In 1967 my grandpa Jack set out to buy a lake property to build a getaway for his young family. He was a Lutheran Pastor, and along with my Grandma Nancy were in many respects THE community leaders of a town of 1000 people in rural Wisconsin.
They wanted a getaway to retreat to and “check-out” with his family, a place of relaxation and leisure and joy. It needed to be close to the church, though, because they would get calls at all times of the day and night for town emergencies or community needs.
So on a little (100 acres only) secluded lake about 3 miles outside of town, they bought a 1-acre slice of heaven on a peninsula filled with oak and birch and pine trees and a big flat (and barely above the water table) grassy patch in the middle.
The property also came with an island about 500 yards out directly on the other side of the lake.
I wonder if they knew at the time what he was truly doing or what the consequences of that decision were?
They didn’t buy a lake property and build a cabin on it with their bare hands on it for nothing, but there is no way they could foresee the value and specialness that this place has provided now for 3 successive generations of his DNA 🧬
Last weekend I was there... at the cabin, on the lake, trying my best to soak in my opportunity to be there and share it with my family.
I had a free couple hours with no distractions on a perfect morning to explore and reflect, and my curiosity led me on my paddle board out to the island. My slow and meditative paddle around the lake brought me into my favorite zone, my senses and brain become open to what seems like 1000% more input and can process it all. This awareness leads to a state of curiosity, where I want to explore what my brain can do with this ability.
To me, this is the flow state. And it doesn't happen often. As much as I try to recreate it or create the circumstances for it to happen, it's a gift that can't be manufactured. When it arrives, I feel compelled to let it drive and chauffeur me through whatever it has in store.
Some of the most profound moments in my life have come from these flow-state journeys. Until this project I haven't really had a medium to document them and share them with the world, so I feel blessed now to have this project to be able to do that. So, without further ado, here is my flow-state journey of thoughts and things I captured through that experience on the island with a fun photo diary to accompany it:
The Island...
A holy, sacred place
Pine needle floor, many inches deep. Richly acidic soil.
Teaming with life in all forms
Isolated but connected - the life forms here aren't all sequestered here, they come and go
You can hear the sound of the wind before you can feel it. Whistling through the pine needles on the branches above
The birds and their songs and tweets. Natures true great symphony
Eagles nest. Grandpa is reincarnated as the eagle 🦅
Grandma is a butterfly 🦋
They love to visit us. Comforting.
100 foot tall pine in the middle. Like a ladder to climb up but you can’t reach the first peg. Once you get there, over the first hurdle to the first limb, the rest becomes easy.
The tallest pine and ladder of limbs on it's trunk
Analogy for life - get to the first limb, then climb. Just Start.
The moss. The fucking MOSS. The most beautiful thing nature has created
Wild blueberry bushes, a snack when we were little (and for the black bears)
The fish, like an aquarium a calm days. Big mouth bass patrolling the Lillie pads
The insects, this is their kingdom.
The dead trees, remain alive for so long by allowing other life forms to use them. Shelter, protection, nourishment, nest their young.
Water Lillie’s, so delicate, intricate, breathtakingly gorgeous. Purples and gold - the perfect color compliments.
Mushrooms. I just love mushrooms. Little families of fungus just sprouting up.
Rocks. Like heaven to me. So special, they call to me, specific ones. Try to treasure the fact that billions of years of existence in many forms has led them to this form, in front of me, to receive and enjoy.
The rocks that find me
Stillness of the water. Glass. Perfection.
Staring up, the cloud effortlessly glide by through the blue uncontained sky. Just existing and floating by with how the winds blow
The trees of different ages, stages of life.
Make me think of my family, my boys, my nephews and niece, my siblings and their spouses. My parents, uncles and aunts, my cousins. The people who've shaped me, especially here, at the lake and on the island.
I say a little prayer, not to any god, to my grandparents.
"I pray that I can continue to have these types of moments, that you'll be with me during them like you were today. That you'll guide me with your spirit. That I'll be able to share these types of moments with my kids and we will share that specialness together. I wouldn't have this without you, I'm so grateful.
I pray that you'll be with Sarah, her new baby coming soon, keep them healthy and strong and courageous as a new tree is sprouted and is nurtured and grows. That you'll be with Benji as he becomes a father. I know I don't have to say this, they are gonna be awesome parents. They have so much love and joy to give. We all do. Amen."