Day 3,708

Growth:

Taking time to just sit still, and be in thought. Not working on anything, not pushing towards anything, but just taking time to think and exist. So needed, yet so easy to not do, to push right past, to stay busy. Remember to take that time to ourselves, to pause, reflect, and just be. So looking forward to doing just that more tomorrow!

Appreciation:

It is often easy to forget just how much I learned about home improvement from Dad throughout all my years with him. This morning I went through a closet door repair. We’d never done that together, but so much of what I utilized while making that repair were skills learned through him in other projects. What made this extra clear for me today was when I had Gavin tag in to help me out and I could see the reversal of roles for me. In that moment I was sharing with Gavin what Dad shared with me so many years ago. As both Dominic and I have discussed before he’s noticed just how much those bonus projects skills have helped him out at school and in work. Those skills just keep getting passed through the generations from Dad, I’m sure he’s been smiling the entire time!

Presence:

An afternoon gaming with my sons, having a great time acting like the bunch of tabletop nerds we can be sometimes. So much joking, laughing, and time spent having fun – vey thankful for the bonus time together today! Hearing how excited they were for the game tomorrow was fantastic!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,707

Growth:

Communication makes all the difference in the world. Don’t assume, ask enough questions to know we are on the same page. Pause, ask questions, hear the information fed back, and then move forward. Action without clarity in communication leads to more work down the road.

Appreciation:

Getting the morning run in before work. Talking with Becky during the run and while helping her loosen up a frustrating back muscle. Taking time to enjoy my coffee on the ride to the office. Pausing to savor the sight of the mirror like Mississippi River, so still due to the lack of wind. Enjoying great music in the car, letting my mind wander as I enjoy being present in the moment. Such a wonderful start to the morning!

Presence:

Pausing for a moment to enjoy the memory of a wonderful moment from many years ago with a dear friend who is no longer with us. Remembering her vibrance, her positive impact, and the impermanence of life. The moment was a reminder to me to focus on what is most important in life – living.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,706

Growth:

This quote was an interesting one to me. While the quote is from a fiction, the underlying theory is a sound one, backed by research. The biggest reminder for me is to accept the impermanence of all.

“Fear makes us selfish. The more we fear death, the more we cling to ourselves, our belongings, our safe spaces…to that which is familiar. We exhibit increased nationalism, racism, and religious intolerance. We flout authority, ignore social mores, steal from others to provide for ourselves, and become more materialistic. We even abandon our feelings of environmental responsibility because we sense the planet is a lost cause and we’re all doomed anyway.”

Dan Brown, The Secret of Secrets

Appreciation:

The more I focus in on my goals for the upcoming year the more and more clear decisions seem to be. The more actively I pause to intentionally consider my direction the easier it becomes to say yes to the right things more often and no to the wrong options more often as well. So long as I remove the clutter from around me the and take the time to be silent, to be in thought, the world becomes clearer.

In intentionality I find clarity. By taking time to sit alone in my own room I find that Pascal was likely correct in his assessment of how to eliminate most of the problems in our lives.

Presence:

Going for a relaxing walk after dinner was exactly what the doctor ordered this evening. Bonus outside time. Physical activity after eating. No screens after a day filled with stimuli. Quiet time with Becky, talking about our days. Relaxation in motion.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,705

Growth:

Sometimes I attempt to stay laser focused on a task. My brain naturally goes in many different directions all at one time, keeping that focus is something that I have to really work on to accomplish.

Today I was reminded that as long as I let my mind have a little wiggle room, just a little bit of slack, the meandering it does slowly leads e in the right direction – but only if I keep it on a leash. Giving it a little room to work leads to better thoughts and ideas, while letting it go wild leads to almost the same result as staying laser focused – an okay-ish result. The trick seems to be to allow myself just the right amount of leash to allow for flexibility without getting completely out of control.

Appreciation:

We’ve got our next couple of vacations booked! It’s been a little while since we’ve had one in the calendar, let alone two. Nice having those mini finish lines laid out in front of me, they always seem to motivate me to push a little harder through the ordinary. Vacation and travel are like the desserts after a big meal, they add a little extra awesome to life!

As I keep reading more and more about the adventures of others I can’t help but feel a little more excited to have some of our own ready o rock and roll!

Presence:

Between the snow in Eau Claire yesterday and the light mist and rain in La Crosse the scent of Autumn was strong this morning. I hadn’t realized just how much of an impact the little bit of moisture had on the leaves, bringing out the aroma that always reminds me of being out in the woods up north during the bow hunting season.

Scent seems to be the most often forgotten of the senses, yet when I take the time to notice it I’m always instantly transported back to past memories, always with a smile.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,704

The best way to really learn something is by coaching others on it. In order to do so effectively you must transition from surface level knowledge to a much deeper understanding.

One of the best ways to accomplish a difficult task is by talking about the goal with others. The added peer pressure applied to oneself after making a commitment to others helps to keep us on track.

Put both of these components together and we can more easily grow from a dream to reality – all while helping others. That’s an awesome combo!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,703

Whew – it has been a day! From the early morning run to a long and eventful day of work to an awesomely centering yoga practice to reading on the couch it’s been nonstop.

What sticks out most is remembering to take a deep breath, taking time to remember what is important, and making intentional choices while having contingency plans. Throughout most of the day each of those helped keep me on track, calm, and heading in the right direction.

Life throws us surprises, no question. The more prepared we are for them, the more clearly we know our destination, and the more disciplined we are in the practices that get us there more resilient we become, the more calm and successful we can be.

We can’t control what happens to us, but we can choose our attitude and we can choose our preparation.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,702

Nothing quite like snuggling up with an entertaining book on a cool afternoon, laying on the couch with the sunlight perking through the window!

After a very productive weekend it felt great to relax, lounge around, and enjoy some much needed downtime. As I read I paused s couple of times and considered what else I could / should be working on and realized just how much more I needed the downtime than I initially thought. Heck, I might even be in bed before 7:30 to read before going lights out early.

I enjoy being busy, being productive, but sometimes it feels great to chill. Cheers to the chillin’ today!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,701

What a day it has been! Almost nonstop time with Gavin, a couple of breaks while he was volunteering and while we split up to knock out chores around the house.

The rest of the time we were talking, hiking, joking, playing, and enjoying each other’s company. Talking about life, college, money, books, sports, and anything else that caught our fancy.

Finally getting to bed, was an amazing day all around with him.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,700

Another Friday and another grateful for a book blog!

Last week’s focus on The Alchemist was for very different reasons than tonight’s The Road, but that doesn’t change how much I appreciate either any less.

I’ve read The Road before, but this time it really hit me for deeper reasons than before. The connection between father and son was much ore evident the second time around. For some reason I caught myself thinking more from the perspective of the boy the first read, this time the role of the father really struck me.

So much to pull away form this, a very dark story for sure, but one full of insightful moments as a dad and as someone walking their own road. I’ll definitely be reading this one again!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,699

Growth:

Spending time in thought, reflecting on the past couple of years, considering goals for next year, thinking through what would need to change to attain them. Is there a more worthwhile investment in my growth for the future?

Appreciation:

When I made the decision to help guide some teammates through a process I use each year for planning my goals I wanted to help others grow. What I’ve found throughout rolling this out to them is how much taking the process to this next level is helping me further the depth I’ve been able to go into this personally. An excellent added bonus I wasn’t expecting!

Presence:

In only five minutes of quiet it is amazing how deep we can start to dive into some of the more deep questions about ourselves. We need only turn down the volume on the rest of life for those short five minutes to turn up the intensity in our future growth.

Thanks!!!