Day 3,234

Growth:

I really appreciated this quote from the great John Wooden when I heard it for the first time earlier today:

Appreciation:

Way back in the day Dad gave me the following dating advice:

“When you take a woman out on your first date together be sure to unlock her car door and open it. By the time you walk around the car to your door she should have unlocked it already. If not, the first date should be the last date. You’ll save yourself a lot of time and trouble.”

Please note that this was from the dark ages when cars had to have a key inserted into the door lock in order to unlock the car door.

While the current technology doesn’t quite fit this advice anymore, the logic is incredibly sound. A relationship is a two way street in which both people help each other out and do their best to bring out the best in each other. A relationship in which one person continues to give and give while the other does not is doomed.

Fortunately for me, my first date with Becky almost 25 years ago passed Dad’s advice! My life has been all the better as a result!

Presence:

So many wonderful moments throughout the day today!

• Our Sunday morning walk with Leia
• An intense yet rewarding and memorable driving lesson with Gavin
• A quick conversation with Dominic hearing about his weekend adventures
• Quiet time in the kitchen making supper
• Laughing with the kids before bed
• Taking time to type this blog in quiet and stillness

Thanks!!!

Day 3,233

Growth:

The scent of the old books at Pearl Street Books is sublime, probably one of my top ten favorite smells in the world. It smells like knowledge, calm, serenity, and joy. Books are one of the items that grow better with age.

Appreciation:

Becky being back home after a week of travel for work…. Nice to have my hiking partner back!

Presence:

This weather, especially while we were hiking today! The sun on my face. Perfect temperature. Sounds of birds surround. Feeling the texture of the hickory bark on my palm. So many smells of flowers, trees, and soil. Spectacular!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,232

Growth:

Sometimes the most important work to be done is sharpening the saw rather than cutting. it never quite feels as important but it has an outsized impact on the entire project.

Appreciation:

I’m very grateful for finally picking this book up after so many years. My mind is still reeling from the story and its implications, will definitely reread this one! There were so many layers upon layers, all woven together perfectly. My mind has strayed back to it, I couldn’t stop reading it, and it’s helping me see a little more clearly. Incredible masterpiece!

Presence:

Another day, another pre-sunrise pic of Leia on our run. This was shortly after a pair of sandhill cranes flew directly over us. Perfect weather for running this morning for both of us!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,231

Growth:

In his book, Awareness, Anthony de Mello stresses the importance of being aware of our thoughts and feelings and NOT trying to fix them constantly. Rather than trying to FIX everything we sometimes just need to be aware of the action, reaction, or feeling. Today those words rang in my mind f and I heeded them, and it helped.

Appreciation:

I have a huge dream list. I have a ton of goals. There is so much I want to accomplish, so much do that I could almost fill my entire life doing nothing but making lists of what I would like to do. After almost half a century of life I’m finally realizing I will not be able to do all of it and I’m working on being okay with that. Constraint is one of my best frenemies, but we seem to be getting along better more and more often.

Presence:

Sneaking in a post supper walk with these two and the pup.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,230

Growth:

Our perspective on some aspects of life change greatly as we grow, age, and experience more and more of what life has to offer.  There have been a few books recently I know I would not have enjoyed as a kid, but as a middle aged dude I can totally appreciate now.  I need to remember to not let my past experiences of books read long ago cloud my judgement too much and give more of them a try now.  No one steps in the same river twice, no one reads the same book twice.  In the case of the river both have changed, the book remains but the person reading it is different than the one who read it before.

Appreciation:

 Going for a run and seeing this smile was a pretty epic start to the day!

Presence:

The beginning of Fahrenheit 451 really struck a chord with me this morning!  I just started reading it as I’d somehow dodged reading it as a student.  For some reason the beginning of the chapter hit me between the eyes and had me totally hooked!  I even went back and re-read a portion of it just to make sure I had read it all correctly, I was so intent on getting all of it that the second reading seemed like the right move.

Day 3,229

Growth:

Interesting how different senses can trigger memories! Today it was a song bringing back some favorite memories from over two decades ago. Earlier it was the cool breeze in the pre-sunrise air that transported me back.

The best way to help those triggers happen is by being present – present in the moment the memory was made and present in the moment it is remembered. Be here now, remember now forever.

Appreciation:

Gotta love the Olympics! The boys and I had an awesome time watching more track and field this evening for about an hour. Seeing the comebacks, the grit, the hardworking, the adversity faced, and the celebration of incredible effort was quite the entertainment. We don’t watch much TV, but catching these events the past couple of nights has led you to some great bonding.

Presence:

My drive to Eau Claire was especially peaceful this morning. It started under dark slate gray skies in La Crosse and ended in a perfectly clear blue sky in Eau Claire. The changing of cloud cover and light caused the greens to be more vibrant than normal. North of Arcadia I drove past a postcard view of a handful of cows grazing atop a small bluff almost surrounded by a small line of trees with white fluffy clouds breaking up the increasingly blue sky.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,228

Growth:

Stretch the brain! It’s a muscle (metaphorically speaking) that gets stronger from being worked. Sometimes this includes working on things we don’t necessarily enjoy, but it helps us grow stronger.

Appreciation:

Today was the last day of Gavin’s landscaping duties at our office, and I kind of want to find more for him to do. Getting all this bonus time with along with so many coaching opportunities has been fantastic. We’ve gotten into more conversations, bonded over books and work, and had so many laughs. While this round of work may be done I’m grateful for the bonus time we’ve had to bond!

Presence:

Watching the new pole vaulting world record get set with Gavin was awesome! Hearing his yell for joy was a moment I’ll cherish.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,227

Growth:

When it feels uncomfortable it means I’m growing, especially when working through a project that I don’t necessarily enjoy, but one that needs to be done regardless. Much of today was a study in staying focused and tenacious on a very detailed project, the success of seeing the progress made throughout the day made it all worthwhile. I still have a long way to go, but closing in fit sure!

Appreciation:

The project Dominic was working on this evening filled my heart. He was curating his dream list, complete with the old notebook I gave him for just that purpose several years ago. Seeing him clarify what he wants to grow into and do, living life proactively, has me smiling from ear to ear! Throw in conversation on what he had in there and it was an awesome experience.

Presence:

Dominic I took a pause during supper to watch the replay of the Olympic Women’s Rugby Finals. The entire bronze medal match with the US vs Australia was intense!!! Couldn’t help but be 100% present watching that one!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,226

Growth:

There’s something about the sound of Paradise by Coldplay that hooks me and brings me along for the ride. By the end of the song I’m pulled along by the undertow. Somehow I missed the following line through all these years of listening to it…

And so lying underneath those stormy skies she’d say, “I know the sun must set to rise.”

What a beautifully useful lyric!

Appreciation:

This evening saw eight of us sitting around the kitchen table for dinner – the four of us, the boys’ girlfriends, and my niece and her boyfriend. So much fun talking, joking, eating, and relaxing together!

Presence:

Gavin and I took off for an hour to get him done additional practice driving a manual transmission. Throughout our time we laughed, we talked, and he learned. I was so impressed with his ability to give himself some grace and continue to learn through practice. That was an hour I’ll remember forever with him – such presence in that collection of moments with him!

Thanks!!!