Subscribe Form

Whether or not you are a country music fan, you’ve almost certainly heard of Willie Nelson. His first hit song as a singer “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” was released over 50 years ago. Even earlier, he found success as a songwriter with “Crazy,” famously recorded by Patsy Cline. Since Willie is still writing and performing at age 92, I could go on and on about his catalog of songs and performances. But I’ll leave that to others; learning is my thing 😉. I recently found Will

A few weeks ago, Hannah shared her frustration with me. She had sat down at the piano at school and started playing a few bars of a Christmas song she knew. Before she could get very far, another student stepped in, sat down, and proceeded to wow everyone with “The Entertainer,” the kind of performance you’d expect from the pianist at the Grand Floridian at Disney. Hannah wasn’t upset with the other student. She was frustrated with herself. What she really wanted was a song

While I can’t speak for anyone else, the answer is NO for this 47 year old as I sit in the waiting room of Summit Orthopedics with crutches and a boot issued by hometown emergency room. A few weeks ago, I saw a Facebook post about an alumni basketball game over the holidays. Marinette versus Menominee, or the legendary M&M game as it’s known back home. I haven’t played much basketball recently, other than coaching Jack’s team last year, but I still consider myself in pretty

The answer is Yes!!! But there’s a little more to the story. As I was checking my Facebook feed recently, I came across a post from Joe Bending who lived about a block away from me growing up in Marinette, Wisconsin (Joe is pictured in the far right at my 16th birthday party). Since he moved to Phillips, Wisconsin, and I moved first to the Milwaukee area and then to Minnesota, I don’t remember if we ever connected in person, that was until he showed up at my grandma Annette

Last year I wrote a post called “Can You Hear the Progress?” about how growth often goes unnoticed in the moment, especially when learning something hard. Sometimes the only way to truly see (or hear) progress is to look back. You can read that original post here: https://jgrom6.wixsite.com/learningintheflowo-1/post/can-you-hear-the-progress Last week’s 8th grade band concert was one of those moments where the progress was impossible to miss. Listening to this group now, you

It seems like this winter it snows almost every day in Minnesota. It’s quite a shift from the last couple of winters, and the steady rhythm of snowfall has made me reflect on 2025 as a whole. In many ways, the constant snow feels like the constant challenges this year brought. And judging by the news, the conversations we all have, and the posts we scroll through, we’re not the only ones who feel that way. With a recent health diagnosis in our family, we’ve asked ourselves mo

I’ve been thinking a lot about hard work and discipline lately, ironically during a stretch of time when I spent hours simply sitting and looking out at this view. First, I kept coming back to our daughter Hannah. She earned the title of Hardest Worker on her swim team and received her first varsity letter as an 8th grader. She wasn’t thrilled with her times this year, but her effort, day in and day out, stood out above all. That kind of work ethic is a foundation that will s

This is the famous line from the 1989 movie, “Field of Dreams” starring Kevin Costner. Yesterday, my son Jack asked me to play catch. It was right during the Packer game, but I immediately thought of the movie and said, “ABSOLUTELY!” Jack started using his little glove from when he was 5 or 6, stating that he wasn’t strong enough to use the bigger glove we bought for him. I told him I thought it was time to try. He started catching better than with the old glove, catching man

Earlier this year, I won a Muskie fishing trip through a donation to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. After some summer schedule conflicts, Jack and I finally went out yesterday with Ben Collette on White Bear Lake. Jack’s been hooked on Muskie fishing since catching a 45-inch Muskie in Rhinelander last year, so we were both excited, especially since fall is prime Muskie season. It was a warm, sunny October day. While we didn’t catch a Muskie, we landed a few pike, learn

Last week, my dad, Gary Grom, turned 75 and I’ve been reflecting on the lessons he’s passed down that continue to shape me. My dad has always believed that life is best lived by doing. Whether it was walking me through my first tax return, showing me what a strong work ethic looks like both at home and on the job, or simply reminding me to “follow the doctor’s orders,” he’s taught through example. His consistency and discipline have kept him healthy and active, still moving w

I am a heavy user of AI 🤖 both at home and at work. I’ve found the various LLM or AI agents helpful with refining messages, brainstorming ideas and coming up with fun visuals to share with family and friends. I even had fun with AI at the College Football Hall of Fame where they personalized my experience through AI displays that incorporated me! As a self-proclaimed lifelong learner, I started to wonder if by using the “easy button” with AI, that I am on a path to becomi

Heather and I have been cracking up for weeks over how often “6-7” sneaks into our house. It makes no sense to anyone over 25 and perfect...

This time last year we were busy with final preparations for my grandma Annette’s 100th birthday party at our family cottage. Everyone in...

I recently came across a picture of my sisters and me on our first day of school back in the 1980s. We’re smiling, backpacks on, ready...

Our basement project has been a big reminder for me about how growth really works. Right now, the bathroom floor down there looks like a...

We’ve all heard the complaints: “Kids these days don’t want to work hard.” “They give up too easily.” “They’re not as motivated as we...

In our family, food allergies are not an abstract risk, they are a daily reality. Our son Jack has severe allergies to milk, egg, peanut,...

On my drive into work today, I listened to Charles Duhigg on The Peter Attia Drive podcast and one statement stopped me in my tracks:...

The short answer is…..NO! Instead in a family that values learning in the flow of life, we amplify the importance of learning by engaging...

Like everyone else still walking this earth, I celebrated another birthday this year. It wasn’t a milestone like 16, 18, 21, or 40, but...