Day 2,798

Growth:

Relax and enjoy the ride! Why stress when there’s to much more to life than the stuff we typically allow ourselves to stress over. Deep breaths, relax, look at the bigger picture, remember impermanence, and the world is a better place.

Appreciation:

Wowza, we have a son who’s graduated from high school… how did that happen??? So thankful for the time we’ve had with Dominic so far, looking forward to his next adventures, and so proud of the incredible man he has become!

Presence:

This afternoon about 2:30 I paused to take in a memory. I savored it, enjoyed it, and appreciated it. Six years ago I took time to do just that and I am so grateful I did. I did the same today and it reminded me to appreciate so much more.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,797

Growth:

Choose to feed the right wolf and the gap almost closes on its own.

Appreciation:

I’m a huge believer in setting crazy goals. The boys did just that this year for their track season and then went out and put in the work all year long to give themselves an opportunity to achieve those goals. Both Dominic and Gavin saw the culmination of all but one of those goals tonight. So thankful for their opportunity to harness their internal grit and push themselves past what they thought possible.

Kudos to Gavin for earning his spot on the 4×800 team and for earning a solo spot at Sectionals!

Kudos to Dominic for his teams’ 4×800 and 4×400 successes, for earning an opportunity to compete in the 800, for going sub 2 minutes in the 800, and for punching his ticket to State!

Presence:

Cheering for the boys at track Sectionals was amazing. The moment when Dominic kicked in the afterburners with about 150m left to go from fourth to a solid first will give me chills the rest of my life. Pure guts and heart were on display. What an event to be present at!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,796

Growth:

Remember to use past mistakes as a way to grow forward. While it doesn’t change what happened it makes a huge impacts on what happens. Today I learned from past mistakes and was pleasantly surprised.

Appreciation:

There are many things I am grateful for today, so many that it would be tomorrow before I finished typing them all. When I consider them all – the good, the bad, and everything in between – I realized that what really jumps out as what I am grateful for today is an old parable about two wolves.

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

https://www.urbanbalance.com/the-story-of-two-wolves/

Presence:

Timing is everything sometimes. Today I got a card out of the blue that moved me to happy tears. For so many reasons the messages inside hit me so powerfully in the feels. The moments I read the card and the moments I sat in my chair and wept joyful tears were medicine for my soul and were profoundly centering.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,795

Growth:

Wasn’t it just a few days ago that I felt like I had closed the gap? This evening I feel like the Grand Canyon has opened wider than it has in a long time. I had an opportunity to see just how much work I need to do to live into being a better me and it was quite humbling. I lost my cool, I let emotions get the better of me, and wish I could have a do over, but I can’t. I can learn from this experience, use the memory of it as a way to grow forward, and as an opportunity to be better in the future.

Appreciation:

Days like today are difficult but important. Days that hurt and don’t feel good are opportunities to grow. It would be easy to get pulled into frustration, anger, and other negative thoughts, but that won’t help anything. The question to keep in mind is “What can I learn from this?” That will unlock the keys and help me process.

I’m also grateful for this daily practice of taking time to pause and reflect. This was exactly what my brain needed today to help process – and a good night of sleep!

Days like this don’t happen often, when they do I am doubly thankful. I’m thankful for all the wonderful days that haven’t been like this that are so easy to take for granted AND I’m appreciative for the opportunity to grow and learn. Beyond the edges are where we truly find ourselves.

Presence:

I was almost too present in a specific meeting today, and not in a good way. Due to the way I reacted I continued to get more and more worked up when I really should have been pausing to breathe, to zoom out, and to create a little space. Interesting that as much as I appreciate presence that there is a point in which can become a negative. There’s a lot to unpack from today.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,794

Growth:

Hard work, grit, focus, and determination pay off.

Appreciation:

So awesome to see both boys giving it their all in pursuit of their dreams. The effort they put in blows my mind!

Presence:

The moments of joy and celebration the boys had after their races were moments I’ll hold tight.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,793

Growth:

Taking a moment to pause, zoom out, and see how to best tackle a challenge is something Becky did awesomely today! Gavin had to referee a soccer match in Holmen and then needed a ride immediately afterwards to track practice. He would be running late for track so Dominic would already be at track and unable to drive him.

Becky saw the perfect line for this one. We dropped Gavin off at his match, drove to a nearby hiking trail, got an hour long hike in through the woods, picked Gavin up, and then dropped him off at practice.

