Every Bit The Journey

The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, and this is mine.

Tag: thankful

Radar says "Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year"

The day after Thanksgiving

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On November 29, 2019

In Life

Now what? It’s over, the gathering of family, or at least those available, a table spread with dozens of dishes, full bellies, the warmth of the heater on the drive home. Now what?

With Thanksgiving now behind us, this years Christmas is looming closer than the years before, I heard on the radio today, it’s like three weeks away (25 days if I did the math right, but who’s counting?). I feel like this year’s holiday season is especially disjointed for me. Family is spread out, travel agendas don’t match well, everything feels a bit piecemeal. Sigh. On top of all my mixed seasonal holiday feelings is the rising tide of gift-giving hopelessness. In all openness, I struggle with the holidays in general now. In another life time far far away, we would all sit at the thanksgiving table before we ate and have to say something for which we were thankful. I think this tradition has now slipped away with this year. It’s all good I guess. One of many. Sometimes these things just happen, people get older, everyone moves on. But if Thanksgiving is like a city bus, Christmas is a freight train. It’s coming and there is nothing anyone could really do to stop it. I know the reason for the season and all the good stuff it’s supposed to be, but it doesn’t really help. At least not yet. It’s just something I guess I need to get used to, kind of like the new normal. It is what it is. There is still time to get in to the spirit. Right?

Right! Because who wants to read a depressing post like this when everywhere you look are jingle bells, candy canes, Hanukkah bushes, and artificial snow in the window corners. If you find yourself feeling like a fleck circling the drain, you need to reset your thoughts a bit. You may need to dig deep, but find even just one thing, the one thing which worked well for you today. Maybe a person who makes you happy, anything really, to build on. Once you find one happy thought, embrace it. Build on it. You can borrow a could of mine if you need to. Example one – your dog wasn’t the one who had such an anxiety attack last night, he ate through the cat door to try to get in to the house (yeah, really happened). Example two – the six inch water main which burst at work today, completely shutting the building down, was fixable in just two hours (including the hour round trip to get the parts). Example three – well, you get the idea, I’ll let you think of something now. Just pick one thing which worked out, anything, and say it to yourself. It can be as simple as having electricity and a computer just to read posts like this. Lots of people struggle this time of year. You can help them by reaching out. Doing something nice for someone is like doing something nice for yourself. Build on that and it’s a step in the right direction.

Despite a mild case of the holiday blues (I think maybe I’ve been indoors too much lately), there is much I’m truly thankful for. I just need to listen, and take the next step.

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Events in our lives

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On November 11, 2018

In Life, life events

So many things happen to so many people every day. Some good, some bad, some incredible good. It’s really nice when something really good happens to someone you know.

My niece is married today. Normally separated ones with long distances, it’s great to get together with families and friends. The setting was a little different (aviation museum) but absolutely perfect. On this day where we recognize the veterans in our country, my heart swells and my eyes water a little as I look around at the great joy of wedding celebrations with the military backdrop. It’s a little strange for me, knowing what these historical aircraft meant in a world at war and yet the happiness and joy with the purpose of our gathering. My love goes out to my family and friends tonight, may my niece and her new husband enjoy many, many, happy years together.

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Pikes Peak

Using “If-Then” Thinking to Achieve Your Goal.

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On July 3, 2018

In Life, Skills

When you first get one of those epic, crazy, fun, adventure ideas in your head, your thoughts may shift to all the problems you think you will face. This can be overwhelming and likely may cause you to look elsewhere for something easier to do.
 
I recently read a management tip-of-the-day which struck me as appropriate to adventure goal seeking (or any other goal seeking for that matter).
 
First start by considering your goal (say, “I want climb Pike Peak”). Then list the obstacles you expect to face along the way (“Lack of air at high altitude”). Listing the goal helps you focus on the objective. Listing out the problems in getting to the goal helps takes them from the enormity in your imagination and makes them simple word problem statements, each to be addressed. Yes, there are obstacles, but they are typically finite and each problem can be worked.
 
