Another Summer of ramping up with long runs. Last Thursday, I crossed the 11-mile mark for long runs, and I’ll hit the half marathon this week. While I’m slower than I used to be, the long runs are becoming an old friend that provides clarity, hope, and the feeling life is going well.

A lot of life is about experiencing every emotion. Yet many of us spend a lot of time avoiding the feelings that make us feel less than. This past week I had two examples about why we should work through the high and lows of life because it makes the good moments feel that much better.

Ten years and day after Anne and I said I do, I ponder our life together. We are both better people and have grown in so many ways.

We can fake many things in life, but we can’t fake caring. It’s because it’s such an action-based interaction. We know deep inside our bones who cares about us and who doesn’t.

Cliche leadership statements run amok in our culture. Heck, as a leader myself, I’m sure my staff knows a couple that I uttered, but the statements I see you, and I hear you consistently communicates the exact opposite of what the speaker intended.

My long-time editor will retire from editing my blog in two weeks. I want to take a moment to discuss what it means for people to believe in your message and you. I also want to thank you to a stranger who became a friend and made me a better writer and storyteller over our seven-plus years working together.

Sometimes, the light bulb goes off, and you realize you understand who you are in greater depth in real-time. I had one of those moments this past week.

I return to my roots this Sunday, writing about emotions and how we should linger in our feelings long enough to understand what they communicate.