Day 3,325

Growth:

Okay, I know I sound like a broken record with Fahrenheit 451, but there are so many beautiful nuggets tucked away in its pages. Now in my third reading (and fourth as I’m also listening to the audiobook) I’m continuing to catch and understand more of the insights. Here’s the one that has been sticking with me recently.

“I don’t know. We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren’t happy. Something’s missing. I looked around. The only thing I positively knew was gone was the books I’d burned in ten or twelve years. So I thought books might help.”

“You’re a hopeless romantic,” said Faber. “It would be funny if it were not serious. It’s not books you need, it’s some of the things that once were in books… The same infinite detail and awareness could be projected through the radios and televisors, but are not. No, no, it’s not books at all you’re looking for! Take it where you can find it, in old phonograph records, old motion pictures, and in old friends; look for it in nature and look for it in yourself.  Books were only one type of receptacle where we stored a lot of things we were afraid we might forget. There is nothing magical in them, at all. The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us. “

Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

Appreciation:

Interesting how we start to see so much of the world so much more clearly as we grow older and gain more experience (and hopefully a little wisdom). While there are a handful of project I want to start or goals I would like to start working towards I’m seeing more and more that I’ve got to get better and better at finishing first. With that in mind I did the right thing and worked on photos and videos from our recent Grand Canyon trip in order to get them into one organized place and to cull the herd from hundreds to the handful which will pay back the most memory dividends. Tedious, not my favorite thing to do, but that just made it all the more rewarding to wrap up!

Presence:

Gavin got a bit of the Grandpa Pete experience today even though Dad passed about seven and a half years ago. One thing I’ve found is to share in experiences with what my boys are interested in, today that was in watching the Packers get beaten down by the Lions. In one specific instance I’m pretty sure Dad possessed me and started hollering at the TV over a a horrible play by the Pack, just as I’d heard him do so many times as a kid during the Brett Favre era. Gavin’s eyes went from huge to laughing at the craziness of the outburst. What can I say, I was present in the moment! 😂

Thanks!!!

Day 3,324

Growth:

During one of the most difficult times of our lives (COVID) we picked up a family habit of hiking more. Gavin wanted to earn his hiking merit badge so we ended up hiking more and more and more. Without really realizing it this became a habit for our family. Give us a weekend at home and I can almost guarantee that we’ll be out for a hike at some point. Time together as a family without distraction. No screens, only each other, talking, joking, walking together in silence, taking in all the wonders around us.

During a storm we found peace, an enduring peace which we likely would not have happened had we not faced challenge. As in much of life, we grow in moments of challenge and difficulty, not in moments of comfort.

Challenges are difficult, but it’s in the crucible in which we are formed. Seek out the positive change and growth.

Appreciation:

This weekend’s script was a little flipped at the last minute – so very fitting for the past 10 days or so! Due to the shift we had an unexpected couple of days at home, definitely what I needed. While my thoughts drift back to work almost incessantly, the relaxation of being home has been very invigorating. No big projects, nothing too crazy to get done, nowhere to be, the ability to clean and organize, to knock out a few small things I wanted to get done. All in all, exactly what the doctor ordered!

Presence:

The smell of oak leaves and fall, such a wonderful scent inspiring so many memories of joyful moments throughout life. Exactly what my soul needed while on our hike today!

Thanks!!!

Growth:

Appreciation:

More learning this week than I ever would have asked for, definitely more professional discomfort than I have had in a long time. There are times that shape use, they cause quakes so deep through the core of us that we are remain changed afterwards, but often as a furnace smelting. What follows is closer to closing the gap.

Presence:

So many conversations in so many directions today, all leading in different paths but all convening in the same destination. Each conversation focused and present, leading to deeper introspection.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,322

Growth:

Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.

Randy Pausch

Appreciation:

Some days just really suck. The day itself isn’t the worst, it’s usually the culmination of many moments finally reaching a zenith – not that that concept helps anything. Regardless, there’s a specific moment or situation which overshadows so much of the rest of the day, something that just sucks.

In those moments I am grateful for remembering to mind the gap and choose growth, appreciation, and presence. Find a way to grow through this – how did I get here, how did this happen, what can I do to prevent it in the future. If I can grow through it I can find a way to be thankful for the situation regardless of how much it sucks – it is an opportunity for growth. Be present in the moment – don’t hide from it, downplay it, or ignore it. Soak in the pain and the hurt, let it hurt so much it moves you, in that moment there is growth to be found.

Part of today sucked. I’ve soaked it in and will grow through it. Tomorrow will be a new day, today will still have sucked, but tomorrow has an opportunity for growth.

Presence:

A well timed humorous story from my little brother – exactly what I needed.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,321

Growth:

Spend time with right people doing the right work and in the right way. When all those pieces are lined up the magic happens.