Next, frame what you will do about these obstacles as “if”-“then” statements. Look at the “If” statement first. If this is a problem – what are some solutions, workarounds, or fixes? The you can use these solution towards your “Then” statement(s). To address the lack of O2 at high elevations, for example, you could tell yourself: “If there is a lack of available oxygen at 14k feet, what are some solutions to overcoming this issue? I can train to compensate?, can I carry extra O2?, etc.”
 
Then you can build your “Then” solutions.  “If there is low O2, Then I will use hypoxic training, Then I will  develop an altitude acclimation plan, Then I will carry portable oxygen canisters, Then I will have a exit plan for altitude sickness.”
 
By using if-then statements, you can think through what will get in your way and make a plans to address or overcome them and reach your epic crazy fun adventure goals!

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Random thought of the day

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On May 26, 2018

In Life

I’m sitting here waiting for the barbershop to open (it’s that time of the month again) and reading news feeds. Lots of crazy stupid stuff.

A stag with a headdress full of fishing gear, ww2 Nazi fog are just a couple. There is so much news and information available to us now a person could easily be overwhelmed by the magnitude of things wrong in the world. But every day, we each have the opportunity, to make our world, where we live, where our loved ones live, just a little bit better. Don’t waste your opportunity.

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Don’t tell the boss, but …

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On April 27, 2018

In Life

… Today is “Ditch Day” While I’m sure everyone wants to be inside at the office this Friday for the full 8 hours, some folks have the crazy idea getting outside is good for you!

Akin to REI’s #OptOutside, #DitchDay is Kelty’s version of having some fun and encouraging folks to just simply get out more and have some fun today. If you don’t ditch work today, I’m sure the boss will understand (comment if for some reason your boss bailed on today!), but be sure to take a few extra moments for yourself, outside of course. Eat lunch on the patio, take an extra lap around the park, enjoy yourself, even for just a bit.

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Giving Thanks

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On November 23, 2017

In Life

Today is a special day in my country, it is a day of giving thanks. While some may flame, criticize, and chastise the custom’s origins, the bottom line, for me, it is a time to pause and reflect about the things we value in our lives.

Days of giving thanks are celebrated in other countries as well, typically in the fall, more or less for similar reasons. But today is my country’s day to give thanks for what we have. The American holiday of Thanksgiving originated with the early European settlers to the Americas and, as legends go, the early Pilgrims pulled together with the Indians, to give thanks for a successful harvest, which they hoped would carry them through the harsh winter coming. As a little guy growing up, I remember the excitement of drawing turkeys by tracing our hand (the thumb was the head, the palm the body, and the other four fingers the tail feathers), coloring and cutting them out to decorate the class room, mom’s refrigerator, and pretty much anything which didn’t move. We we taught one of the reasons there was a Thanksgiving, was the native American Indians had watched these struggling new European settlers, took pity on them, and helped them adapt the the new world. They were instrumental in making the settlers fall harvest a successful one. I learned in school growing up, everyone, the settlers and the Indians, sat down at the same table and shared in the bounty of the harvest. True or not, hundreds of years later, we, today will sit and share with others, what we can. We will share with family. We will share with friends. We will share with strangers. We will think of our loved ones who could not be together with us, due to distance or obligations, and we will think about our loved ones who have passed from us. In a way, I feel Thanksgiving is about the past, the successes, things we have overcome, the fact we can travel to be with others, the fact we have food and drink to share.

Sitting here writing this in the early morning hours, as the rising sun lightens the eastern sky, I think, Thanksgiving is about hope too. The early settlers were hopeful they would survive the winter. Sometimes our lives may not always take us down the trail we think, but today, I am thankful. Today I think am hopeful too. I am hopeful for the good things in our country. I am hopeful for being able to spend time with separated family. I am hopeful, the folks I love stay healthy and in my life for a while longer. I am hopeful, there are new opportunities, friends, and relationships which enrich my life. I am hopeful.

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