Day 3,120

Growth:

I might sound like a bit of a broken record, but it is so nice hammering away on the projects we have planned for the weekend right away on Saturday morning. We had quite the list to knock out and started almost as soon as I got out of bed. It’s been a long day, but a very rewarding one AND we’ve got a lot less to take care of tomorrow – bring on the hiking!

Appreciation:

Our grill bit the dust a while back and we picked up a new one today. Out of nowhere Gavin appeared with a strong yearning to put it together! While Becky and I got other things done Gavin went to town and got the entire thing assembled. Nice having an assembler live and in person to take care of that for us today!

Presence:

Spending time outside in the sun made washing the boat such a more positive project today! Powerwashing went from a chore to a fun bonus project with weather like this!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,119

Growth:

My book continues to provide me with gifts at the most unexpected times. Gavin decided to start reading it yesterday and it’s been awesome to hear how much he is appreciating it.

Create rather than waste time. Make the most of the time I have as I did while writing, don’t let the precious little time we have slip away.

Appreciation:

Add some more dreams to the list! Faster than I can knock them off they are added. My never ending dream bucket always runneth over 😉

For reals, I’m grateful for the direction and drive my dream list provides. On days when I want to relax and slow down my dream list reminds me of the why behind hard work and action.

Presence:

Spending time with Gavin on a couple of errands this evening was priceless. In the most ordinary of times we have the opportunity to be fully present and engaged.

From Gavin this evening, “these are the moments we are supposed to cherish, aren’t they?” Yes, they are… and we did.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,118

Growth:

As I near the end of one notebook and prepare to move on to the next I can’t help be reminded myself to write down more of my thoughts than I think I will ever need. Thoughts come and go, sometimes even the best of them can seem to drift away. Paper and ink are cheap, capture the thought before it floats away.

Appreciation:

Picking up our boat is one of a few times each year I know I’ll get to spend time with my buddy Al. Today was another engaging conversation covering everything from travel to trucking to timber to tool benches to times gone by. Such a gift to spend time in a conversation like that!

Presence:

Sometimes a hug is the right way to go, glad I chose correctly today!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,117

I got this text from my buddy Todd as I was waiting for Gavin to get called back to oral surgery to remove his wisdom teeth:

This really hit me hard in a very positive way. My thoughts kept going back to that question over and over. Each conversation I had about work seemed to offer up another loose string to pull on this. Honestly, my thoughts aren’t distilled enough to answer it well. That said, here are some of the common threads I kept pulling at.

• Would I rather offer advice or ask questions? My 19 year old self would likely not listen to advice, but he also likely wouldn’t have enough life experience to answer my questions well.
• How much would I really want to change what was going to happen? Life has turned out rather well (as Vonnegut would suggest, as it always did, always does, and always will) largely due to having to fumble my way through without advice from my future self.
• While there’s advice I would love to have given myself as a younger person – especially “don’t waste your freshman year of college on drinking and pursuing relationships with women, get outside and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors you’re surrounded by – I still came around to it later in life.
• How much more progress would I have made towards living into my purpose had I asked myself one simple question each night before bed and wrote down and tracked my answers? “If I had only 10 more years to live, what would I stop doing today?” Would that exercise have shifted me further earlier?

All those thoughts and so many more continue to roll through my brain. I have a feeling this topic will come up again in the not too distant future.

Thanks again for the awesome question Todd!!!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,116

Growth:

Busy freeways are an almost endless opportunity to test my patience and my resolve to choose my attitude. I was not perfect today, not by a long shot, but when I remembered that it was a test I did much better.

Appreciation:

This weekend was ridiculous and amazing! We drove over 1,300 miles and about 20 hours over four days to visit a National Park and view the solar eclipse. They are not always easy to pull off, but adventures like this are amongst some of my favorites. Life is short, travel hard!

Presence:

Nothing quite like the view of pulling back into our own driveway! Travel is always an adventure, returning home is one of the best parts.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,113

Growth:

A dream WITH a plan has a much higher probability of success. One week into my weight training plan and it has already been more successful thanks to the detailed strategy and plan I put together.

Appreciation:

During one of my stretches of driving I fired up Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five. I’ve read it a few times before, but I think I am enjoying it now more than ever!

Presence:

Hitting the gym before sitting in the car for 10+ hours was a great idea. Not only did it help on the ride, but I had an awesomely focused workout. Nice starting the weekend in a great headspace!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,112

Growth:

Is there anything more important to do than to be there for a friend when they need one? Both people on both sides of the equation come out ahead. When we need help we need to be willing to ask for it. When someone asks for help we need to be willing to provide it.

Appreciation:

I’ve been totally grooving on an outdoor vibe today! From the morning run outdoors to observing and appreciating all the natural sights while I drove I was seemingly smiling incessantly today. The healing and calming power of nature is such a blessing!

Presence:

Just as we were about to run past the beach on the black River a bright column of orange light on the horizon caught my attention. It took a moment to realize that it was the sliver of the moon slowly rising from the bluffs. It was AWESOME!!! Completely surreal, the sight of the moon held my attention for the entirety of the beach. What a beautiful start to the day!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,111

Growth:

Appreciation:

There’s definitely more to this one than I’ll dive into today, but I would bet that it will be back in a bit once the rest has the opportunity to percolate.

I’m thankful do it taking the time to learn, listen to, and appreciate the music the boys listen to. Their tastes are quite unique and don’t always match my tastes, but through their songs I learn more about my sons. It provides another reason for conversation and has led to more than a small handful of deep conversations as a result.

They’ve expanded my musical horizons while simultaneously expanding our relationship.

Presence:

This evening Becky was making supper while I did dishes. Nothing crazy, but a wonderful opportunity to have undistracted conversation with the two of us.

Later in the evening Becky, Gavin, and I all hopped on FaceTime with Dominic and had an engaging conversation catching up on all the goings ons in our family. Nothing crazy, but a wonderful opportunity to have undistracted conversation with the four of us.

Those moments, both priceless.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,110

Whew!!! Where did today go??? Short version for tonight, gotta get to sleep and hit the gym early tomorrow morning.

There were many moments of appreciation today including a great morning lift, a super upbeat conversation, a beautiful drive, pushing past discomfort, and so many laughs in a very informative training session.

The highlight of the day was Gavin’s confirmation. Many years of religious study led to a culmination this evening and I am grateful for the opportunity to celebrate that with him. We’ve had more and more faith based conversations recently and this was something that will lead to more dialogue. Such an awesome next step in his faith life!

Thanks!!!