Day 3,168

Growth:

When we share our joy it multiplies. When we share our burden it divides.

Liz Bohannon

Amen!!!

Appreciation:

My good friend Amanda referred me to this book:

Right book at the right time, no doubt. Over the past 24-ish hours I’ve been devouring it and my soul is feeling fulfilled.

Presence:

This moment right here 👇

Thanks!!!

Day 3,167

Growth:

Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and then go and do that because what the world needs is people who come alive.

Howard Thurman

Appreciation:

In order to think clearly we need space. Having a travel day for work mixed with the change of scenery allowed me an opportunity to attain distance and pause to think. In the same environment it becomes easy to get used to “the same old,” the change helps me view from a different perspective. Very much appreciated today!

Presence:

Nothing quite like sharing a laugh from hundreds of miles away! Dominic sent me a text that cracked me up while I was in the airport.

I just started listening to Endurance, and wow!!! The narrator talking about Shackleton wanting to escape the monotony of everyday life while I’m literally doing the same thing for 10 hours is peak irony!

So thankful for the ability to share jokes and especially for the foundation of our relationship which made this joke both possible and hilarious for us!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,166

Growth:

Scripts are helpful for planning, but real talking is more authentic and effective.

Appreciation:

While life has been dying by at ludicrous speed lately we received some AMAZING news today – Becky and I got our permits and will be hiking from rim to rim across the Grand Canyon on an epic backpacking adventure this fall!!! Bring on another chapter of the dream list!!!

Presence:

Dominic and fired up a video on skiing down K2 in the Himalayas as we ate supper. We shared a moment of awe in seeing both a spectacular challenge and the epic landscape of the mountains. Even on the TV it was easy to see just how much more grand that range is than any we’ve seen in person.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,164

Growth:

While on our upcoming vacation I’m going to take my family through a little training session as a part practice and part family enrichment exercise. This evening I was compiling the info and prepping for the training and I was smiling the entire time.

When in doubt if whether something is truly a passion or not one need only look at whether they are so fired up about something that they will work on it on a Sunday night voluntarily AND feel more joyful as a result.

Appreciation:

Dominic spent almost two hours making his lunches for the week and cleaning up the kitchen afterwards. He really has been getting the full “adulting” experience with his weekly meal prep and it has me smiling. These moments are an excellent opportunity for him to continue to transition towards being a completely independent adult while still having support all around.

Presence:

Becky and I took Leia for a walk this morning, so relaxing being outside while the weather was perfect! The road we typically walk her on was closed to cars so we had even more chill time in the woods. With the crazy hyper pace we’ll be sprinting until Saturday morning this was a welcome moment of calm together.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,163

Here’s the list for tonight as I’m going to crash shortly:

• Kicking the weekend in gear and knocking out grocery shopping while it is raining
• Good coffee!
• Packing for travel early
• Hiking through the marsh with a ton of birds, turtles, a muskrat, and my family
• Watching Gavin’s 4×400 relay team over-perform and take 4th at state!
• Dinner as a family in the deck followed by board games and a movie.

Thanks!!’

Day 3,162

Growth:

Lead by example. Do the right thing. Admit mistakes. Learn and grow. Go outside the comfort zone.

Appreciation:

Spending time at the Wisconsin State Track Meet was wildly rewarding. So motivating to see all the athletes giving their all in the culmination of their hard work throughout the season.

Presence:

The moment we saw the pole vaulter from all the way across the shot put pit and the track launch himself into the air to become the first Wisconsin high schooler to ever fly over a 17’ 2” bar. The roar of celebration from thousands. All the athletes and spectators picking their jaws up off the ground. Truly remarkable!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,161

Growth:

Is the universe putting more opportunity in front of me or am I just finally opening my eyes and becoming aware of what has been all around me this whole time? Regardless of the answer, how cool to see bread crumbs leading me in the right direction from so many different sources recently!

Appreciation:

What a feeling when the work day is full of work that brings much joy and almost the entirety of it is spent in a state of flow! So many things worked out better than expected, there were many unanticipated wins, and each time I went outside of my comfort zone and tried something new I was rewarded with growth and/or success. Remembering to rely on the strengths of others really paid off over and over again, as well as looking back to past experiences to help direct right action. An awesome day all around!

Presence:

I’m going in a fairly different direction on this one today. There was a moment of awareness when I was about to move into another task. Rather than jumping in I opted to pause and let my brain chill, to do something distracting rather than productive. Though it was only for a moment I caught myself in the act of the process and did some quick self assessment on why I was choosing to waste a couple of minutes rather than be productive. It was an interesting moment of insight, one which will help me make better choices in the future.

Nothing like a little awareness to bring immediate presence!

Day 3,160

Growth:

There’s a huge gap between intentionally living towards a goal and drifting towards wherever life decides to take us. While there’s nothing wrong with drifting we can’t be certain that we will head in the right direction. When living towards a goal we need to maintain flexibility to be grateful for something close to the goal we wanted as life doesn’t always allow exactly what we want… but it will more often be closer to the original goal than just following the drift.

Live intentionally, move in the direction of big dreams on purpose. Adjust the sails as needed, be flexible.

Appreciation:

When we get outside of ourselves and remember that we can accomplish more with others it is amazing how the world seems to open itself up to us! Over the past two days there have been several times in which I normally would have taken something on myself rather than “bother” someone else with the task. Instead I’ve been intentional in keeping myself open and listening for opportunities to let others help towards a common goal. The more I listen the more people want to jump in and the more joy we all have as we accomplish more than we would have individually. What fun!

I wrote about this concept of allowing others the opportunity to help, funny that I am still slowly but surely starting to work on living into that better almost seven years later!

Presence:

When I was a kid, mowing the lawn was the WORST!!! Not only was it tedious, but I was so allergic to the grass, dust, & mold that I would be stuffed up for days afterwards.

As an adult, what a relaxing and chill recreational activity! Put in my earbuds, listen to a little music, savor some outdoor time, feel productive with minimal effort, AND my allergies have pretty much disappeared. This evening was a reminder of how much I enjoy the time outside!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,159

Growth:

Read wide and then read deep. Get as many different flavors and ideas going in my brain as possible, let them continue to bounce off each, allow them to marinate, and when the timing is right dive deep into the books which are most connected.

I’m continually amazed by the ability of a book I skimmed through over a decade ago to quickly come roaring back to top of mind when it finds the right combination of new ideas and challenges.

Appreciation:

When the right idea or opportunity presents itself it is interesting to see how many signs point in that direction. Today there were three conversations which all led back to another crazy idea I’m hatching!

Presence:

Driving through three distinct downpours, seeing a steady stream of blue skies followed by clouds followed by blue skies followed by clouds, and observing a rainbow painted on a tapestry of rain of the past downpour was amazing!!!

Thanks!!!