Day 2,838

Growth:

Once upon a time one of my mentors shared that my dream of work life balance was a pipedream.

“There’s no such thing as work life balance. There’s only life. The key is to be present where you need to be when you need to be there. If you need to be with family be 100% focused on family, if work needs focus be there 100%. Be where you need to be in the moment.”

Mark Tasler

While today has seemed quite out of balance in some ways it’s also one in which I smile remembering his lesson. Today is a day for working, stay present there. I’ve had time with family and will have more time with family, be here now, be there later. In both spots I will be more thoroughly present.

Appreciation:

Sometimes a change of pace can help kickstart a change in mindset. Today I jumped into a role I don’t usually fill and it left me with a wonderfully altered perception and mindset. The view from the different seat provided an interesting insight into a handful of ideas and left my brain much more open to new ideas throughout the day. It was kind of like a kickstart of a growth mindset.

Presence:

One of the projects I am working on for a client involves a focus on the results of their recent employee engagement survey. Part of my reason for working late tonight has been to have focused time on that project. I was able to shut everything else off, turn on some music, and dive in with both feet. It was amazing! The state of flow while dissecting and reassembling the results into a meaningful set of questions and next steps was exhilarating. I love work like this!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,837

Growth:

On our hike today Becky and I got on the topic of college life. I couldn’t help but realize how some turning points felt so critical in the moment but faded in importance with the benefit of time. While they seemed quite inconsequential after a while they really are the hinges upon which my life pivoted. They were important in the moment while fading through the years while at the same time their importance grew as they changed the trajectory of my life. Moments which felt huge, but really weren’t, but actually were for different reasons.

One more reason to accept what is thrown at us with open arms. Only after the fact can we look back and connect the dots.

Appreciation:

Today felt a lot like a bonus Sunday. I was able to sleep in a bit, relax, and got in a nice hike with Becky. Afterwards we hung out with friends for a while before heading back home. Tomorrow I’ll be up bright and early for work. Feels a lot like a Sunday!

But it’s not, it’s a Tuesday dressed up as a Sunday which means I’ll be back to weekend mode long before I feel like I should. How awesome is that???

Presence:

Many wonderful moments throughout the day today. The one that really sticks out is the 10+ minutes of silence I just enjoyed as I was typing my blog. I got a little stuck on which direction to go so I sat my phone down and just enjoyed silence.

My brain went in many different directions and slowly started to calm and focus. Enjoy this moment, enjoy the quiet seemed to be what it was leading me towards. After a time I finally got to that point, mind largely quieted, focused on my breath, and I was still. So calming.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,836

Growth:

Somehow my Apple Music offered up an interesting musical list this morning. I clicked on the playlist and was quickly rewarded with some very catchy new songs pumping through my speaker. It didn’t take long to realize that there was a little bit of an issue though. All the songs were in another language!

Rather than worry about the language barrier I opted to let the music roll. It was an interesting experiment, listening to the music and the emotion behind the voice. One song in particular was mind blowing! Check it out here without the lyrics so you get it the same way I initially did:

Then, if you want to get the lyrics you can watch this version:

What I really learned today was how music has the ability to transcend language. There are certain emotions which can be expressed musically which do not need language to clarify. In some ways the lyrics can almost get in the way of the beauty of the song.

Appreciation:

This morning I had a phone interview with a potential candidate for one of my teams. At one point I kind of had to pinch myself. As they explained what they were looking for in their next career I couldn’t help but realize each point they made was one I am blessed to live into each day. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to help others in finding their next career while growing and developing my teams. There’s never a dull moment and so many rewarding times, a wonderful balance of challenge and purpose.

Presence:

As the storm was about to roll in Gavin asked if we could head out to Nelson Park to watch it crash into us from over Lake Onalaska like we’ve done in the past. We did and it was awesome! A wonderful moment of enjoying the raw power of mother nature with Gavin and Dominic. Thanks for the excellent idea Gavin!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,835

Growth:

Patience makes a large positive difference. I spent time working on a repair to Becky’s backpacking tent this morning and it got me pretty frustrated at one point. I’m not well skilled at sewing and the work needed to add a patch to the screen was pretty detailed – also not one of my greatest strengths. While slowly stitching my blood pressure kept rising as I made a handful of mistakes. All I could think of was all the times Dad reminded me to either take a deep breath or walk away when I got too frustrated with a project. I heeded the advice, took a deep breath and kept at the project. It worked and the project was completed!

