Day 3,603

Whew!!! The work week is in the books and it was a beast in a very positive way. Seeing lots of growth, many positive things all happening, very exciting for sure.

The biggest part of today was that feeling of a week of normal(ish). Not 100% back to everything as usual, but getting close. A couple of more weeks and stage one of about three will be complete. The next couple will also be challenging, but have the likelihood of being just as rewarding as this stage has gone.

Nights at home have been wonderful, getting the odds and ends worked on – changing the van lights, building the posts for the deck, grilling supper a few times. My appreciation for tasks like those have increased after the nonstop month. Time with family, relaxing with no deadlines, staying home – all good stuff!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,602

Growth:

Appreciate each moment, be present where we need to be. We never know which one will be a big one, which one we’ll be thankful we were there for.

Appreciation:

There are some days when sleeping in is one hundred percent the right answer – and today was one of those days! I hit the snooze, slept in, still got to work early, and felt extra re-charged all day long! It was amazing!!! Whoever would have thought that listening to my body and seeing what I really need would be a good idea???

Presence:

An awesome dinner with Dominic and Caitlyn while sitting out on the deck – priceless!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,601

Growth:

Take time to pause, teach, and your efforts will be rewarded. Utilize that energy wisely, this only works when you have right people!

Appreciation:

The overwhelming majority of my work day was spent in meetings with clients and training my teammates. Throughout the day I was running full speed and in the zone, by the ride home I was exhausted, but so energized at the same time! While there’s a ton going on and so much to get done I can’t help but be buzzing with excitement as I see where this is going so rapidly. The past three days have been bonkers, but I’m certainly enjoying it!

Presence:

Starting the morning with our run was fantastic as always. I know, I’ve been thankful for it often recently, but that quiet chill time with Becky while getting some exercise in has been so rejuvenating and invigorating at the same time!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,600

Growth:

We really can be thankful for anything should we choose the right mindset. When I started the grill to make supper there was no flame due to running out of gas. I chuckled to myself and realized how fortunate it was to run out with this timing as I hadn’t put anything on the grill.

As I drove home from the grocery store after exchanging the LP tanks I was remained of a comment from a friend five or so years ago… “Kreiling can be thankful for anything, seriously, he was once grateful for running out of gas while grilling and he blogged about it!”

Here I was again, facing a potential frustration, running out of gas, and I was still choosing appreciation.

To those moments when I get frustrated, remember moments like this. The ability to choose frustration or joy lies not in the situation, but in my own head.

Appreciation:

Above I mentioned how frustrating times can still lead to joy through appreciation. I’m also very grateful for the times when things go even better than expected – like today! There were more than a couple of times when I was pleased to see things turning out even better than expected. Seeing them all work out like this was one of those moments in which I almost had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Sure, I will work to see the appreciation in the frustrating, but seeing it in the awesome turns is pretty sweet too!

Presence:

It may have only been one hour, but the one hour of working on the deck railing was exactly the chill I needed to wrap up a busy day. Pausing to do some work with my hands, something physically tangible, creating. So rewarding after a day of thought work.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,599

Growth:

The right people make an exponentially positive impact on the joy of the entire team. Amazing how one’s positive energy can be multiplied over many others!

Appreciation:

That was a long and intense day! All good and well worth the extra time. As I think back to the day I can’t help but see how much positive momentum we’ve been making all day. There was a lot of work put in by all, and it’s exciting to see some early inertia being built. Throw in some conversations building stronger relationships with clients and it was wildly productive. In some ways, more importantly, it was fun. Even though I’ll be going to bed exhausted it was well worth it.

Presence:

Getting back to normal today included our pre-sunrise run and it felt amazing! Getting some quiet time while exercising and spending time with the two of us (& Leia) was a wonderful start to the week!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,598

Growth:

Had a great learning reminder at church of how important it is to stay focused outside of myself. The entire sermon and the readings were reminders of how little we actually need and how the wrong choices can sometimes lead to additional stress we really don’t need to have and could have completely avoided by keeping our mind in the right place the first time.

