Tag: fiction

Thankful for the Journey, Book Webs, & a Simple Task

Day 3,633

Growth:

Two very interesting quotes about enjoying the journey, not just the destination that both echoed in my mind:

But I’d had many great moments in the last few weeks, and I couldn’t help feeling a touch of sadness at the thought that it was all over. – Sir Edmund Hillary, High Adventure

There was loneliness, too, as the sun set, but only rarely now did doubts return. Then I felt sinkingly as if my whole life lay behind me. Once on the mountain I knew (or trusted) that this would give way to total absorption with the task at hand. But at times I wondered if I had not come a long way only to find that what I really sought was something I had left behind. – Thomas F. Hornbein, Everest: The West Ridge

Appreciation:

Throughout the years the boys and I have traded many great books. We’ve all encouraged each other to pick up different titles based on our overlapping interests and have created quite a web of book reading crossover. This evening Dominic was telling us about how far he was into a specific book, one that I’d initially read and then gotten Gavin hooked on. Gavin in turn talked Dominic into picking it up. I then shared with Dominic that I was just wrapping up a book he’d referred to me, High Adventure by Sir Edmund Hillary. So many of the books the three of us have read started with one recommendation from someone else and then expanded within our family. I’m very grateful for the shared taste in reading we all have!

Presence:

There was an oddly still moment of presence this morning in a very unexpected place. While making lunch I intentionally did not have any music, audiobook, or podcast going, I was working alone and in silence. With the main ingredients slowly cooking on the stove I got into a rhythm while slicing a couple of small blocks of cheese. Without realizing it I became quickly in tune with how focused I was in that moment, how nothing else mattered, and I was enjoying such a rudimentary task with much more joy than one should expect. The task itself was not important, it was the act of being fully present in the task at hand, in the that moment. Wild, so oddly soothing and gratifying!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for a Thought Provoking Quote from Fiction, Productive Days, & More Time in the Woods

Day 3,192

Growth:

Sometimes some incredible ideas and thoughts can be generated by reading fiction. Throughout this year I’ve been taking more time to jot down some of the insights and quotes I’ve picked up from each book I read, fiction included. The fiction series Gavin turned me onto, Red Rising, hit me with a couple of great ones within the span of a page this weekend. Here is one of the nuggets I took note of:


“We all have our own tides inside.  They go in, out.  Not really ours to control.  The things, people that orbit us do that.  At least more than we’d like to admit.”

Pierce Brown, Golden Son

The quote really hit me between the eyes on a couple of levels. The concept of having an internal tide of emotion flowing through us was a new thought to me, so fitting in so many ways. I initially stopped reading after the “not really ours to control” part and re-read it several times. So true, there is an ebb and flow to my emotions that does feel out of my control. There is much of the moment by moment choice I can make, but the metaphor of a tide is so spot on, there is something deeper that sometimes it seems I need to swim stronger against or that puts the wind at my back. Throw in the last two lines and it grows even more true and accurate.

So thankful for taking the time to jot some of these quotes and notes down as I read, they provide wonderful fodder for future thought and contemplation.

Appreciation:

This has ben a wildly full and productive day. From waking up early-ish for a Sunday, to knocking out a quick walk after breakfast to wear out the pup, to getting stuff done around the house, to wrapping up the last details of our Grand Canyon backpacking trip, to church, to hiking, to making and enjoying dinner with both boys and their girlfriends, to spending time on the deck relaxing, to now typing up my blog it has been a nonstop rail to rail day. Busy as all get out, but a wonderful balance of productivity with a bit of present and future relaxation all built in.

During days like this I sometimes think back to how many weekend days I wasted in my youth, sitting on my butt inside, playing a video game or watching TV, and not accomplishing anything. What I would give for the opportunity to have some of those days back. Alas, I can’t, and that’s okay. I can remember this feeling and be sure to maximize the remaining time I have. I can live into purpose, I can remember to relax but in a way which is still of benefit to my goals and dreams, and I can make the most of each today I am blessed to have. So much more joy is created in days of busy productivity like this than lazy days wasted on nothing.

Here’s to days like this to motivate me to live into my best self, the reminder of wasted days of youth as fuel for the fire, and for remembering to enjoy and appreciate each moment I’m blessed to live.

Presence:

So much outside time this weekend, so many moments of presence in nature! Our hike today was a sweet little jaunt through Great River Bluffs State Park. Becky and I took Leia and enjoyed some of the most prime hiking weather one could ask for. The sun was out, the sky was blue, the temperature was in the low 70’s, the light breeze was just enough to keep the bugs away, and the area we walked was just wooded enough that each step included a little bit of both sun and shade. All the birds, squirrels, and even a deer made an appearance as we walked. Such beauty and stillness in the woods!

Thanks!!!