Day 3,072

Growth:

Joshua Medcalf wrote a line in Chop Wood Carry Water that really struck a chord in me.

Greatness isn’t for the chosen few, but for the few who consistently and persistently choose.

Joshua Medcalf, Chop Wood Carry Water

That sentence really hits home on the concept of living intentionally. It is so easy for me to drift with the flow of life rather than direct it. Each moment provides a choice of how I will respond. By not choosing I am still making a choice, and likely not the choice that will lead me towards closing the gap between who I am and who I should be.

Appreciation:

I’m not sure if I’ve blogged about this before or not, but it bears writing about regardless. I am eternally grateful for the relationship I have with my sons. We can treat each other as father and sons when necessary and can just as easily act as best friends giving each other a mix of support, encouragement, and a hard time in seemingly just the right doses. Dad laid this path so well for me as I grew up with him, I am appreciative for the way the boys and I have been able to continue to grow into this relationship. As I’ve often shared with others, I swear that each day with my sons gets better than the day before. What a gift!!!

Presence:

Playing board games with my family with the addition of Dominic’s girlfriend was a blast this afternoon and evening! Such a wonderful way to get to spend time together and have lighthearted conversation. As I cooked supper the sounds of the four of them playing and laughing left my heart feeling very full. Shared laughs with family, does it get any better?

Thanks!!!

Day 3,071

Growth:

Scarcity can bring out our best sometimes. An insanely busy couple of weeks has caused me to very clearly choose what is most important and then work to prioritize and create the space necessary to complete those goals. Yes, I am tired, but I’m also calm, focused, and feeling very fulfilled.

Appreciation:

This may sound odd, but I’m grateful for becoming more and more okay with just being myself. Sometimes I feel as if I am supposed to be acting different or being a certain person rather than just being me. Pausing to be aware of when there is dissonance has been rather enlightening. The more I live into me each day the more joyful I am.

Presence:

On our drive home from the grocery store there were well over FIFTY – yes, 50 – bald eagles in one smaller area on the Black River. AMAZING!!!!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,070

Growth:

Short blogs – like tonight’s – are showing a pattern. Some of the busiest days which have been stuffed with the most life result in the shortest of blogs. ¡Viva la short blogs!

Appreciation:

After work today I drove up to pick up Dominic from school. From our car ride home to time in the living room with the entire family to playing games with the boys to now typing in bed hearing their laughter from the living room life has slipped right back into the old rhythms we’ve lived through before Dominic went to school. How I’ve grown to appreciate this pattern and rhythm!

Presence:

At noon there was a short memorial service for a neighbor we had for about sixteen years. Before the service we spent time with two other dear neighbors and shared a moment together. The reason for the gathering was difficult, but the hugs were joyful.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,069

Growth:

Jim Collins talked of a simple and clear question he asks himself daily.

“How have I impacted the lives of others?”

The more often I remember to ask myself that question the more fulfilled I feel.

Appreciation:

Since I’ve been back from vacation I have been intentionally choosing to steal back moments of my day while also staying focused on what I need to accomplish in the moment. Today everything flowed almost effortlessly in that direction, there were few times when I needed to consciously choose to act differently. So gratifying to feel and experience progress being made!

Presence:

The moment when awareness occurs is a wonderful moment! In an instant the world you’ve perceived changes completely. You are changed as a result.

Being present in the moment as an observer when someone else gained awareness was quite the experience.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,068

Growth:

Two growth opportunities stick out today. First, knowing that a concise blog is okay AND can really focus the mind is an effective exercise. Second, working through a task list always increases my productivity.

Appreciation:

Working with positive people reminds me of why I am passionate about my career. From teammates to clients to candidates to friends being surrounded by positive people with high energy motivate me to be a better me when working with others who may be negative.

Presence:

Dad has been gone for almost seven years, but I still have crystal clear dreams of him once in a while. When I awaken my heart is so full from feeling him so close.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,067

Growth:

Which part of the day will I focus on? The 95% positivity or the 5% frustration? So simple and clear to choose from this perspective, so much more difficult to choose in the heat of the moment.

Appreciation:

In many ways this practice of blogging has become a lint filter for me. It is the opportunity to choose how I am viewing the day – and I’m choosing growth, appreciation, and presence. Sure, I had frustrations, but there was so much more positive to focus on, this typing is reminding me to focus on that.

Presence:

The quiet time in the office long before anyone else came in was amazing! I had the entire building to myself for almost an hour and was able to get caught up quickly from the time away. The mornings are definitely one of my happy places.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,066

Growth:

Additional through subtraction, what a productive way to better utilize one’s precious time. When the desire to make better use of time abounds one of the best places to go first is our goals and purpose for reminders of direction and what is most important to us. Immediately afterwards we can turn to our actions with a scalpel and surgically remove the habits which don’t live into our goals. Delete the unnecessary to make space for the necessary.