I would have gotten frustrated and not necessarily have seen such an elegant solution. It was a wonderful reminder for me to pause rather than taking immediate action, zoom out, and then make the right call. Talk about a perfect thought to have in my mind before a wildly crazy week.

Appreciation:

This has been quite the day! Throughout the day I was provided the opportunity to be the dad I want to be, the dad I feel I should be. It was a lot of work, it took a handful of deep breaths, it took time to remember to pause and think like Becky helped me with in the Growth section above, it took reminders of lessons from my parents, and it took a bit of improvising. All in all, I felt like I lived closer to the other side of the gap than normal. Progress made, some stuff to work on, and positive memories created thanks to Dominic’s dog park Eagle Scout project and Gavin’s Hope Project for his humanities class.

Presence:

LOL – Not gonna lie, I started to write about how I felt like I was present for most of the day, even got a few sentences in, and then laughed as a memory popped back into my head from this morning. While I felt like I was locked in much of the day there was a moment that really proved how un-present I was and that moment is one that I am thankful for today.

This morning I made coffee. I ground the beans, put the filter in, added the grounds, poured in the water and turned the coffee maker on. I felt like something was off, like the filter wasn’t quite the right size. I was too busy thinking ahead to the day and just kept moving. When Becky came into the kitchen she looked at the coffee maker, then looked at the filter basket drying on the counter, back at the coffee maker, back to the filter basket, and then at me.

“Missing something?”

Cue the facepalm! I had been in such a state of un-presence that I had put the filter in without the basket, hence the reason it seemed like the filter didn’t quite fit right. Oops!

What a great reminder first thing in the morning to stay focused and to be present! That helped set the path in a much better direction for the rest of the day.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,792

Growth:

After the rough shape my right Achilles was on Monday I took the next handful of days off from running. I rested it, iced it, compressed it, elevated it, and did as much as I could to let it heal up. This morning I went our for a run with Becky and by the end of the first mile it had loosened up very well. I’ve since spent almost all day on my feet as I’ve put in a new storm door and helped Gavin with a school project in my workshop. So far so good! Ice, compression, and elevation now on the deck and fingers crossed I’m good to get back to normal.

Here’s what I’ve learned – rest up, take it easy when I need to, be ready to hit it hard when it is time. Sometimes I need to go slow to go fast – AND – use that as a time to tap into other activities like lifting.

Appreciation:

After our run Gavin shared that he needed to get a project done for school… one that calls for relatively intensive workshop time. My plans for the day were pretty much booked up and did not include time on his project. Oh well, what are you going to do? Rather than get frustrated I laughed it off and have proceeded to have an awesome day of working with Gavin on and off in the workshop. He’s learned a handful of new skills and we’ve had bonus time creating in the workshop. Maybe not what I’d had drawn up for the day, more than I was expecting with way less down time, but well worth each and every single second of it. Gavin has thanked me numerous times, but has me smiling the most is how happy he’s been with learning new skills while working in the shop together. Throw in the bonus of working with a bunch of Dad’s old tools and it’s been a very joyful and satisfying experience.

Presence:

Spending the overwhelming majority of the day outside has been AWESOME!!! This weather was absolutely perfect, the exact specs I would order up if it were up to me. A nice little breeze to stay cool, sunny with no clouds, and nice and warm without being hot. Perfect!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,791

Growth:

There’s an interesting dichotomy between time alone and time together. There’s a balance to be struck. For clarity, I mean alone time without distraction, not alone time on a screen.

Strive to find the balance and intentionally choose one or the other and avoid distraction. Time alone in quiet contemplation and time together sharing life – that’s where joy is to be found.

Appreciation:

What I’d assumed was to be a chill and early night turned out to be an awesomely interactive and pleasant evening with Becky and Dominic.

Somehow Dominic and I ended up talking music while we were all in the living room on couches. Next thing we knew we were trading some of our favorite songs and even our guilty pleasure songs. Full disclosure, the song Ashes by Celine Dion gets more play in my car than it has any right to, but it always makes me think of Deadpool 2, one of my favorite movies. One if Dominic’s favs came from the movie Eurovision. This then led to me sharing the news that the 2023 Eurovision contest had finished last week. We fired up YouTube and spent the hour listening to more music, commenting on thx craziness, delving into political history, and finding moments when all three of us were tapping our feet and thoroughly enjoying the music. It was awesome!

