But remember that the Captain belongs to the most dangerous enemy to truth and freedom, the solid unmoving cattle of the majority. Oh, God, the terrible tyranny of the majority.
Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
Appreciation:
What a nonstop day it was! From start to finish we’ve been going a hundred miles an hour. The best part was all of the awesome we were abel to accomplish – from an invigorating hike to getting grocery shopping done to Dominic’s rugby match to dinner with family to driving back home to blog. I’m exhausted, and it was worth every ounce of tired.
To spend the entire day with Becky, to spend a lot of time with Dominic, and to get a little bit of time with Gavin was fantastic – a day filled with loved ones!
Presence:
So much fun watching the boys participate in the sports and events they love! Watching Dominic play his butt off in rugby was great today! On a kick off he out-hustled the opposing team, stole the ball from them, and hit the jets to score a try right out of the blue. It was so much fun to watch! After that he went bonkers on defense and had a handful of tackles and stops. His intensity was amazing and definitely made me proud. So glad to have been there for this!
Such a perfectly eloquent quote by Ray Bradbury in Fahrenheit 451:
We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren’t happy. Something’s missing.
Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
This quote coupled with a couple of recent articles and a podcast or two really hit home. In so many ways we each already have everything we need to be happy – maybe joyful is the more appropriate term. We could feel fulfilled with all that we have in this present moment if we choose to. Instead we allow want / desire / greed / fear / envy get in the way and cloud our judgement, they block our gratitude.
Should we choose gratitude we have all we need right now in this present moment and in every present moment moving forward. When we try to sate our hunger for more by buying more we only push ourselves further from joy.
We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren’t happy. Something’s missing… Appreciation for what we have.
Appreciation:
As one of my teammates put it this morning as we talked about a book we are both reading based in the mid 1800’s based in the American Southwest and Northern Mexico:
“This book makes me grateful to be alive NOW as opposed to any other time”
No kidding!!! When we think of the challenges we face daily and then compare them to that specific timeframe and location I’m also grateful for being alive now as opposed to then, no question!
One of the reasons I enjoy the occasional historical fiction is the ability to see times long past through the eyes of today. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy is staggering in its ability to punch me in the gut over and over and over… and this is the second time I have read it!
What also really blew my mind today was learning how much of it was based on real life people and their stories! It is nothing short of ridiculous to think we used to be at such a different place as a people and culture.
Nice to pause and be grateful to be alive now, today.
Presence:
Nothing like a surprise visit from a friend bearing a batch of pumpkin rolls to start off a morning in the office!!! Thank you so much to Trissa for an awesome conversation AND delicious treats to boot! There may have been a few more than a few during the day, maybe one or two on the ride home, and definitely more at home. Always fun spending time catching up with some of the people who’ve left an onngoing positive impact!
Quite often we talk about learning from our heroes, wanting to exhibit their courage, strength, wisdom and whatnot. Just as often we can learn from everyone – including our heroes – on how we would prefer not to act, on how not to treat others, and on how to let our personal fears negatively impact our ability to love others.
We can learn from both halves, we each are both halves. Rather idolizing our heroes, remember to learn from all of our human failings. We all fail, we all struggle, we all act without love and kindness.
When we see that may ew also remember not to return their actions with similar actions of our own. Learn from the experience they’ve given, act as you’d hoped they would have.
Appreciation:
Two parter for today as there are a couple of points to cover in my blog to help remind “Future Mike” of why I was grateful today.
First off, I am most grateful to those who have reached out to regarding the impact of the government shutdown. Even a short message, text, or quick phone call helps others see that they are not alone. Those acts of kindness may seem so tiny to the person providing them, but they can make a huge positive impact on the person who really needs to hear them at the right moment.
