From the Lens - Ancient Sewer
Walking through the stone sewers built by Roman engineers (February 2018, Under the Grossed Budengasse street, Cologne, Germany)
From the Lens - Jump
Jumping into the New Year and Decade (July 2018, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado)
These four wasted no time this morning getting outside to skate in the New Year!
It’s that time of year again for the Gott Family Ugly Sweater Contest. Click on the link to vote now!
Keep Going…
Some days you just have to keep going. That is what I told myself as I hit mile 2 of my 3.1 mile loop I have run many times before.
So what did I end up doing? Well, I just added on another 3.1 mile loop in a completely different direction in order to just keep moving along.
I had originally planned to do a longer run today so I set my alarm really early to ensure I would have enough time to get it done. When the alarm went off I was just too comfortable laying in bed that I stayed there for a really long time. Finally, after a lot of time ticked by I told myself I had wasted enough time laying around and I should get outside to run. However, I figured I only had time for 3.1 mile route instead of the one I was planning on doing.
Looking at the sunrise after a great long run (December 2019, Eden Prairie)
Being a little bummed about not doing what I had planned, I was glad that I got outside to do something instead of skipping it altogether, which was also on my mind. I didn’t feel great running at first either so I knew just sticking to an easier route was a good plan so then I could get home and have some time before I rushed off to work. However, as I looked at my watch and realized I was at about 2 miles into my run and approaching my house I thought why not just continue and run another 3.1 mile loop that goes a different direction.
So that is just what I did and I continued on a different route.
“It’s not so much that I began to run, but that I continued”
- Hal Higdon
You might be wondering why I shared the story above with you but stick with me and read on 😄
I was glad to have extended my total run to the full 6.2 miles I had planned to run the night before. Even though I took a completely different route than planning, I ultimately achieved the same goal I set out to accomplish.
Reflection on Paths and Moving Forward
As I reflected on that driving to work today I realized a lot of people (me included) focus too much about what path we planned to be on in order to reach our end goal. However, by being so focused on the current path we could be losing sight of what we really want as an end goal. In fact, we could miss a turn that might take us off the current route but still headed in the right direction overall.
This has happened to me quite a few times most specifically in careers or jobs. I know what I would like to be doing down the road from now or how that might look. However, sometimes I get so stuck in a role (path) thinking it will eventually get me there as I had originally planned. Then another year goes by and I realize I am no closer to where I would like to end up and in reality, I might be further behind or off track. If only I would have stopped ignoring other interesting routes that would probably lead me to the same destination as my goal.
Ultimately, I am beginning to learn that taking small steps and keeping the course is a good thing in life as long as you continue to move forward. However, you should make sure you are aware of your surroundings and make sure you aren’t just following a path because that was your original plan. You also need to make sure you are keeping your head up and making sure you aren’t so focused on the trail in front of you that you might be passing up other opportunities.
From the Lens - Lainey Lou the Doodle
Lainey Lou the Doodle our Families Best Friend and common fixture in our household. (September 2019)
After all the hockey played on the rink this afternoon it is time for the “Zamboni” to get to work… OK it is done now 😁🏒
Mini Sabbatical
A couple weeks ago I was on what I called a mini sabbatical but in reality, it was just a week off of work before I started a new job. During that week I fully appreciate and understand why rest is important. I think the overall concept of time away from work is something more companies should figure out how to offer. I know some companies have programs like actual sabbaticals after putting in a number of years at companies. I think the idea is great and I think it could be something done on a smaller scale too. I think the most important aspect is to figure out how to allow people to have some time away from where they can really disconnect.
Disconnecting is what you hear about all the time now and after a week of being fully disconnected, I know there are benefits there. I have always taken time away to spend time with family and I would say I was “disconnecting” from work. However, I was never truly disconnected. I was still getting work emails on my phone and more often than not I carried my work laptop with me to where I was going. So in theory as much as I was saying I was “disconnected” I was still connected by checking and making sure nothing went wrong back at work while I was away. Even if I wasn’t responding to anything, I was still glancing through things to make sure nothing big was going on and filling stuff away in order to make it easier for when I got back to work.
*Eerie looking sky leaving work by myself late on a Friday for the last time (November 2019, MTS Systems, Eden Prairie, MN)*
However, on this “break” I didn’t have email or work issues that came up or even could be brought my attention. When I left work on my final day, my email and connection to that job disappeared as well. I was unemployed as I was in between jobs and it was great. I was hoping that my wife and I could have escaped somewhere fun for a couple of days but seeing how this wasn’t planned very far in advance. So my wife still had to work and the kids still had school and their normal after-school activities.
However, that was honestly perfect for me as it allowed me to do more with the kids before and after school as I was still there. However, it also gave me a chance to just do random things during the day from 9am - 4pm when my kids were at school. I took the dog to the dog park where she was just in heaven as there wasn’t anyone there and she could just run around as fast as possible.
*I might be spoiling the dog this week as we have been to the dog park twice already (November 2019, Flying Cloud Dog Park, Eden Prairie, MN)*
I spent the week doing things I enjoyed but honestly, I could have had another week to get even more stuff done as I had planned on taking the time to read a book (yep never happened). I did make sure to sneak in a couple of long runs, multiple runs per day, as well as a fun park that was a lot of hill running but worth the views.
*Running the sloped trails to enjoy the scenery in and around the park was a great way to spend a day off (November 2019, Richard T Anderson Conservatory, Eden Prairie, MN)*
In fact, I even met up with my cousin for a run one of the days I was off. It was good to get outside as well as catch up with her.
*Had a great time enjoying the beautiful weather running around Lake Harriet and catching up with my cousin yesterday (November 2019, Lake Harriet, Minneapolis, MN)*
Finally, I took my wife out on a couple of lunch dates where we could take our time eating and just enjoy each other’s company with nothing big to rush to the next event or worry we are paying some babysitter to allow our kids to watch TV at home :).
I am sad that my time away from work is over as I am now three weeks into my new job. However, I am going to think of ways going forward that I can take a week off and just be at home as disconnected as I can. Another thought is to just take some random days off here and there where I can just do my own thing without other priorities or reasons for taking the day off. I believe that would allow me to be refocused and refreshed going back to work the next day.
Have any of you ever just completely disconnected from work? If so what did you think of it and was it helpful?
First Frozen Face this winter but probably not the last. The temp was a balmy -6° F with no wind this morning… 🏃♂️
From the Lens - Foggy
From the Lens - Backyard Rink Glow
In the peaceful night the glow of the lights on the hockey rink is very calming (Dec 2019, Eden Prairie, MN)
The season is upon us… 🏒
This year I upped our rink game by making the rink 70' x 32' compared to the last 6 years of 46' x 32' 😁. The kids are going to love it. Now let’s get colder MN so we can skate soon 🧊⛄🏒 (sorry MN friends but the kids want to skate)
What better way to start Turkey Day than a 5k run. Not to mention one that ends with a donut 🍩😋. Minus the icy conditions in a couple places, it was a great day and event. Also, I was pleased to get first in what I have deemed my old man division 😂🏃♂️
From the Lens - November Trail
Running the sloped trails to enjoy the scenery in and around the park was a great way to spend a day off (November 2019, Richard T Anderson Conservatory, Eden Prairie, MN)
I might be spoiling the dog this week as we have been to the dog park twice already… 🐕🐶