When Becky dipped out for bed Dominic and I started looking up places for us to hike. After adding Pindus Horseshoe in Greece to our dream lists we moved on to videos of hiking trails in Iceland and started planning our next adventure.

So many smiles, so many laughs, so many memories, all on s night I’d assumed would be chill. My heart is full.

Presence:

As Dominic and I watched Iceland videos we paused then constantly to pull up our pics of the same places and to share memories. We were present in each of those moments in Iceland and their clarity remains in our memories.

My eyes started to well up as I lost myself in the memories of the beauty of Iceland. My soul aches to go back, but finds solace in the memories.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,790

Growth:

Is there any reason I should not start each day in the outdoors, especially in the woods? Starting my day with fresh air brings out the best version of me throughout the day. I’m more motivated, I feel better, I am more awake, and I am so much more aware. My hike in the woods this morning set a very positive course for my entire day.

Appreciation:

My hike this morning was truly spectacular, I am beyond appreciative for the natural beauty of the Driftless Region. The trails through the forests on the bluffs are such a gift.

During my time in the woods I was especially focused on all the plant life around me. Each of the trees have their own special features, even within species. At different times I found myself pausing to press my palm against the bark to feel it as well as see it. There I was, pausing on the trail, my eyes looking up the tree, and a hand placed against the bark. Such a wonderful combination of sensations – the rough texture of the shagbark hickory and the view of it towering above me. Such a grounding moment, a moment of realizing just how small I am, a moment of true awe.

The entire hike was a gift to all my senses and to my soul. So much beauty surrounding me, the verdant green all around, the sounds of the birds and the rest of the forest. I even stopped for a moment to savor the sound of two large trees rubbing against each other as they swayed in the wind. It was almost as if they wanted me to know I could appreciate them with yet another sense.

Getting lost in the forest, escaping to the woods, finding peace. I am so thankful for the beautiful forests so near to my home, they are one of my happy places!

Presence:

As I walked back towards my car there I paused when I started to walk into a beautiful and seemingly out of place stand of pines. The scent of their needles swept over me in the breeze and I just paused. There I stood, paused and still, in heaven on Earth. Everything was so still, so peaceful. There was no stress, no ego, no separation between me and the rest of the forest around me. In an instant we were all one, existing. What a beautiful moment of stillness!

After what could have been a moment or several a song played in my head. It was so fitting for a few reasons based on the location and how I was feeling. The song is Beyond the Pines by Thrice.

Somewhere down the way, there’s a hidden place that anyone, that all of us could find
But our maps have failed, so venture through the veil and realize that these roads are intertwined

Far beyond those walls, gleaming black and white
Further than our false schemes of wrong and right
Is a field where we can walk, leaving all our names behind

I will meet you there, beyond the pines
Templed in twilight or dawn
The light and easy air
Tracing the lines on our palms

Thrice, Beyond the Pines

I’ll forever remember that moment each time I walk through those pines.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,789

Growth:

There’s a note that was written on a whiteboard in my office in Eau Claire that had me smiling. It says, “You don’t have to like MPC calls, you just need to do them.” MPC calls are a type of sales call we do to help great people find work and have a tendency to feel a bit uncomfortable as they are a sales call.

Last week I mentioned that sign to a teammate in a different office and within a week that same phrase was written on their desk.

Today, I jumped back into strength training as my Achilles was too tender for a run. I chuckled when I realized I was following the same sign with a slightly different direction.

There’s a lot in life that’s uncomfortable. We don’t have to like it. We just have to do it.

Appreciation:

This morning I had the opportunity to present our Retention and Engagement training with Mike D for the Winona Chamber of Commerce. As we were presenting I had one of those epiphany moments as we connected the dots back to a specific comment from the audience. I really love what we do, believe in our purpose, and find incredible joy in helping employees and businesses find each other. The level of fulfillment is off the charts as a result of the work we do and the teammates I have the opportunity to do that with. What a gift!!! So thankful for the opportunity to serve this team and our communities.

Presence:

Ahh… couch time with the family. No TV, minimal interruptions, and lots of conversation. My personal heaven. An hour or so of hanging out and relaxing with the four of us (maybe more like three and a quarter as Gavin was working on some homework but still chiming in occasionally) was exactly what I needed tonight.

Thanks!!!