Author: Michael Kreiling

Thankful for a Little Good Luck, Recognizing Intent Over Action, & a Quiet Space

Day 3,411

Growth:

You just never know what the universe is going to throw your way sometimes! This afternoon I had two interesting curveballs thrown my way, both very positive. Gotta love it when it seems that a little old fashioned good luck seems to strike.

Appreciation:

After many iterations of doing the same project each year for the past two dozen years I found myself having a moment straight from Awareness by Anthony de Mello. Nothing crazy and enlightening, rather a moment of a chuckle in realizing how much I have done incorrectly in the past. Specifically, the moment of realizing that so much of what was done really didn’t matter, it was all for show. This time it was so much more clear, simple, and easy to do AND will likely be significantly more effective than it has been in the past. All I had to do was let go and realize how little the action itself meant, and honor the intent of it instead.

Presence:

I’ve started using a second space a little ways way from my usual office as a space to break away to focus on specific projects. Today that office very much served its purpose as I had to put extra focus into a time sensitive project. Having that quiet time in that space was exactly what the doctor ordered to get it all wrapped up and done!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Saying Yes, Okay Being Not Okay, & Running Outside

Day 3,410

Growth:

When someone offers to help always remember to say yes. Not only will they help lighten the load, you will likely see them shine! So thankful for heeding that advice today!!!

Appreciation:

Back in the day I used to think it wasn’t okay to not be feeling okay. For some reason I felt as if I had to always be positive, always be happy, and always look at the bright side. Sure, that’s definitely the preferred state, but it’s okay to not be once in a while. It is okay to be in a funk, feeling down, and just feeling off… as long as it is only for a little while and we remember that we can work our way out of it.

Presence:

Running outside early this morning was AMAZING!!! The warmer temperatures and fresh air combined with a starry and clear skies were exquisite! I was again reminded of how the absence of something really helps us appreciate it more, running outside was the perfect start to my day!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Planning to Achieve Dreams, Planning Another Epic Backpacking Trip, & Planting Dream Seedlings

Day 3,409

Growth:

If we want to live out our dreams we have to first dream them and then plan for them. Dream them, write them down, plan for them, and then make them happen. Today was a reminder to pause and plan in order to make things happen.

Appreciation:

Another dream / bucket list item is in the hopper and ready to go this year! Last year Dominic and I hiked in Patagonia. Becky and I hiked across the Grand Canyon in October. Gavin and I just got our permits to hike the Rockwall Trail in Kootenay National Park in Canada this summer! Another hiking dream to be knocked off this year, soooo pumped!!!

photo from https://happiestoutdoors.ca/rockwall-trail-guide/

Presence:

While I was focused on setting up our backpacking permits this morning I switched gears completely on my drive to work and back. Another subset of big dreams I have involve the ocean. In order to keep stoking those flames I’ve gone back to a favorite book of mine, Deep by James Nestor. Getting lost in the stories and science of the ocean was a wonderful balance to all of the mountain focus of the morning!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Creating Space Outdoors, Consistent Progress, & Same Trail, Different Family Member

Day 3,408

Growth:

Life is so much more simple when hiking outside! No stress, no deadlines, no urgency, no phones, no distractions. If we want focused one on one time to connect the time in the woods is one of the best places to create space.

Appreciation:

Each day I’m spending time walking back through my plan for the year. As I go over it again and again I’m finding that there are slightly different iterations sinking in each day, little nuggets embedding themselves into my subconscious that I’m pretty much unaware of until they happen to appear in action. Today was the focus on remembering to watch my mental diet as I was taking in a book about free diving. Another was when I caught myself taking a cold shower for the second day in a row as I start to put together my next four week goal towards my annual goals. It may seem monotonous some days, others I almost skip it as I already have it pretty much memorized, but as long as I rememebr to put in the reps each day I’m seeing progress slowly but surely being made.