Second, I appreciate my reminder to give myself grace, to remember the intent behind the goal, and to take care of myself from a mental standpoint. With so much going on my mind was racing as I listened to my audiobook on my drive north this morning. I quickly became frustrated with my inability to focus on the book which in turn added more stress which added more things for me to get frustrated about. After a quick facepalm I shut off the book, turned on some music, and sang and relaxed while I drove. I then turned everything off and thought through the challenges and created my action plans. Finally, I went back to reading and was able to stay completely present. Slow down Kreiling!
Presence:
Sitting on the deck with Becky on an unusually warm October evening, relaxing, reading my beloved copy of Fahrenheit 451 as the sun goes down. Hearing the sounds of nature, taking in the fresh air, simultaneously completely absorbed in the exquisite writings of Ray Bradbury. Each page causes me to pause for a moment to step back to the ledge upon which I see across into reality and down into the story, the horizon a mixing of the two realities. I melt into both.
Sometimes life can be rough, dishing out things we really would prefer not to have to deal with. We don’t have a choice in these events that happen, but we do have the choice of how we will respond to them. Will we face them with a positive attitude or will we let them cause negativity?
As I drove home tonight I was very frustrated, the government shutdown is particularly maddening – for a variety of reasons. I caught myself getting worked into such a lather that I couldn’t focus on my audiobook. As I sat in anger and silence I realized that I was missing something. I am not in control of what is happening, but I can control how I respond to it. My response was lackluster, if only I had already started working on a way to get my mindset in the right place 😉
With that stroke of insight I literally chuckled to myself and decided it was time for me to hone my own practice. The following is where that took me. Fun fact, it just follows the same blog order I do each day.
Growth (What can I learn from this?):
This is an opportunity to control my emotions, to choose intentionality over emotion. Rather than responding with worry to what I cannot control why not take a moment to appreciate how I can grow through this. This is a chance for me to learn to relinquish control, to accept what is happening and then choose how to respond correctly. Rather than being angry how can I channel this into growth? I can learn to better control my emotions, I can learn to accept reality, I can learn to find ways to best make an argument, I can learn how to better help others see the error of certain actions, I can help people see how fear leads to hate and how love is the real answer (which means accepting others – all others). I can pause and consider how so many of our greatest humans heave thought – how would Jesus, Buddha, the Dalai Lama, and Muhammad handle this situation? What would their advice be?
This is a unique opportunity to get outside of myself, consider the wider perspective, and then determine how to act accordingly. This is an opportunity grow into the person I should be, to close the gap a little.
Appreciation (How can I be thankful, even in this challenge?):
If I can find a way to grow through this I’ve already started to find a way I can appreciate this moment. I am certainly not grateful that this bad thing has happened, but I can be thankful for an opportunity to learn and grow. I can pause and think about all of the past difficult times I’ve gone through in my life and see how each of those – even though they’ve hurt in the moment – have led to some of the greatest moments of growth in my life.
Difficult things suck, no question, but they are the furnaces our souls are forged within. This challenge is an opportunity to grow into a better version of me, an opportunity to work through the discomfort to see what I am truly made of. I can be grateful for anything, including and especially this frustration.
Presence (How can I stay focused in the moment, even when it is difficult?):
It would be so easy to gloss over this, to say it really isn’t so bad. I could numb myself with distractions and just not think about it. I could choose toxic optimism (which is really a thing) and delude myself into thinking this is not a big deal. All of that would be so easy, but it would be a complete waste of an opportunity.
If I know I can learn from this, if I know I can grow through this, if I know I can be thankful even in this challenge, I can be present in the moment. I can soak in all of the anger, pain, hurt, frustration, all of it, and then transform it into something truly beautiful, into growth, into a display of love over hate. I can only really grow in this moment if I am present in it, an active and intentional participant. If I am strong, I stay intentionally focused, and I choose to be completely present it will hurt, for sure, but that is where I know I will actually grow. In that pain I will find growth, I will find appreciation, but only if I am present in it.
And that was how I worked myself through this. I took it apart, I worked through the circle of Growth to Appreciation to Presence and back around. By the time I got home I was still very frustrated, but I was able to find joy in moments of growth, in moments of appreciation, and in the present moment.
