I saw something while working with a volunteer group from my alma mater that has no peer. I feel like I found one of those anchor points in life, one of those reminders that there's more to our journey on earth than just making money and getting the kids into a good school.

Peace...

In my years fixing houses, I've found building is more than nailing two pieces of wood together and collecting a check. It's about aspiring and making a connection.

It doesn't so much matter what you build; it matters that you build. Whether it's planting a garden or growing a great family or getting an education, endeavoring with intention opens a gateway to a different plane, helping us be better stewards of our daily lives.

Turning nothing into something -- or turning something broken into something beautiful -- tangibly connects us to … something. You might call it God, while other traditions may feel it as energy, Plato's Forms or Mojo. Whatever its name is, I can feel aspiration become action when I use my tools and know-how to change a vision into a reality. This excites me, and I'm not so concerned about naming what I'm connected to, but that I'm connected at all.

I've seen this connection arc between the work-a-day electrodes of daily life and the Ether. I worked with a volunteer group whose job was to prepare houses for renovation. And by "prepare," I mean "gut."

None in my specific group had much carpentry experience, but everyone had intention. They did what I believe all good carpenters -- and people -- aspire to do: leave a place better than they found it.

With yellow wrecking bars and blunt-force trauma, smiles and kind words, they ripped down ceilings, scraped tile and hauled mountains of trash for at least one man who couldn't do it himself. In so engaging themselves, I believe they did nothing less than help shore up the main beam of ethics and nobility.

But not every day is a big trip to an extreme place. Every day -- whoever you are -- is ... everyday.

Because there are so many days, they're the days that matter. They're the mass of life. They're the time spent with family, co-workers and friends, days that often promise scant novelty. Still they're moving with a lifetime's momentum of importance, and I'm reminded of what my family strives to build at home (including our home by the way -- the land of the eternal home improvement dust cloud!).

In building a life with my fiancée Theresa and daughter, I strive to create something with purpose that enriches our existence. But life is a team sport; I'm daily humbled and happy Theresa stands with me, often leading our way.

We're not summiting Everest or kayaking the Colorado. No, our blueprint calls for us to live each day kindly and well; to connect to that place out there that pulls us up from our routine, nudging us to be better and happier, reminding us to live good lives.

I believe that building is a search for what's best in us -- a search where we can find that which we seek.