Presence:

When Gavin and I took our hike in the bluffs this afternoon we shot the bull and enjoyed the time together. This completely the trifecta for me. Over the past month or so I’ve been out on the same trail with Becky, Dominic, and Gavin solo for a hike. In each case we had a wonderful time talking, connecting, and spending time with each other. While I stated it above I cannot overemphasize how awesome the undistracted and unrushed time together was.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Gavin’s Powerlifting Success

Day 3,407

Gavin had an epic breakout performance today. He’s been busting his butt in the gym with a goal of lifting 1,130 pounds between squat, bench press, & deadlift in order to qualify for the Wisconsin State Powerlifting Championship. Based on his practice he was hoping to have an outside chance of hitting it late in the season.

When he started today his opening weights put him at 975 pounds. Next thing we knew Gavin went full on beast mode on the squat and bench. He was 480 pounds short before the deadlift which he started at 405. On his last lift of the day he lifted the 480 pounds and punched his ticket to State!

This specific picture taken from the video says it all…

All that hard work and practice, the mental toughness, the grit and resilience. All exploded into an epic moment we will never forget!

Congrats on the success, so proud of the work, effort, and grit that made this moment possible for you! Love you Bud!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Sharing the Burden, Choices, & Oft Unseen Views of the Driftless

Day 3,406

Growth:

There is only so much one person can do, but there is so much more many can do. Don’t carry the burden alone, share it with those willing and offering to help. Allow them the opportunity to help others, allow yourself the opportunity to accomplish more together than alone.

Appreciation:

Life is full of choices. Some very large, some seemingly insignificant. In each of those choices we choose who we are. Each choice shapes us and molds us. Each can be undone, but each can also slowly add mass to our being. Some choices we seemingly don’t even make, the inertia of life more easily pulls us towards certain decisions. Regardless, we have the opportunity to choose how we respond to each and every single opportunity to decide. May we choose wisely, with intention, and accept all the decisions lead us to. We always have a choice to make, including how we respond to the choices we make.

Presence:

My past couple of days of drives to and from Winona for work have been opportunities to pause and view the majesty of the Driftless. As I’ve passed by the small valleys I’m able to see the frozen waterfalls normally hidden by the leaves of trees now barren. With no foliage the secret twists and turns of small creeks share their secrets, allow a view into their natural beauty normally unseen.

These views make me appreciate this area all the more, increase my desire to hike throughout the woods, to lose myself in the wonder of the Driftless.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Day 3,405

Rather than my typical format, I’m breaking away to give thanks to a book which makes me so uncomfortable for so many reasons. The best books in life often make us face things about ourselves we find difficult to face and easy to avoid. They push us to look deeper into ourselves, they challenge us to see the better versions of ourselves we could become. The self reflection is humbling, the gap between who we are and who we are called to be seems to stretch wider for a moment rather than closing.

That said, they also offer hope. Hope that we can begin to rise as others have, not through their same intense experiences, but in smaller ways, ordinary ways. The role models within the books show us the inner strength we have, the possibility of becoming greater than we are. They offer us hope in spite of showing us our frailty, possibly they are only able to offer hope after helping us see our own frailty.

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl is a life changing walk through one person’s experiences of a period of life so uncomprehendingly dark, yet is guided by an inner light which shines clearly for others to see. It is raw, brutal, and so revealing, not intending to be a story of heroism, rather an opportunity for us to see the potential within ourselves. There are so many moments of learning, opportunities for growth, all nestled within its covers. Each time I’ve read this book I’ve set it down shaking my head, feeling a quake in my soul, and feeling changed. It is a true “quake book,” one which changes your landscape forever as a result of having read it.

Here are a few stories of his survival in the concentration camps which really resonated for various reasons:

…But it is not for me to pass judgement on those prisoners who put their own people above everyone else. Who can throw a stone at a man who favors his friends under circumstances when, sooner or later, it is a matter of life or death? No man should judge unless he asks himself in absolute honesty whether in a similar situation he might not have done the same.

…I knew that in a working party I would die in a short time. But if I had to die there might at least be some sense in my death. I thought that it would doubtless be more to the purpose to try and help my comrades as a doctor rather than vegetate or finally lose my life as the unproductive laborer that I was then. For me this was simple mathematics, not sacrifice.

…We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl is one I will read, and read, and read until the end of my days.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Delegating, Die with Zero, & Pausing to Breathe

Day 3,404

Growth:

Offload the responsibilities others do better so you can do more of what you do better. Slowly but surely I’m learning to delegate… very slowly.