Appreciation:

Nothing quite like a week full of fresh air and outdoor time! Over the past week I’ve had the opportunity to spend a ton of time outside and it has felt amazing. I’m pretty tired and worn out, but it has been all worth it. With all this fresh air again today I know I’ll sleep like a champ tonight. Any week like this is one I can be thankful for.

Presence:

Spending time on the sandbar with friends shooting the bull and relaxing was fantastic this afternoon! After receiving a text out of the blue our plans for the afternoon on our boat shifted slightly and we were off to hang out with friends. My phone was somewhere in the bottom of a bag and I never had an urge to look at it as I was engaged in conversation and laughing with my friends the entire time. An excellent end to a great weekend!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,834

Growth:

I’m grateful for the residual backpacking mindset and chill from earlier this week. Today I had enough time to get some stuff done around the house before heading out to watch Gavin. After lunch and a hike Becky and I knocked out a bunch of housework. Rather than chill I took time to set up a “rucking pack” for me to use while hiking and then decided to hit the grocery store and check that one off the list before relaxing.

By the time I sat down to relax I was able to completely do so and it felt wonderful!!! Taking time to pick up a novel I’ve been reading for a while was a great way to enjoy the rewards of getting things done early. I’ll likely be wrapping up this blog a bit quickly so I can get back at it 😉

Funny how much I appreciate getting the work done first and then fully relaxing. It came through loud and clear while backpacking and continued to bring me joy today.

Appreciation:

While Gavin was volunteering at River Vault (more on that in the next section) Becky, Dominic, and I went hiking in Hixon. Dominic wanted to join us and we had a great time out in the woods talking while walking. Nothing crazy or earth shattering or anything, but some solid and fun conversation with him. As we see just how short this last summer with him is panning out to be I’m grateful for the time he wanted to spend with us doing something we all love. Next school year will be wild without him at home, I’m grateful for each moment we’re sharing before then.

Presence:

Gavin participated in a pretty unique event today, the 13th annual River Vault competition at Riverfest in La Crosse. There was a pole vaulting pit set up on the levee alongside the Black River. Talk about the most scenic vaulting I’ve ever seen!

It was a blast watching Gavin and the other competitors launch themselves up and over the bar.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,833

Growth:

Living with a strong sense of purpose really makes a huge impact in how life is lived. When I stay the course on purpose my life seems so much more fulfilling. When I allow myself to drift I find bits of initial happiness but quickly feel less full, more empty.

“People who labor all their lives but have no purpose to direct every thought and impulse toward are wasting their time-even when hard at work.”

Marcus Aurelius

Appreciation:

Today I finished a book which was amongst the best I’ve read in a very long time. The story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and the crew of the Endurance is so unimaginable that my brain struggles to realize that their survival was even possible. When I consider that it was over a century ago my brain pretty much breaks.

For almost two years the crew of the Endurance survived in some of the most hospitable conditions known to man as their attempt to cross the continent of Antartica went horrifically wrong almost from the start. Their story of survival and rescue is so improbable that there were sections I had to re-read to make sure I read it correctly the first time.

There are so many nuggets of information to take away from this book, it is definitely one I’ll be re-reading. Honestly, as I finished the book I was moved to powerful emotion. I am so grateful I finally read this. My mind is blown.

Presence:

There were a handful of moments which really stuck out today. From my morning run with Becky to watching a deer sneakily walk through a cornfield to finishing Endurance to a moment of kindness from a teammate to focusing on transferring information for the next week to an interview which went incredibly well to pausing my book to listen to music to sing loudly to in the car alone I could choose any one of those moments and be very satisfied.

Spending time with Becky and the boys listening to their adventures from the past week took the cake. So many laughs, smiles, and memories made, hearing about them and be 100% focused on their stories was amazing. I am so glad they had so much fun and I’m thankful for the memories they stirred in me.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,832

Growth:

Yet again I’m reminded of how good it feels to do something new. Throwing knives was very frustrating to start as I struggled to find the right form. I kept reminding myself of SLII and listened for and received the direction I needed from the person coaching me (who I later found out was ranked #36 in the world in knife throwing last year). As I continued to try new instructions I slowly improved and by the end was sticking the overwhelming majority of my throws (though not necessarily on target, but one step a a time, right?). By the end I was smiling and thoroughly enjoying the activity.