So often we lean into other “things” to bring joy when we really can find it outside of ourselves.

Appreciation:

An entire day at home??? Yes please!!! Okay, so we did leave to go for a walk and we also went to church, but outside of that we were home all day long. Nice getting some of the basics done (a little work around the house, a little prep work for the workweek) while also having plenty of time to chill and relax. Nothing like time away from home to make me appreciate it even more!

Presence:

Gotta love when a song pops into your head out of the blue and you then immediately chase it up with a couple of other unexpected gems! While cooking supper I stumbled into a little Pandora perfection:

• Laid by James
• I Melt with You by Modern English
• Here Comes Your man by Pixies

Thanks!!!

Day 3,597

Whew!!! Over the past month I’ve been in over a third of the states of the US, put on a ton of miles, and slept in my own bed well about 33% of the month. I’m so tired that I fell asleep in the car as we drove back from the airport today (super glad Gavin was driving!). We’ve had a lot of fun, made a ton of memories, and learned a lot about half a dozen schools that Gavin will likely be applying to. I would not trade all of these experiences for anything.

All that said, I cannot wait to get back into a normal schedule and routine. I travel often, but it is usually spread out across several months, not usually this condensed. For the next five or six months at least I have no travel plans taking out of my usual routine. Normally that’d have me jonesing for a trip, but right now that sounds perfect. Off to bed, back to regularity!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,596

Growth:

I may not know what the current TV shows or movies are, but I am more current on books than I thought! Over the past couple of weeks we’ve been in several bookstores and I’ve had to smile at how many titles I’ve already taken in. When in doubt, pick up a book.

Appreciation & Presence:

Our trip to Muir Woods after our tour at Cal Berkeley was awesome! This was my third trip there and I was in just as deep a state of awe as I was the first time. So calming in woods amongst the trees which have stood for well over a thousand years. A cathedral of trees, silent sentinels.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,595

Growth:

Throughout our tour of Stanford today there were ongoing reminders of how often we grow as a result of challenging situations. That’s where the growth really escalates!

Appreciation:

Whew, a relatively quiet night without much driving! Nice having the opportunity to take a deep breath and get an excellent night of sleep.

Also – very grateful for the tour of Stanford today, the single most beautiful campus I’ve ever set foot on! Mountains in the background, incredible architecture, so many trees, and an overwhelming sense of history and accomplishment emanating from the grounds.

Presence:

Hearing Gavin share his career goals and the why behind them may have brought a little tear to my eyes today!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,594

Growth:

Over the past few years I’ve continued to save some of the quotes that really caught my interest. Quite often it’s a lesson to remember, sometimes it’s a reminder of a lesson learned, and other times it seems as if it is a quote I will appreciate in the future.

What’s interesting is that each time I add a new one I take time to walk through many of the previously recorded quotes. My catalog has become a tool to keep so many of those quotes fresh in my brain.

The one that stuck out for me this last time was:

“There was loneliness, too, as the sun set, but only rarely now did doubts return. Then I felt sinkingly as if my whole life lay behind me. Once on the mountain I knew (or trusted) that this would give way to total absorption with the task at hand. But at times I wondered if I had not come a long way only to find that what I really sought was something I had left behind.”

Thomas F. Hornbein

Appreciation:

So interesting to see how different the learning environments are from college to college! At CalTech today my mind was blown over and over and over again as we toured campus and took in the admissions presentation. The focus on learning WITH others, the focus on learning HOW TO LEARN, and all of the opportunities for community while furthering research was outstanding! All of these college visits have been so eye opening to see the difference between my college experiences and the likely college experience Gavin will have. Wowza!

Presence:

A quiet moment of calm while looking out a window down to the Canyonlands area near Moab 10,000’ below me. Headphones in, chill music playing. Not doing anything but enjoying the moment and stunning view.

Thanks!!!