In a small handful of minutes I was able to go through my cell phone and tablet to eliminate the apps which don’t help me grow towards closing the gap between who I am and who I should be. Quite possibly the highest impact activity I could do on a flight!

Appreciation:

A few months ago a teammate gave me a gift that keeps on giving, the book All It Takes Is a Goal by Jon Acuff. This was exactly what my brain needed to help me balance out huge goals and the incremental steps needed to progress towards them – while simultaneously reminding me of the importance of trying on a bunch of tiny goals to see which ones I really could and should invest in.

Not only that, but the book also reminded me of how critical it is to make time for taking on new goals. Just because I have a new goal doesn’t mean I get more time to do it. I have to cut something else out in order to make space, hence my section on Growth above. Today’s blog post has been written in that vein, I’ve been writing it in the minutes I’ve stolen back from time wasting activities. Pretty solid return on my investment for sure!

Presence:

Shutting down my audiobook, turning on some chill music, and then watching the Driftless from above as the jet floats over was a serene moment today. Watching the bluffs and valleys rise and fall below was stunning, especially with the sun lighting up the streams and rivers. Particularly awesome was seeing one of our favorite hiking trails (The Quarry Trail) from up above as we glided down.

You haven’t really been anywhere until you’ve been back home.

Terry Pratchett, The Light Fantastic

Thanks!!!

Day 3,065

Growth:

Always remember to soak in the views with my eyes and not through the lens of a camera. One stays true in the brain, the other is nice but can be faulty… like when the white balance goes bonkers for some reason and you don’t notice it until after you’ve recorded a bunch of sweet video that is now blue and is unlikely fixable. 😉

Soak it in fresh in the moment, savor it, and enjoy it. Afterwards, get some pics and video if possible – but remember that those are secondary to the experience itself.

Appreciation:

Over the past few days we’ve done a lot of hiking, a lot of chilling, and a lot of sleeping. Throw in a lot of talking, a lot of planning, and a lot of dreaming and it’s been an epic long weekend vacation for Becky and I. So glad we took time to hit the pause button on life to dive into the activities we thoroughly enjoy sharing with each other!

Presence:

Another wonderful day of hiking in Arizona! What really threw me for a loop was summiting a mountain in the snow in the desert, I was totally not expecting that today!

The hike up was spectacular, the views of the surrounding mountains were stunning, and hiking in snow AND cactuses was pretty trippy!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,064

Growth:

I’m so thankful for all the work I’ve put in with lifting over the past few months, especially with my legs. After knocking out a few longer hikes on very rocky, uneven, and steep surfaces I noticed something was missing today…. I have ZERO knee swelling. I have ZERO soreness in my knees.

As recently as this past summer the down hills and rocky surfaces would especially irritate my right knee. It would inflate by the end of the hike and be stiff for quite a while.

All the additional leg lifts and workouts have obviously had a hugely positive impact on my ability to hike – so thankful!!!!

Pretty sure this dude will never skip leg day again!

Appreciation:

While hiking there have been so many joyful shared travel memories brought to mind. Sometimes it takes being away from “the usual” to allow the space for those memories to sneak back into our view. We’ve shared some wonderful stories, remembered places and specific hikes we’ve been on before, laughed at some of the antics of the boys, and considered how much we would kick our younger-selves asses with the hiking shape we’re in today compared to 20+ years ago. So many shared experiences on the trails, brought back about on the trails, and remembered specifically because of the trails.

Presence:

A state of complete and total chill all day long. For real, today has been about the most absolutely chill day I’ve had in a long time. At one point I was splayed out on the sun baked pavers of the patio in just my shorts soaking in the sun like a cat while listening to an audio book with my eyes closed. It was amazing!!! This entire day has been a reminder of the necessity of calm and stillness to recharge the batteries for adventures and life to come!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,063

Growth:

So much easier to step away from work on a vacation after deleting my email application! One simple action has already helped me be more present.

Appreciation:

The majority of the day was spent hiking, outside, in the sun, and taking in new sights in the wild – some of my favorite things! What do I appreciate more than those? Sharing them all with some whose passion for them is right there with mine! So thankful for sharing my life and experiences with Becky! If this is what our retired life will be like, bring it on!!!

Presence:

While there were so many wonderful moments today one that really sticks out to me is when Becky and I were in the hot tub and enjoyed five minutes of shared silence. While she meditated I stared up at the stars above and just let my mind go. It was so profoundly chill to just savor the sight of the stars, take in their dichotomy of their truly immense size and the tiny glitter they appear to be from so far away. So blessed to taken in those moments of stillness!

Thanks!!!