In moments of frustration we all have a choice to make. Choose to mind the GAP, choose Growth, Appreciation, and Presence. Choose joy and love.
Sleep… Oof! Even after a night of great sleep I am still feeling the aftershocks of staying up so late on Sunday night. Times like this help embed the point even more deeply into my mind to take extra care of my sleep patterns, to nourish and cultivate the habit of seven to eight hours of sleep. The ongoing negative impact is always further reaching than I initially estimate.
Appreciation:
What a gift it is to be able to return the kindness of others with someone else! Throughout my professional career I’ve been so blessed to have many coaches and mentors who have helped to guide me when I needed it. My heart is full when I’m able to channel their insights, knowledge, and passion for helping others to assist someone else. They will likely never know how much their positive impact has continued to ripple on through so many of us to so many others. To be a vessel of that shared kindness is deeply fulfilling.
Presence:
I was completely enthralled reading chapter X of Cormac McCarthy’s masterpiece, Blood Meridian. The entire chapter is focused on a portion of the backstory of the judge and held me completely rapt just as it did the first time I read it. The way McCarthy breathes life into the judge is truly mesmerizing!
The more sleep we get over a long period of time the better we feel and more healthy we are. When we don’t get a good night of sleep it slowly adds up and compounds leading to an ongoing decrease in performance.
Last night I did not get a good night of sleep (more on that in a moment) and it reminded me of just how important it is!
Appreciation and Presence:
These two are very much combined today! Last night I opted to spend my birthday night with Gavin watching the Packer game. Initially I was going to watch half or so, but we both got into it and it was a very tight game. As the clock ticked down Dominic joined us via FaceTime and the three of us were cheering, jeering, and enjoying the time together. By the time it was all over the game ended in a tie – pretty much the lamest possible result – but a memorable one for sure!
Yes, I should have gotten more sleep. I should have gone to bed earlier. All that said, it was worth every moment to have that additional time with Gavin & Dominic. My brother and I still have very fond memories of watching games with Dad way back in the day, they are memories that live on. Knowing I created some of those memories with the boys while being 100% present with them as we watched the game was priceless!
As I’ve started reading Montaigne by Stefan Zweig there’ve been so many little nuggets of wisdom I’ve filed away to reflect on in the future. This one in particular struck me with the current state of affairs in our society / nation / world.
I do not subscribe to this communal error of judging a man according to the way I perceive things.
Stefan Zweig, Montaigne
Appreciation:
Today was an awesomely productive day, a nonstop high speed thrill ride of errands, projects, and other assorted tasks. For sure, it was a day largely full of adulting, but all in a very positive way. Funny how I used to look forward to days with nothing to do but sit on the couch and watch football, now I find days like this to be so much more rewarding and fulfilling!
This has been a bit of an ongoing theme over the past few days. Looking at several years ago when I would take Friday off for Oktoberfest and have too many beers, now I had the perfect Friday off thanks for knocking out a 15 mile hike and then spent the evening at Gavin’s football game. So much more rewarding and fulfilling than how I lived life a ways back. For sure, it wasn’t anything crazy or out of control, but even just the difference in scenery this year is so much more my style and my jam.
As I keep typing and thinking about this, I guess that’s what I am most grateful for today… a better understanding of or maybe a better awareness of what brings me the most joy and leads me towards my purpose AND then choosing it and enjoying it even if that path isn’t quite as relaxing as the other.
Presence:
Spending time in the workshop with Gavin as we built a fixture to help him cut lumber for his Eagle project was a blast! So grateful for the father son time up in the workshop – full of jokes, talks, coaching, teaching, and creating. The time we spent there and in working on his project today was a wonderful way to spend the day! Projects like that with him cause time to fly and memories to be made.