Appreciation:

One of the most positively impactful books I’ve read in the past few years is Die with Zero by Bill Perkins. As I wrapped up another reading of it today I found more ways to improve my long term plans for living my best life. So many insights and usable ideas! I’m looking forward to putting more of the strategies to paper this weekend.

Presence:

Taking a moment to pause, breathe, and relax. There is so much I want to get done, but only so much time and energy to do so. Pause and reflect on what matters most first and take the rest as I can.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Preventing Cognitive Dissonance, My College Social Psychology Class, & a Stunning Sunrise

Day 3,403

Growth:

The cognitive dissonance of doing one thing when knowing we could / should be doing another is incredibly draining. Accept what must be done, do it, and remember that thinking about the other will only lead to exhaustion.

Appreciation:

Throughout the day I had a handful of memories of my social psychology class at the U of M a while back. That class really opened my eyes to the science behind how people interact in groups and has had a lasting impact on me. There were no fewer than three times when the class came up today, each one reminding me to pause, be aware, and consider which actions made the most sense based on the situation. Wherever my TA, Yvette, currently is – thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion of human interaction with us!

Presence:

On my drive to Winona today I pulled over by the lake and just relaxed for a moment. The sky was that wonderful purple-ish pink, the moon was out, and there were hikers atop the bluff watching the sunrise. As if that were not already enough the sun broke the horizon and the sunbeams illuminated the ice overhangs of the climbing routes atop the bluffs. Magnificent!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Atomic Progress, Gratitude Themes Spanning a Decade, & a Gripping Story

Day 3,402

Growth:

While I’ve been tracking many things to start the year I am far from putting up a perfect score for a week, let alone a single day. What’s been most important to me is the pausing to be aware of my thoughts, my emotions, my actions, and my mindset. While there’s a very long way to go I’m seeing the little bits of progress like walking by the Butterfingers bars in the candy dish over half a dozen times rather than grabbing one or two every other trip by. That alone is not going to get me to the fitness standards I want to get to for my backpacking trips, but it certainly helps a little bit each time. Small changes that will all keep adding up over time with daily tracking to keep each action at the top of mind. Even when I fail I’m able to learn from the mistake and figure out a different plan for next time.

Appreciation:

I often mentioned the benefits of writing a blog post each day. The unintentional tracking of life, events, adventures, trials, triumphs, and everything in between has become a wonderful tool for reflection and growth. Sometimes I pull up a random post and read the posts that follow, so many memories are quickly rekindled. This has become a gift to myself, the bread crumbs my mind will need to bring back memories when I want to savor them.

Additionally, there’s another interesting benefit when I couple them with an AI tool, ChatGPT. I had ChatGPT review my blog posts, scour them for their content, and then asked a simply task: Review each calendar year of posts and write a tagline / theme for each year based on what I blogged about. The results were uncanny and certainly thought provoking! Not perfect, but interesting to see what a completely unbiased outside observer thought of my posts 🙂

2015: “Embarking on a Journey: The First Steps into Daily Gratitude.”

2016: “Building Foundations: Establishing a Habit, Discovering Joy.”

2017: “Trials and Triumphs: Choosing Gratitude Amidst Life’s Tests.” – This was the year I lost Dad

2018: “Deepening the Practice: Unveiling Layers of Thankfulness.”

2019: “Embracing the Everyday: Finding Beauty in the Mundane.”

2020: “Resilience in Reflection: Gratitude During Global Uncertainty.”

2021: “Renewal and Growth: Gratitude Fuels Personal Evolution.”

2022: “Strengthening Connections: Thankfulness in Relationships.”

2023: “Mindful Moments: Savoring the Present Through Gratitude.”

2024: “Less is More: Appreciating Simplicity and Presence.”

2025: “A Decade of Thanks: Reflecting on Ten Years of Gratitude.”

Presence:

One of the books I’m currently reading, The Humans by Matt Haig has totally wrapped me up in itself. Time seems to fly by as I get completely lost in the story. I find myself laughing out loud at the humor, having my emotions deeply moved by certain themes, and have to stop for a moment to soak in the concepts just shared. So much fun getting completely enthralled in great stories!

Thanks!!!