Stardate 10.03.2026
My sleep score was horrible again this morning.
So was my energy score.
In fact, my energy score was the second-lowest score in nearly four years of keeping these records.
The lowest score came last week while I was in London.
That was the week when I was getting lost, dealing with battery problems, missing my family, and trying to absorb everything I was learning from researchers at the DoNotAge® conference.
Today feels different.
I’m home.
My prayers and meditation are complete. Golden Hour has about 30 minutes remaining, and then I’m going to climb into Luuuucy for the first time since I adopted her.
That feels pretty special.
Luuuucy is finally street legal. Her insurance is in place, and now she gets to leave the driveway and become part of my life.
Eventually, her custom plates will say Luuuucy.
Our daughter gave me the plates as a gift.
I can't think of a better way to begin.
My first destination is cardio tennis.
After spending much of the past two weeks walking around Edinburgh and London, I’m ready for a different kind of exercise.
Walking through London was certainly exercise. Some days the step count was impressive.
Cardio tennis is going to ask something different from my body.
And I’m curious to see what happens.
That’s part of the experiment.
I have nearly four years of sleep and energy data sitting on my watch. Today I get another data point.
I also get to drive Luuuucy.
There is something wonderful about that.
While I was away, Iowa kept moving too.
Last Saturday, the Hawkeyes stunned Michigan in Ann Arbor with a touchdown with two seconds remaining, winning 20–19.
I was thousands of miles away when it happened.
Today, I’m home for the next chapter.
Iowa returns to Kinnick Stadium to face Ohio State in a nationally televised game.
That means people all across the country will get to see something I love about Iowa.
At the end of the first quarter, the football game stops.
More than 70,000 people turn their attention toward the windows of University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital and wave to the children and families watching from the hospital.
The Hawkeye Wave began in 2017.
Today, the fans will wave again.
And so will the Ohio State players and coaches.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day sent a letter to every patient at Stead Family Children's Hospital before today's game, telling them that the Buckeyes are thinking about them and looking forward to waving.
That gets me.
The opponent changes.
The rankings change.
The score changes.
The Wave remains.
And today there is a little girl named Eliana Gaul who will be watching.
Eliana is the Kid Captain for today's game. She was born 15 weeks premature with spina bifida and has received years of care at Stead Family Children's Hospital. She is now 10 years old and continues to see specialists there.
This is one of those days when several parts of my life seem to be arriving at the same place.
I’m coming home from an international trip.
I’m climbing into a van my daughter helped name.
I’m getting back on the tennis court.
My body is giving me some pretty lousy numbers.
I’m going to watch my Iowa Hawkeyes play Ohio State with my family.
And somewhere across the field, children at Stead Family Children's Hospital will be waiting for the moment when an entire stadium turns toward them.
Maybe that's what coming home feels like.
The numbers on my watch don't get to tell the whole story.
Neither does a football score.
Neither does a travel itinerary.
There are other measurements.
Family.
Faith.
Friendship.
Purpose.
Movement.
And the people we choose to remember when the clock stops.
Today I'm going to climb into Luuuucy.
I'm going to drive to tennis.
I'm going to move.
I'm going to come home.
And later today, I'm going to watch Iowa wave.
“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.”
Psalm 90:17
Join me here:
https://substack.com/@michaelmulliganlivelong
Captain's Addendum
Bones: “Michael, your watch says you have almost no energy, and you're going to play cardio tennis?”
Spock: “Fascinating. He appears to be gathering additional evidence.”
Bones: “I was afraid you'd say that.”
Sometimes the best data comes from simply living the day.
Luuuucy is ready.
So am I.









