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What are you grateful for?

I occasionally use this blog to write about what I’m grateful for. I’ve found that it helps me keep things in perspective and to keep my attitude positive (even when things might not be going so well).

It would be nice to hear what others are grateful for as well. Take 30-seconds and think about it and then leave a comment. I’m sure we would all appreciate hearing about what your grateful for – particularly with Thanksgiving coming up soon.

I’m grateful for being back from vacation

We just spent a wonderful week of family time together in Mexico. It was good to relax and get away for awhile. But now I am very grateful to be back at work. I feel refreshed and ready to go. Time off is a great way of recharging your batteries!

I have been very productive already this morning and probably will remain this way for a few more days!

Today I Am Grateful For: For being up at 5:00 AM on a Sunday

It is the 5:00 AM on a Sunday morning and I am down on my computer instead of sleeping because my five year old came up into bed about an hour ago because he woke up from a nightmare.  While I would like to be sleeping right now, he tends to toss and turn and kick and make funny noises when he sleeps – which makes my sleeping rather difficult.  So I tried – for an hour to fall back to sleep while beside me lay a squirmy five year old who snores.

Needless to say, I’m now down at my computer typing away.

But I’m thankful for that.  I’m thankful that my son is sleeping, nightmare free in my bed.  I’m grateful that he still is young enough to come up into our bed when he is scared.  That he is young enough to believe that his parents can stop any kind of monster.

Soon enough those days will be gone and I’ll be looking back on them with a fondness for the “good ol’ days.”

I will have forgotten that I’m tired.  I will have forgotten that my back is sore from trying to lay on my side on the edge of the bed and not fall off for an hour.  I will have forgotten all these things and remember only that my son felt safe and loved in my care.

So now I enjoy this early morning.  I might get less sleep.  I might need to take a nap later today (its ok, it is Sunday).  But I enjoy them and am grateful for these small inconveniences.  Right now he is sleeping soundly because he feels that he is protected and loved.

Today I’m Grateful For: Nothing on my Calendar

After being extremely busy for the last few weeks it was nice to find that I have nothing on my calendar today. Time to recharge and get all the little things done that need to be worked on…

Gratitude – this is amazing!

I came across this and it really moved me. While I am grateful for a lot of things in my life, I don’t know if I could be this positive, this upbeat, this grateful if I did not have arms and legs.  What a powerful message for us all to realize that our attitude comes, not from the things we have or don’t have, but in how we approach life.  Do you approach life like Nick Vujicic and see the possibilities or only the limitations.  I can achieve only  a small fraction of his outlook on life I will be a much better person.  Enjoy and learn.

Today I’m Grateful For: NOT playing golf

I lived through the old expression “When it rains, it pours” over the past five days. I have played 18 holes of golf each day (Thursday – Monday) with an extra 9 holes thrown in on Saturday for good measure. It was one of those convergences that happens occasionally: golf on Thursday with some business partners, golf Friday through Sunday with 23 other guys up North at their annual golf outing, and golf on Monday at the annual Knicker Open charity event for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the TC..

Now don’t get me wrong, this isn’t all bad…actually it was a lot of fun

However, my back and neck are very grateful that today (and for the foreseeable future) I am not going to be hitting any balls out on a golf course in this heat and humidity that we have.

FYI – you would think that  my game would improve after so much golf…but that was definitely not the case.  Also, I will tell you about my amazing use of a nine-iron in an upcoming post…

Today I’m Grateful For: t-ball

My five year old son has been with his grandparents at the cabin since last Thursday. He has been gone longer than expected since he was supposed to come home with us on Monday, but literally begged to stay up there and help Grandpa and Grandma do “projects” such as planting trees, painting, etc… (now if he only stays excited about doing these things when he gets to be a teenager – I can dream can’t I?). They were going to come home late tonight, but Q had t-ball at 6:15 PM – thus they are coming home early.

I am grateful that he is coming home early…only been a couple days, but I’ve missed him.

Today I Am Grateful For: A Torn MCL

Ok, I might be trying a little hard to find some gratitude on this one, but…

I was skiing last week with some friends while we were working on developing a conference (a cool conference that includes skiing activities that help solidify key insights…yes, the one I talk about in the previous post…but that is another story). On the last run of the second day (after I had written the previous post), I caught an edge, had the tip of my ski catch and flipped over, twisting my knee. At the doctor the next day, they said that I have a slightly torn MCL.

This week I came out to Montana with my family and some friends to ski at Big Sky. We had planned this vacation for months.  We were looking forward to having some time away, teaching our kids how to ski, and enjoying the mountains.

Everyone skied yesterday except for me.

I did a little work, took pictures, captured some video, and got groceries.  I kept myself busy.

Today they are off again but instead of keeping myself busy I’m all alone watching the snow fall down at a rate of a few inches an hour (fresh powder). I really want to go out on the hill and ski – but my knee is not quite ready (hopefully tomorrow).

But here is what I’m grateful for…I have a day to relax and enjoy. I sat this morning with a cup of coffee watching the snow fall softly and cover the evergreen branches with a white coat.  I watched a bird I couldn’t recognize fly into the evergreens and saw the snow cascade down in a torrent to the ground as the birds wings hit the branches.   The mountain is hidden in mist and snow, but outside is beautiful. There is a calm quiet that permeates this place which I can’t find in Minneapolis. I’ve been given a day of contemplation. One in which I can think and be grateful for all that I have.

I could be bitter…I could be mad at the fact that I am stuck here now because I was stupid last week.  But what good would that do me?  So instead I choose to use this time and enjoy it.

I choose to be grateful.

And so…while I would like to be out skiing and feeling the fresh powder under my skis…I am thankful for this alone time in such a beautiful setting.

Today I’m Grateful For: Mountain Time Reflection

I am in Colorado working/playing with a few friends planning a future conference. While we have probably been playing more than working (we talk work on the ski hill, but I can’t really call that work) this time has given me some moments of reflection that I wouldn’t normally get. It is refreshing to step away from everyday life to gain some perspective. Looking at the breathtaking vista’s from the top of the mountain really make one thing about how we fit into the world. Feeling the sun in your face as you glide down the ski hill makes me focus on what is really important in life. Having a beer and sharing stories about the day reinforce the fact that we are social creatures.

I am very grateful for this time of reflection.

Today I Am Grateful For: 9 minutes in the car

Most winter days, I drive my wife into work. Often, I’ve already started on something by the time my wife is ready and she yells up to me in my office “Time to go.” I stop what I’m doing. I go downstairs. I grumble about the hassle of driving. I put on my coat and grab the keys. I drive her in and drop her off.

It takes about 9 minutes for us to make it downtown to her office. That is 20 minutes out of my day.

I can’t think of a better use of 9-minutes. This is our time. We talk about things. We discuss our plans for the day or week or month. We share some gossip. We make some decisions. I tell her to have a good day. She kisses me goodbye.

This 9-minutes each day is ours and I treasure it.

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