Tag: photography

Thankful for Remembering to Pause to Enjoy the Sunset

Day 3,970

Last week I had the privilege of joining the teacher’s meeting at Root Down Yoga. As we dove into a conversation about being present a teacher commented on something as simple as a sunset. “How many more of those will we have the opportunity to see in our lives?”

When one pauses to think about it, how many sunsets do we have left? Why don’t we slow down to soak up one of life’s beautiful moments more often?

Back when I was a kid I think my grandpa really understood the finite nature of life more so than most. When we would hang out with my grandparents for more than a week each summer he’d always seem to pause to watch the sunset.

One in particular I remember so vividly – a little for the jaw dropping sunset, but so much more from watching my grandfather’s awe and reverence for the setting sun. As he looked to it wistfully and watched it slowly melt into the horizon his face shown with gratitude, awe, and something else that I can only look back with my life experience to call “acceptance.” It was like he was seeing a much deeper and more insightful version of the same natural phenomena.

This evening after yoga I saw that my timing was just about right to run home, pick up Becky, and take in the sunset. Snapping pics, pausing to savor the view of an exemplary edition of the setting sun over the Mississippi River Valley.

Seeing that it is something be in awe of, the sheer beauty of the natural world.

Taking in the fact that to everything there is a cycle, a progression.

Understanding the impermanence of all things, the beauty created specifically from that fact.

Savoring a moment of breath, of presence.

Appreciating existence.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Learning Through a Project, a Very Full Day, & Moonrises and Sunrises

Day 3,791

Growth:

Remember to use the tools at our disposal. Put in the work to learn the why behind the processes. Work through the difficulty, but take a quick breath when you need to. Ask for the help of others (so grateful for that being one of my Top 3 Lessons to Remember in 2026!), they’re happy to have an opportunity to help carry the load and will create something bigger than what could have been done solo.

So many lessons and reminders from the project that consumed much of my day!

Appreciation:

So many directions to go on this one this evening, what do I choose? Nice thing for me that this is my blog and I can adapt as I see fit 😉

As I wrapped up my fourth reading of Endurance by Alfred Lansing I found myself more moved than ever. For some reason I just connected with a few of the storylines a little more deeply and was moved to tears at the very end of the book. As I consider what was most different this time around I was truly struck by the ongoing optimism of the crew and and passion and love Shackleton had for his crew. Envisioning his reaction at the end was quite stirring for my soul.

At home this evening we had dinner as a family, played some Scrabble as a family, and then Gavin and I busted out a “Best of Five” one on one board game series. He won by a narrow margin, but we had so much fun playing, stretching our brains, and giving each other both a hard time and compliments. After what I’d written about last night with his powerlifting dinner this was a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the time together that we have.

In addition to those there were so many other great moments I’m grateful for. To everyone who played a role in bringing so much joy to my soul today (even if you didn’t realize it) – thank you!!!

Presence:

Talk about a daily double to start the morning! While Becky and I were on the back half of our run we caught an epic moonrise, a sliver of the moon looming over the bluffs in an awesomely dark orange light. The short distance it had traveled past the horizon made it appear gigantic, while the little fingernail sliver of it looked so delicate at the same time. So fortunate to see such a spectacular sight right away in the morning!

As if that wasn’t enough, the sunrise told the moonrise “hold my beer,” and proceeded to put up a stunner of its own! While it was at my back I was able to watch it slowly lift above the Mississippi River Valley and change the colors of the visible world. I was even able to sneak in a quick pic of it in the side view mirror.

Beyond grateful to start the day with such incredible views, how could life be anything but enjoyable with those two rises filling my soul?

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Learning Through Mistake, a Day in the Woods, & Mississippi River Music

Day 3,420

Growth:

Throughout my day of hiking (see the next section) I was working on taking pictures using some of the new things I’ve been learning and thought I was making progress. As it turns out, I was making progress, though not as I had intended! So many of the photos I took were totally blur and not what I’d intended, a few of the settings were off and I thought I would skip the tripod and shoot by hand. So the learning continues! Nothing like the sting of mistake to fuel the learning for the next time.

