Author: jeff noel

Retired Disney Institute Keynote Speaker and Prolific Blogger. Five daily, differently-themed personal blogs (about life's 5 big choices) on five interconnected sites.

Grace, work

Glacier National Park
Wilderness. More Amazing Grace. Heading there in three weeks.

What is Grace?

A question like this becomes even more important when we ask a few other questions:

  1. What would humanity be like without Grace?
  2. What would humanity be like with the opposite of Grace?

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This website is about our WORK. To ponder today’s post about our HOME, click here.

Smiling Jesus, work

smiling Jesus painting

What makes Jesus smile?

Gotta say, this is beyond my understanding.

But if pressed to share some ideas…

Foregivness…

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This website is about our WORK. To ponder today’s post about our HOME, click here.

Glacier checklists day 2, work

packing light
Only these items, plus what i wear on the plane, for an 11-night trip to Glacier National Park. Plus, temps will be near freezing most mornings. Remarkable.
Glacier National Park - The Crown of the Continent
Glacier National Park – The Crown of the Continent. No wifi and no cell signal on the walks.
clothes hanging on outdoor waistline
Merino wool is cleaned using fresh air. Anywhere from 14-30 days between soap and water washings. Travel hack for traveling light.

Whether walking slow or fast, there will almost always be frequent stops for vistas, incredible scenic beauty, wildlife, photos, water/snack breaks.

Speaking of snacks, we travel with two coolers in the rental vehicle. One for cold stuff. One for dry goods that attract chipmunks and mice that might stealthily get inside the rental. This happened once while we parked in Lake McDonald Lodge’s parking lot and then spent three nights seven miles away at Sperry Chalet.

Additionally, we…

  1. Wear layers.
  2. Gloves, warm hat for mornings and potential windchill, cap for sun block later.
  3. Carry bear spray.
  4. Carry plenty of water.
  5. Pack a lunch and snacks.
  6. Leave at o-dark hundred to secure trailhead parking.
  7. Aim to return to car by 1-3pm.
  8. And immediately start a mandatory hour of happiness.
  9. Breakfasts are grab-and-go type things from stuff in our room.
  10. Lunches we pack, often at trailhead, and enjoy on trail.
  11. Dinners, always a hotel or local restaurant.
  12. Evenings at Glacier Park Lodge are spent on a combination of balconies, in the lobby, or on the front lawn.

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This website is about our WORK. To ponder today’s post about our HOME, click here.

Glacier checklists, work

bear and three cubs on mountain lake iceberg
A stunning, unexpected, and 30-minute bear encounter.

Glacier checklists.

We (i) have them for us.

We have a routine, a process.

And yet we remain open to new learning and discovery.

In fact, we seek it out.

Special note: This would be a completely different checklist narrative if two things:

  1. We were both visiting the same first week. Same mountain legs and lungs adaptation needs.
  2. It wasn’t our final trip, but actually just another in a long line of accumulative visits.

Ya feel me?

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This website is about our WORK. To ponder today’s post about our HOME, click here.

July 1, 2026, work

palmetto palm
A discerning eye can spot multiple Sabal Palm seed fronds sprouting, some several feet long already. They look like giant asparagus stalks. One reason this is our Florida State Tree is because freezing temperatures, drought, nor floods can kill it.

What’s one thing that’s surprised you about summer 2026?

How well all Winter’s freeze-damaged plants are coming back to tropical and colorful life.

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This website is about our WORK. To ponder today’s post about our HOME, click here.