Becky had the incredible foresight last night to sign us up for yoga at 5:30 this morning. Due to the snow and cold running outside would have been miserable, and she was right, doing yoga in a balmy 96 degree room felt much better!
As we got to the final rest when I’m supposed to shut down the brain and just be I had a problem… I couldn’t shut my brain off. Instead of almost falling asleep or re-living an awesome moment on the beach my brain kept thinking about just how fortunate I was to have the weekend I had. So many memories kept sparking another, and then another.
Heading home I realized that I am very thankful for all of the other things I’ve been thankful for over the past weekend that didn’t get written about. Even though they may not have gotten their own post earlier I am very thankful for them all today as they’ve helped me start my day from a very positive place.
- I’m thankful for being able to work on things that I’m very passionate about. Most of my time on Friday at work was spent in a state of flow and it was AWESOME!!!
- I’m thankful for great coaches and mentors. Isn’t it awesome to have those right people just happen to walk into our life at just the right time when you invite them?
- I’m thankful for living near the Mississippi flyway. Watching the hundreds of bald eagles everywhere on the river takes my breath away every year.
- I’m thankful for hanging out with friends. We had a great time catching up with some of the couples we’ve know for years and years and that we’ve vacationed with. It was great to have some time to re-kindle those friendships.
- I’m thankful for the success the boys had in their Scouting for Food weekend. They did a great job of hanging bags last weekend and were rewarded with a lot of bags to pick up this past weekend. Thanks to their help there’s a lot of food going to the food pantry at Summit Elementary! It warms my heart to see how much they enjoy helping others.
- I’m thankful for the fun inside jokes we have as teams. The ride to and from Rochester with my Winona team left me with a big smile. It’s so much fun being able to share stories and jokes that only our bunch of goofballs get 🙂
- I’m thankful for Becky being incredibly flexible with our weekend plans. It would have been very easy and well within her rights to say no to changing the plans around, but she let the changes all happen with nothing but a smile. Pretty sure she has a leg up on the Wife of the Year in 2018 already!
- I’m thankful for the sushi Becky and I had in the Florida Keys seven years ago. That’s right, one meal seven years ago was so delicious and memorable that I still remember it after all these years!
- I’m thankful for almost daily reminders of how quickly the boys grow up. On Facebook the memory popped up of Dominic losing his first tooth and learning to ride a bike on the same day from FIVE years ago already! To be clear, both did not happen at the same time.
- I’m thankful for making things for other people. Creating something is just a core part of who I am, creating something with the intent of giving it away is pure bliss. When they say you get more by giving, I totally agree. I’ve been smiling from ear to ear as I’ve done a couple of projects recently and always find myself pushing to do a better job than ever before to make them proud.
- I’m thankful for Gavin’s interest in making puzzle boxes. There was a ton of other stuff that I wanted to get done yesterday afternoon, but when that kid said he wanted to make a puzzle box I knew my plans were in need of a change.
- I’m thankful for seeing Dominic’s personal growth, specifically his growth mindset. Yesterday he started carving out his pinewood derby car to make it look like a Batman car. As I was grilling lunch he came outside by me with a smile on his face and told me, “Dad, we have a problem. I need to make some changes to my car.” Then he showed me the piece that was broken due to a mistaken movement of his pocket knife. No anger, no tears, no disappointment, just acceptance and looking at the glass half full. I am so proud of that kid in moments like that when he has a choice in his emotions and attitude and chooses the right one. For the record, his re-done car looks pretty rad!
- I’m thankful for a beautiful piece of wood. There’s sometimes a piece of wood that is just so beautifully imperfectly perfect that I just stare at it in amazement for a while. I catch myself looking at it and having the wrong mindset. I’m so worried about making sure that I do not screw it up that this feeling of loss comes over me before anything bad happens. Then I catch myself, smile, and say “what the hell!” Before I know it I’m trying to use it to do something I’ve never done before and I have no idea whether or not I’ll be successful. As I want to honor the awesome gift it is in front of me I know it would be a dishonor to not use it and set it aside due to fear, but I honor it by using it for what it was intended. Maybe there’ll be a mistake, but maybe it will be amazing… If I don’t try something both it and I will be wasted. As you can probably guess, I came across an AMAZING block of wood yesterday. I almost let fear get in the way, but I flipped the switch and started creating. Guess what? I screwed up and made a mistake. Without losing my smile I just shook my head, showed Gavin, and told him my next puzzle box was about to become about an inch shorter than I intended. I cut off the mistake and will start over on it this week. All that from one beautiful piece of wood.
All of these things to be grateful for and so many more that I’ve forgotten or haven’t listed because I’d rather keep them to myself for now. What I am really thankful for is such an wonderful weekend in all of its chaos and craziness and all of the incredible gifts it brought me. Thank you to each and every one of you who helped bring those gifts to life this weekend. I can’t imagine my life without you.
Thanks!!!