Appreciation:

I took the day off today and headed out to one of my favorite local-ish hiking areas, Pikes Peak State Park in McGregor, IA. Out the door just after 5am I was able to get to the park and where I wanted to be before sunrise. In addition to taking pictures I relaxed, soaked in the beautiful sights (& sounds), and slowly sipped my coffee and enjoyed every moment.

After putting my coffee mug away I knocked out about a dozen miles in the park and walked all the trails I’ve wanted to cover in past visits. It was just the deer, eagles, and I in the woods, the only people I encountered on the trail were as I was within eye shot of my car. Such a wonderfully relaxing way to get my brain back in the right state of mind.

Everything in life can be worked out while walking in the woods. The fresh air, the trees, the wildlife, and all the wonderful views, including frozen waterfalls, bring a level of stillness that can help us see all of life so much more clearly. I am beyond grateful for making the time needed to get my brain in the right place.

Presence:

Standing in the woods, all alone, relaxing and enjoying the sights and sounds all around me. Of all of the moments there is one in particular that really jumps out. When I was watching the sunrise slowly paint the sky I was serenaded by the music of the ice on the Mississippi River slowly expanding and popping. It echoed through the valley and was a perfect soundtrack to the sunrise!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Solitude in Nature, Travel Tangents, & Getting Lost in a Story

Day 3,018

Growth:

2024 started off with finishing up my most recent reading of Awareness by Anthony de Mello. One of the passages that really hit home for me was this as he talks about finding peace and awareness through becoming okay with being alone…

It will help, too, if you return to nature. Send the crowds away, go up to the mountains, and silently commune with the trees and flowers and animals ad birds, with sea and clouds and sky and stars. …Get back to nature, go up in the mountains. Then you will know that your heart has brought you to the vast desert of solitude, there is no one at your side, absolutely no one. 

At first this will seem unbearable. But it is only because you are unaccustomed to aloneness. If you manage to stay there for a while, the desert will suddenly blossom into love. Your heart will burst into song. And it will be spring-time forever, the drug will be out, you’re free. Then you will understand what freedom is, what love is, what happiness is, what reality is, what truth is, what God is.”

Anthony de Mello, Awareness

From my backpacking experience last year I can start to understand what he means by this quote. Being alone in the woods, experiencing solitude, is magic for the soul.

Appreciation:

Vacations… ahh… one of my happy places and favorite activities! This evening I was working on a few details on planning one trip and then went down a bit of a rabbit hole cleaning out some old travel emails. That task somehow parlayed itself into digging into old vacation photos. While digging into the old photos I was reminded to pull some additional for a few different friends relating to trips and had the opportunity to re-live some of those past trips. 

Some of the reading in Awareness tonight was focused on being present while on trips, not living behind the camera and only seeing the trip through the lens. I am grateful for the advice I got somewhere along the road about taking just enough photos to spark and clarify the memories, but not so much to miss the moment. It is a difficult balance, being present in the moment while also capturing just enough to re-live it over and over again and to maximize the memory dividend.

LOL – there I go again, drifting off on another vacation and travel related tangent! That’s exactly what I am thankful for this evening!

Presence:

While there were a handful of moments of presence throughout the day I’m going to kind of cheat and go back to last night. Gavin recommended Timeline by Michael Crichton a little over a year ago and it has been sitting on my nightstand ever since. Last night as I prepped for sleep I decided it was time to bust it out and give it a read. The next thing I knew almost an hour had passed and I was deep into the story. 

What a gift it is to get lost in a wonderful book! When written well our minds can clearly picture all that is happening while also making connections to real life and piece together where the story may be going. Each page leads us further down the path, committing us more and more to the story. Today I’m grateful for those moments of presence while reading, I’m off to see if I can replicate it again!

Thanks!!!