some lighter fare. After wrapping up Into the Wild and intermittently reading The MeatEater Guide to Wilderness Skills and Survival I was ready for another book to add to the rotation. Discourses by Epictetus popped into my brain, I took a deep breath, and started to read.
To be sure, I am taking my time as it is dense. I’m only a small handful of chapters in and have a long ways to go.
That said, my mind is already blown with his ideas and writings. It is readily apparent that Epictetus is at the core of Stoicism. So much to take in, so much that has quickly taken hold, and actions and thoughts have already been adapted thanks to the initial chapters of this book.
I’m so grateful for finally taking the plunge and diving in!
There was some time spent in the kitchen today. Between cooking for today, cooking for tomorrow, and cooking my lunches for the week there was a lot of activity going on in the kitchen. More than a couple of times I paused and realized there were some valuable lessons to be learned from my time creating in there. Some include:
Taking on too many tasks at once adds extra stress and typically takes longer than a well thought out plan of one activity at a time.
Recipes and guidance from others are incredible places to start, but the best creations come from adding some of our own ideas to the mix.
Taking time to complete a project in advance when there is extra time is preferred to waiting until it must be completed with a deadline looming.
Just because you think you have enough of something doesn’t guarantee that you actually do.
Life is full of surprises and curveballs – it is up to me to decide to face them, or even welcome them with open arms, with a smile or a scowl.
What a delicious way to learn and remember great life lessons!
The boys had a pretty sweet Scout meeting today and had the opportunity to enjoy some broomball. I took the opportunity to run to the grocery store quickly before they needed to be picked up. With a couple of minutes to spare I pulled in to pick them up. They were having so much fun that they all just kept right on playing. No worries, enjoy boys! I remembered to pack a book 😁. I was grateful for the opportunity to sit back and read thanks to remembering to grab a book on my way out.
Great joy can be found in the most mundane of tasks when I choose the right mindset. For whatever reason I was actually fairly excited to clean the floors of some of the rooms in our house. I took great pleasure in knowing the goal of the activity. I knew what needed to happen to get it done. I was able to see progress towards my goal. There were several times when I could have taken a short cut but instead chose to do it right. I was active and moving. For much of the time I had a great audiobook playing on my headphones while I was cleaning. For whatever reason I just really got into cleaning and thoroughly enjoyed it!
What I grateful for from this experience is a story to remind myself of the choice I have to make when I have a task in front of me. Whether unique or mundane there is great joy to be found in doing it if I choose the right attitude and live into my best values.
The winds may be bitter but there is something about a walk in a winter sunset that warms the soul. Becky, Gavin, and I went out for a walk in the early evening as the sun descended below the horizon and walked through the pink to purple to darkness. Fresh air feels amazing in my lungs, even if it is well below zero due to the wind. This is the first winter I can remember in which I’ve found great warmth and joy in the depth of the cold.
Earlier in the work day I had a pleasant surprise. I’ve gotten myself into the habit of cleaning up my mailbox on Friday. When I have about 5-15 minutes in between calls at some point in the day I pick out the next folder of saved emails that were saved but have never been re-read. I utilize the opportunity to cull the herd and empty out my mailbox. One of the notes I came across today had me smiling and gave me a 10 minute bout of “shiny syndrome.”
Scattered throughout all fo my note taking apps are various notes titled “Music” or something along those lines. What follows are listings of songs I heard that hit home that I wanted to remember. Sometimes I go back and wonder what I was thinking and other times I hit Play and then Rewind a couple of times. They’re the jewels I stumbled into that will become future staples.
One of the ones I happened across today was AWESOME!!! It’s a song by Bob Schneider, a dude I’d never heard of until Pandora or YouTube put in front of me. From the opening chord today I was mesmerized listening to the tune play again. It’s a song about two things that fit together perfectly, that were meant to be, and that are right together. As soon as I heard the lyrics I was thinking about Becky and I. If there was a song I’d write for her that fit my personality and use of metaphors that sometimes only seems to make sense to me this would possibly be that song. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/0tTYpe25i6c
In some ways it is like the song Long December by Counting Crows. The hit of one lyric reminds me of looking across a church to see Becky smile at me twenty plus years ago.
“All at once you look across a crowded room to see the way that light attaches to a girl”
I hear both of those songs and I pause to be grateful for the awesomeness Becky has brought to my life. To happen to stumble into 40 Dogs was something that brought a huge smile to my face today and I’m incredibly thankful for this musical re-discovery!
Today’s been an awesome mix of many wonderful moments. There were more than a couple of times when I was in a full on state of flow. More than a handful of times I felt as if I were living into my purpose. Throughout the day I made progress on a few long term goals and dreams and even set up a trip to visit this beautifully scenic place in the picture below. I lived into my values, grew in ways I wasn’t expecting, saw the progress of many reps, and enjoyed pretty much every moment of it. There may not have been one big thing, but my entire mood is very well described as fulfilled. If I don’t wake up tomorrow I would be going out on a high note, with a smile, and no regrets.
I’m wore out, tired, and ready to head off to bed before starting it all back up tomorrow. Today I’m grateful for all of the moments that made today such a fulfilling day.
There have been a few times I’ve written about my “Fortress of Solitude.” That was the way I looked at our trip to Isle Royale a couple of years ago. Completely cut off from the world it was one of the most peaceful times of my life. Since then I’ve used the term for other places including the UP of Michigan.
Tonight I found a little slice of my Fortress of Solitude in a very unexpected place – on a ski hill amongst a large group of people. I was well beyond six feet from everyone but it was a crowd nonetheless. Dominic’s snowboard race was unexpectedly pushed back to after the skiers so I suddenly found myself with a lot of extra time on my hands as the sun was going down.
I already had my headphones on so I turned on The Hollow Coves album Moments and focused on the scenery around me. Instead of seeing the people I saw the snow, I saw the birds, I saw the bluffs, and I saw the trees. I focused on the smell of winter. The music hid the sound of people and my mind kept the crowd out of sight so I could be in solitude… even with so many people around. It was awesome!
If you’d like a taste of what I was listening to you can catch the song that helped me reach that peaceful state at https://youtu.be/Qxqi12Nj1ig
Thankful for Forty 