This is it, tonight’s post marks the 3,652nd straight day of blogging about at least one thing I am grateful for – one full decade of daily gratitude blogging is complete! So crazy that I can still remember the very first day of blogging and how I hoped to keep it going for one year (or at least a few months).
Taking time to pause real life to focus on what I am thankful for has had a more profound positive impact on my life than I ever initially thought it could. This process has helped me through incredibly difficult times (like Dad’s sudden and very unexpected death). This process has helped me better appreciate the incredibly excellent times (like all the milestones with Becky and the boys). This process has also helped me be so much more thankful for all of the ordinary days filled with work, yoga, outside time, and whatnot. Had it not been for this ongoing effort to be more intentionally thankful there are so many moments I would have missed or at least missed the deeper meaning of.
Each day the focus on appreciation shifts the filter of my brain as I know each day I will be accountable to myself for blogging about something I am grateful for, this means each of my mornings start off with the question, “what am I going to be thankful for today?” That subtle behavior shift causes me to start looking for the upside in everything right off the bat.
Throughout the past decade I’ve also unintentionally created a journal of my life. Stories I would have potentially forgotten have been recorded to go back to, to remind me of so many of the simple treasures in life. Taking time to go back and read them reminds me of where I’ve been, remind me of lessons to remember, and bring back so many smiles.
This daily process has also helped me learn what is truly important in life. “Stuff” doesn’t bring joy, enjoying what we already have does. The concept of joy being “wanting what we have rather than having what we want” has become so clear to me. The more I am grateful for what I have the more I realize the less I actually need. Quite often the introduction of that which I do not need leads to additional stress and anxiety, certainly the opposite of joy.
The more I’ve blogged the more I realize how much I appreciate time with Becky and my boys, spending time with outdoors in motion, taking in the simple moments of stillness in life. A good book, an emotion provoking song, a sweaty yoga session, a hike. Even writing – something I never enjoyed before this blog – has become one of my sanctums of joy. My joy doesn’t come from shiny things, from approval of others, or status and achievement, rather it comes from appreciating time with my family, time alone in thought, and all the splendor and beauty of the natural world.
This daily process, this time for daily reflection, has become a cornerstone of who I am. It has helped me work on closing the gap between who I am and who I am called to be. This daily gratitude journaling has helped me become a more joyful me.
Cheers to the first decade of this daily appreciation process, and I look forward to decades to come!
Today I did something I’ve never done before, I hike an entire state park! For sure, it’s wasn’t anything ridiculous, I hiked every trail in the park, 15 miles in total.
It’s one of our favorite parks and I thought it’d be fun and chill to tackle this challenge and it totally was!
What I appreciated about the hike itself was very difficult to list in detail. In summary, it was awesome time outside with Becky, time with no distraction from the outdoors, and a nice physical challenge. From getting a good sweat going to watching a spider wrap up a fly to seeing small tree frogs to enjoying the stillness it was an outstanding experience all around! Nothing like getting outside to get the mind, body, and soul all going in the right direction together!
For it’s always that way with the sacred value of life. We forget it as long as it belongs to us, and give it as little attention during the unconcerned hours of our life as we do the stars in the light of day. Darkness must fall before we are aware of the majesty of the stars above our heads. It was necessary for this dark hour to fall, perhaps the darkest in history, to make us realize that freedom is as vital to our soul as breathing to our body.
Stefan Zweig
Appreciation:
The old story of spending time sharpening your saw to lead to faster work seems to somehow become more and more accurate the older I grow.
While continuing to grind still feels like and still make progress it is not nearly as effective as pausing to sharpen the saw quickly. In actuality, it only takes a very short period of time to sharpen, only hours or a day, and the process can save literally months each year.
Tonight I’ve slammed the pause button and am sharpening my saw. By Monday the result will be outstanding and the world will look a little sharper!
Presence:
Sitting by the campfire with Becky while reading Montaigne by Stefan Zweig. Everything not in front of me in this moment does not exist, only stillness. I am present.
Thankful for Forty 