Michigan: March 2018 — Thoughts, Musings, Reflections

Soulful thoughts in 3… 2… 1


Okay… after this paragraph.

So, in an incredible round about way, I was invited out to the Michigan Physical Therapy Association for their Student Conclave 2018 conference to speak on career development and job market readiness. It also so happens to be where I’m from (which is a hilarious gag when people ask me “Hey, where you from?” And, I say the heart of automotive America… and, they kinda go “Huh?”); and, where much of my paternal in-laws family hails from (literally, Ann Arbor, #HailToTheVictors #GoBlue #MichiganWolverines). And, if you know my academic past, you also know that I got my MBA from the University of Michigan. AND… despite the loss, I’m still proud of my team for their run in #MarchMadness2018.

SO… ANYHOO…..


  ONWARD WITH THE REAL POST!


The real reason for this post was that this trip offered me some concentrated family time and helped me recenter on this very path of working at home… creating now two businesses and supporting the vision of growth using the technological levers we now have that allow for such a lifestyle.

Was was remarkable was the amount of reflection time I had on the severely delayed flight out to Michigan… all the driving we had to do around the state… and, the joy of juggling the time change. PS… Michigan is seriously more East that West, LOL! #PSTissues…

When it all became said and done, I realized some life lessons (both core centric and just for fun’sies) I wanted to better grasp for myself and pass on to Nathan as his father. I want my son to learn:

  1. To be mentally tough.
  2. To be physically tough.
  3. To be emotionally perceptive.
  4. To learn how to cook using cast iron.
  5. To experience martial arts, team sports, and the glory of suffering a hard won task.
  6. Survival skills, urban, oceanic, bushcraft, etc…
  7. First aid, CPR, and emergency response.
  8. To find a passion he can geek out on.
  9. To fail, miserably… and, learn from that failure.
  10. To pick himself back up.
  11. To work under the authority and command of others.
  12. To sell — an idea, a product, a service… to learn the art of meaningful communication.

While in Michigan, it was peaceful. There was a countryside… something you don’t get in the urban environments of big cities, especially in SoCal.

  • There was open country, minutes from downtown Ann Arbor.
  • I was reminded the balance in life is dynamic — you have to keep moving if you are to keep up.
  • I remembered my thoughts about “Physicist” Steven Hawking’s passing… and, I thought to myself how I’d want to be remembered? And, that I must work toward that goal. Ultimately, I think it comes down to philanthropist and/or inspirationalist (regardless of what prior meaning it may have had in the past) — essentially, if I am to be known… I wish to be known for the positive impact I’ve had in the lives of others.
  • It was fun to be in a town where people could live off the land — free range chickens and all… it’s something I’ve always had an interest in.
  • Ann Arbor, being an older town… it has history, charm, personality… a romance, even.
  • Talking to some family and seeing just that different approach in life of the MidWest, one can appreciate that college grads are truly adults, ready to contribute to society… rather than what I fear more and more college graduates are becoming… over educated children still trying to find their way… a cost of a failing-phobic culture and stressed out system of education producing a generally economic welfare that has more uncertainty than it does stability. But, hey… when was human history really that stable??? LOL.. so much for ending this list on a positive note.

I was pleasantly reminded that life isn’t about the “whats”… the achievements. It’s about pursuits… HOW you live your life and WHY. And, to be honest, I was very much attracted to the possibility of living life, honestly and off the land. It’s always been a romance for me — the reality is probably way different 😉


All together, I was thinking a lot on this trip… soul searching… not that I was lost or had something to find. I was merely taking the available time that I had hustled to earn to take time, appreciate, and reflect.

It’s an amazing time.

People can work for companies, miles and miles away. The need for a brick and mortar situation is become less and less a requirement of business and general commerce. Information asymmetry has become less so a thing… so much so that organizations that try to safeguard their secrets actually get punished in the marketplace for doing so… being seen as devious or maliciously trying to hide things.

I guess the other crazy thing is that we’re coming up on three years of me doing this from home. It hasn’t been easy… not in any way. But, has it been worth it? Immeasurably. I can’t even imagine giving my son or my family the type of lifestyle we’ve been having in any other way. Can it, could it, would it come crashing down… I’d still say its worth it. In these formative years, I’m seeing that my son has become a sweet, caring, positive minded kid. He’s not afraid to tussle with me and fight like a crazy person to get out of controlled Jiu Jitsu positions… or, to slam on my focus mitts as if he was training Muay Thai… all before the age of 5 😉

He loves music, spontaneously dances… and, regularly tells my wife and myself that he loves us — all without prompting and just out of the joy of his little heart.

All to say… I think we’re doing something right.

It’s easy to be in negative moments… wondering if the path you are on is any good, or perhaps was a terrible mistake. I’d advise you to take a step back and consider those who are most dear to you… how are they? And, how are they to you, and you to they? If you and yours ultimately have joy and joy abundantly… then, I’d say you’re doing pretty good. And, if there’s room for more, whether by improvement, by growing the capacity you have to love on them… anything of that nature… then chase it, pursue it, and don’t let it go until you have it!