Trying something new is such a great way to focus my brain, feel humility, and remind myself how much I enjoy the process of learning and trying new things. In so many ways I was reminded of how awesome it was to learn to log roll back in the day!

Appreciation:

The state of clarity and calm from my backpacking experience stood up well to the day. Even though I came back to a lot to get done and added a ton more I never really felt stressed. I kept my same rhythm as in the woods and focused on what needed to get done first. I set a plan for the rest and will work through it over the next week.

Everything seems so much clearer after my time in the forest. What a gift!

Presence:

Throwing axes and knives with my Winona team today was AWESOME! Had so much fun in the moments of joking and laughing with my team as well as while learning to throw knives, something I’ve never really done before. The time with teammates was an excellent opportunity to further bond with good friends. The time throwing knives was an opportunity to quiet my brain and be completely focused on nothing but that task. A sweet little combo!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,830 (written on Tuesday, June 27)

Growth:

Two thoughts really stick out for me today (at least so far – I’m laying in my tent reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius so there’s bound to be many more before sleep). 

First, life passes by so quickly.  Life and death are cycles lived out in so many ways in the woods.  All throughout the forest are examples of both and how both are natural and a necessary part of the other.  

How am I working to close the gap in the little time I have left?  Even if I have 60 more years ahead of me it will be gone in a flash if I don’t live appropriately.

Second, I almost chuckled out loud when I read a quote from Meditations that mirrors a thought bouncing through my head while hiking today.  Again, ego is at the heart of it.

“Beautiful things of any kind are beautiful in themselves and sufficient to themselves.  Praise is extraneous.”

Why am I dismayed when a good deed I do goes unnoticed?  Shouldn’t I find inner peace in knowing I did right?  How does recognition from someone else change what I’ve done?

The trees, the rocks, and all the beautiful things I’ve seen while hiking don’t not care if I praise them and do not change in the least either with or without my praise.

What’s more, many of them have existed longer than me and will be here long after me, regardless of my noticing them.

(the other quote I had going through my head was from the movie Walter Mitty – “Beautiful things don’t ask for attention.”)

Appreciation:

There’s a simple rhythm that I’m finding in backpacking.  Wake up, pack up, head out, hike until the next site, set up camp, eat, go on another short hike or enjoy quiet time in nature, think, blog, sleep.  That may sound like a lot initially, but when I consider the busyness of typical day at work this list infinitesimally microscopic.

There aren’t as many distractions (though there are exponentially more mosquitoes than cell phone call, texts, and emails combined) and there’s not as much any stress.  The day is largely what was planned with biggest variations being what time I start hiking and if I see something extraordinarily interesting (purple moss, a giant tree growing atop a rock, an almost invisible legacy of a nurse log).  Sure, I had to figure out what to do when my boot lace broke, but that was pretty straightforward.

Life on the trail is just easier.  So much more simple.  More focused, less distracted.  Even with less it is still full of joy.  A different joy to be sure, but soothingly soul filling

My mind isn’t even close to considering a backpacking trip of more than a week anytime in the near future, but I could see sneaking in a long weekend  trip once or twice a year.  I’m quickly understanding the result of research being done that human joy increases significantly after only three days in the woods.  I get it, I’m there.

Presence:  

Okay, I was going to write about listening to the birds, enjoying the hike, and all that, but I can’t pass up definitive proof that my hiking boots smell like flowers!  

Yup, 100% legit, not lying.  Even after a few days of getting muddy, sweaty, and swampy my boots must smell amazing!  How else would you explain the butterflies who were all over them while I had them off to dry?  A couple of them even flew inside my boots!  How crazy is that???  Certainly a moment I’ll never forget.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,829 (written on Monday, June 26)

Growth:

Why am I always in a hurry?  This morning I caught myself waking up early, hitting the trail hard, and staying focused on getting to camp to set up as soon as possible.  I then made it worse in the only way possible, I started thinking ahead to setting up camp tomorrow.  

