A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ

THE SMALL REMINDERS

This morning I went down to the barn to work out before sunrise. I’ve converted half of the barn into a gym and the other half of the barn into an event space that I host quarterly masterminds at. 

When I entered the barn it was pitch black out. The sun had not even begun to rise. After some work on the treadmill, some work on the rower, and a crossfit workout, I opened up the barn door to one of the most incredible sunrises I have seen in a long time.

It was only there for about 5 or 6 minutes before some clouds rolled in, blocked the sun, and muted all the colors. I happened to just walk outside at the perfect time today. It was  Saturday morning. I didn’t have to work out. And if I hadn’t, I would have missed it. It was Saturday morning. I definitely didn’t need to be up that early. And if I wasn’t, I would have missed it. Sometimes the small things that put the big things in perspective are almost random. They are unplanned. They are circumstantial. They are fleeting.

Living on 40 acres is a lot of work. There is always something to do. It also added about 90 minutes to my commute every day. But there are certain mornings or certain moments that make that extra work and time worth it. I have found that to be the truth in almost everything. Putting in a little extra time and a little extra work is always worth it. There are certain lessons that this property teaches me that I don’t think I would learn anywhere else. There are reminders of why I choose to live out here. A reminder of why I opt for inconvenience in one area of my life, to ensure I stop and pause and remember what living really is. 

Today, a sunrise that lasted just 3 or 4 minutes out of my 1,440 minute day or 10,080 minute week was all I needed to be grateful for the opportunity to be alive and experience it. It was a brief reminder of who I am, why I am here, what I am here to do, and what matters most. Too often we let the hundreds of minutes of difficult or challenge in our day or week create our experience instead of allowing the 3 or 4 minutes of incredibleness to shape it.  

I think I’ll head down to the barn again in the morning for a workout. I never know what lesson will be there waiting.

Chris Suarez