So much for random musings, thoughts, and straight typing… Have a good one!

6 WEEK FITNESS CHALLENGE: WEEKs 4, 5, 6, and Fin.

So, this was tough one. Everything was super smooth leading up to week 4. I was on track to losing 1.3 – 1.6 lbs per week…. exercising regularly; eating very well… the only admission I have is that I could’ve lifted more. Ironically, my life long hate of running has turned into enjoyment.

Overall, as I reflect on this experience — the adherence to diet was quiet easy… it was meal planning that was difficult. I was consistent with Muay Thai and even stepped up for a brutal Friday night Brazilian Jiu Jitsu sparring session. All that said… it was a business trip that ultimately derailed me during the final week.

Yep… flying out to the East Coast, there was practically no good way for me to meal prep or dose my diet. I did get in some great CrossFit workouts at my business, Recharge|HoCo-CrossFit.


All together, I found that this was a wonderful experience as both a challenge and as a journey of learning. I found that picking up something I hated in running has turned into a new form of enjoyment. I learned that being at home is easier to adhere to plans than on trips… obvs…. 😉  I also learned I really needed to lift more and that fitness from an input/output perspective is all about time… time…. TIME. TIME!

Viewing food as fuel was helpful.

Being consistent with a prescribed schedule which I could just turn my brain off to, was very helpful.

I think the things that will stick will be a more mindful dosing of meal planning, running, and upping my game in terms of lifting, calisthenics, and bringing kettlebells back into my life in a regular way.


Challenge — OVER!

Result: Excellent.

East Coast / D.C. Trip

So, I just got back from a business trip to the East Coast… DC, Virginia, and Maryland.

AND… it was my first time — EVER!

You can read about the “business” part of the trip HERE. However, this post is more on the general experience itself -and- the experience of traveling with a 3 year old for the 1st time in an airplane.


First… memories from Snapchat


So… in this trip, Nathan grew up… A LOT. Like, he matured.

Flying was the hardest part because Nate was TERRIFIED about being up so high. During the 2nd take off coming home, he squeezed the life out of my fingers. Poor kiddo.

All in all though, this blog post will be short because I took a lot of video that I’m hoping to drop as a post of its own. I guess the gist of this post really is that… I was in awe of DC. Virginia was fun. Maryland was beautiful.

I got to meet up at my business partner’s home and finally try Maryland Crab Cakes with Old Bay. The families meshed well. Traveling required a lot of patience from Nathan and he stepped up to the plate. Also, super helpful, was both grandmothers came along for the trip and were godsends in their own rights in helping tame the boy during his three year old moments.

There was a moment I wanted to share, despite the disjointed content in this post.

I touched the Washington Memorial for a few seconds. Then, rolled my kiddo in his stroller toward the side where there were seats.

I sat there and cried in gratitude, awe, and a bit of heartbreak for our nation.

I thought to myself, “I sure hope all this is here when Nathan grows up.” Our nation is supposed to be the UNITED States. Yet, recently, I fear we’ve gone about things all wrong… trumping tolerance, diversity, and all that in a way that causes divergence rather than convergence.

In many countries with diverse backgrounds, diversity doesn’t define them… their commonalities do. I found this as a theme in my business trip as I was a keynote and breakout speaker for a conference. The physical therapy profession is better off by uniting over what is agreed upon, rather than fighting over disagreements that are shallower than skin deep.

And… I thought to myself how this country used to be known as “the melting pot.” Well… in a melting pot, we don’t identify individual substances… we mix them all in together.

TOGETHER.

I hope we can get back to that… rather than picking pieces from and out of the pot, creating discord while we do it. I hope, that… is still around when Nate grows up. I hope to teach him that, too.


I have a lot more thoughts to follow… but really, those thoughts are for me 🙂  … for now.

Business Trip: Round 2

So, I went to Nashville… during CMA week. Yeah… it was nuts.

This means 2 business trips in 2 weeks. My #herowife handled the entire situation at home, including huffing up 1/2 the house for a family reunion in another city.

Now, the trip itself was amazing. But, that’s not what this blog post is about. This post is about the aftermath of this 2nd trip.

First, my son became more attached than EVER. As far as my wife and I can tell, his psychology is functioning with the assumption that if anyone leaves, who knows when they are coming back? And, who knows if they are ever going to come back, at all?

Second, since he’s in the midst of his terrible twos. It’s been hard on me, mentally, to process the fact that I actually need to deal with these communication frustrations… I thought he’d skip it. It was looking that way at least. One can hope…

Thirdly, this last trip really taught me how much I really need to make time for my wife and I, separately as a couple… versus “together” as parents. We need to reconnect and make sure the marriage remains priority.

Well… more to come. It’s been a while on this blog since the last post. *sighs*… it’s just been so busy in life. As it always is, isn’t it???