Appreciation:

Driving ninety minutes to Eau Claire for work today provided an excellent opportunity to think. Rather than reading like I normally do I took the time to think in silence. It was an extension of yesterday, working through several potential options to determine best solutions. In some ways I’ve pushed myself to read a certain number of books and have sometimes allowed that to push me to read when I would be better served taking the time to think instead. Today that 180 minutes round trip was exactly what I needed to get my brain in the right place.

Presence:

When you get into a flow in which all parties are most concerned with getting to the right answer rather than worried about ego – priceless!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,320

Growth:

Talk through the challenge, say it aloud, get feedback from others, consider, re-think, pause and process, and then write out the plan. So many steps help to zoom out, zoom in, get past emotion, and hone in on the true issue at hand. Shooting from the hip can be interesting and is sometimes necessary, but methodically working through a problem will likely provide better results.

Appreciation:

Today I created more space and stillness for myself than normal. In working through large challenges I have a tendency to focus on small tasks in order to feel productive as it provided a sense of instant gratification and allows me to avoid a difficulty. Today was an exercise in the opposite, a day focused on one specific set of challenges which must be overcome. Much time writing and sketching out possibilities, quite time walking through it all, focus on going through the possibilities of each solution. While it is not solved, due to the time spent on it I can better understand it and have better strategies for moving forward.

Presence:

My brother left an amazing voicemail message for me today that still has me chuckling…

In my time of need and desperation there’s only one set of footprints in the sand…. because you didn’t answer your phone.”

My Brother

Thanks!!!

Day 3,319

Growth:

Everything happens exactly as it is intended to happen, the goal is to find the why hidden behind it and learn from it.

Appreciation:

Handful of ways to go on this one today, I’m a little stumped as to where to go specifically. Hmm… kind of an interesting way to go at this, but let’s say I’m grateful gif clarity. Quite often the path forward can be a bit clouded and confusing, cheers to the times in which the paths laid out are crystal clear!

Presence:

Yoga tonight was amazing! It’s been a few weeks since my last time and it was better than I’d remembered. Slowing down the mind to focus on breath and movement being in sync, exactly what the doctor ordered.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,318

Growth:

It’s okay to not be okay. Sometimes I need to give myself a little more slack and allow myself to be frustrated, nervous, and everything but the normally upbeat and positive person I am. Sometimes life is rough, it is okay to acknowledge that. It doesn’t mean that everything is falling apart, just that there are likely some lessons I have the opportunity to learn and some challenges to overcome. Deep breaths, figure it out one step at a time. It’s okay, don’t stress yourself out more by stressing that you are stressing. It’s okay and it will all work out.

Appreciation:

Time at home feels great, especially after traveling. Sure, I was busy with odds and ends throughout the day, but it really felt great to be at home. The bits of relaxing in between activities felt pretty sweet too!

Presence:

Outside time in the sun while listening to an audiobook while working on the campervan and mowing was exactly the down time I needed. The bonus time walking with the boys and watching the end of the Packer game together was also greatly appreciated moments!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,317

Growth:

Stress is legit, it must be acknowledged. It’s not a sign of weakness, it is the sign of a difficult challenge. Yes, there will be discomfort and suffering, but if I remember to mind the gap and choose growth, appreciation, and presence it can be a blessing in disguise. Don’t hide from the stress, soak it up and drink it in. This is where the growth happens. Accept it, work through it, stay in it.

Appreciation:

Having a morning in the woods with the boys and Becky is some of my favorite time in my life. No phones or distractions, so much conversation, intentional presence, a shared passion for the outdoors. If I have nothing else in life the memories of moments like these will warm my soul through anything.

Presence:

This moment in the woods with my family during a hike today:

Thanks!!!

Day 3,316

Growth:

Remember to appreciate the friends who love you enough to tell you when you are wrong. They’re willing to put themselves into a place of discomfort specifically to help, that’s a gift they are offering.

Appreciation:

Sometimes music helps to unlock a part of our brains that may be a bit closed off. Today I listened to the song Beautiful Pain by Eminem a handful of times as it really nailed where my brain needed to focus. In repeating it over and over I kept catching different lines that hit home. I may have even found a few candidates for my theme for my 2025 plan!

But every day is a new learning curve as you steer through life
Sometimes you might not wanna swerve but you have to
to avert a disaster, lucky no permanent damage

Marshall Mathers

Presence:

Work has been extremely stressful as of late. This evening I realized I needed to create some space between work and spending quality time with my family. In order to do so I set a timer for 20 minutes and laid on my stomach across my bed made the decision to choose to not think about work until early Monday morning after the 20 minutes was up. It was a wonderful 20 minute gateway to move myself from one mindset to the other.

Thanks!!!