At some point I finally realized what I was doing… the exact opposite of why I’m out here.  To pause, to breathe, to relax.  Not everything is a competition.  Not everything needs a strategy.  Sometimes the long way around is the most enjoyable and has the best views.

Presence is a gift.  Why must do I naturally default to thinking ahead rather than focusing on the now?  Not everything is s race.  Not every achievement must be reached.  Ahh…. That’s likely part of this, isn’t it?  

Hello Ego, my old friend, I’ve come to talk with you again…

I never realized that part of what gets in my way of the moment is often ego.  Here’s to continuing to work on shedding ego.

Appreciation:

I’m really thankful for giving myself this gift of aloneness.  The first 24-ish hours were wildly uncomfortable, especially when I caught myself talking out loud.  Now that I’ve settled into it there’s definitely a magic and a joy to it.  For sure, I don’t need nor want this experience often, but it is incredibly therapeutic.

I’m facing silence and lack of interaction.  I’m seeing parts of me I do not like and wish to change.  

I’m seeing just how small and insignificant my life is in the big picture.  I am here and will be gone but the rivers and rocks were here long before me and will be here long after I’m gone.  This thought isn’t gloomy or dismal, quite the opposite.  It reminds me how precious this life is and how I must take full advantage of this gift while I’m blessed to have it.

In the quiet of the woods I hear Dad.  So many thoughts, so much gratitude.  

All this and do much more in this time of being alone.

Presence:

Oh my goodness, so many moments of presence today, especially after I realized what I shared in the Growth section.  Here are a few that really stick out to me.

• Sitting on a rock in a stream watching the water spill over the rocks.
• Watching a half dozen water striders jockey for position in the moving water.
• Seeing the sun catch the mosquitoes just right so I can watch the dragonfly dart around as he ate his supper.
• The butterfly who landed on my finger as I sat still.  Thanks to being that close I was able to see that its wings were not black, rather a super dark blue.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,828 (written on Sunday, June 25)

Growth:

Funny how our brains operate when our distractions are removed and we’re left with our own thoughts.  There’s a liberating feel when I start off alone and without distraction, but it quickly becomes a bit uncomfortable.  It’s almost as if I live in such a state of action that my brain almost short circuits when I’ve got time to pause.  

My backpacking trip has started off well but is eerily similar to my hermitage trip, just as I’d assumed yesterday.  Even with that being the case I thought I’d be able to handle it better thanks to that recent experience.  Alas, I am right back where I was then.  

I am uncomfortably alone.  The distractions I would normally use to keep my brain occupied with anything but aloneness are not here.  It is just me in the woods.  I am enjoying and taking in all the sights, smells, and sounds, but I am alone.

Didn’t Dr Seuss write about becoming comfortable being alone in Oh, the Places You’ll Go?  He was definitely on to something!

So tonight I am uncomfortably alone.  Tomorrow I’ll likely already be feeling much more comfortable in my own skin alone.  Discomfort is where we have the opportunity to grow, that’s what I’ll be doing.

Appreciation:

I’m really glad I clarified the goal I am hoping to achieve this week.  I initially was going to say a solo backpacking trip but I added in “for at least three nights” as a qualifier.  

When I was almost to my camp today I started talking with myself about how good I was feeling and how I should just continue up the trail and knock this entire 30 miles out in two days (one night) instead.  Why not?  I’ve done longer than that in two days before.

That’s when I smiled and reminded myself that I wanted this to be an uncomfortable experience, one in which I would have more time than I needed with no one else with and with nothing else to do other than spend time alone in the woods.  The purpose wasn’t just to hike a trail and call it good, there was a lot more to it.

I’m grateful for clarifying my dream to remind of the purpose as it saved me from myself today!

Presence:

Spending the sunrise all alone at Lake of the Clouds was so serene and surreal at the same time.  Every time I’ve been at the overlook there’s always been at least a few people, usually a small crowd.  This morning it was only me.

It was wild being able to enjoy the awesome sight of the lake ringed by hills with mist slowly rising up from the forest with a complete lack of human sound nearby.  My mind quickly went to understanding how this was a special place to the indigenous people of this area.  

As if it weren’t already beautiful enough a bald eagle soared across the view.   

Thanks!!!