Early on in this process (all of 48 days ago), I wrote that I was going to keep these blog posts as short–and as simple–as I could. Today is certainly one of those days when I need to remind myself of that. It’s getting late, and I’ve had a long, long day. So let me just make a quick observation about today, and then call it a day.

As I was saying yesterday, I’m out of town and in the midst of some conversations that could lead to some significant changes for my entire family. While I have certainly caught myself several times today wrapped up in my head, six months (or six years) down the road of some speculative future, for the most part I’ve managed to remain in the present.

As I worked my way through a 12-hour day of conversation after conversation, I started to notice how many times I heard myself thanking people for their time, their questions, and their comments. I really felt a strong sense of appreciation for the thoughtful attention and care of my hosts.

And of course: those two things are intimately related. It’s hard for me to appreciate what’s being offered to me in the present if I am too caught up in the future.

And that’s all I’ve got today….

And I guess that’s just enough.