Twenty-twenty-too
It’s been a year of indoors more than out, though I’ve also traveled more than usual. I visited Montreal, Toronto, Cancun, Denver & area, Detroit & area. My (not as) new job keeps me moving!
Toronto in the spring was a great visit with my sister and her family on my way to Montreal. My little nieces are getting big, and so are their personalities!
Denver in the fall was lovely, went with my work crew, then met up with family and toured around the mountain towns for a few days. Touristing was fun.
Work has been challenging and rewarding. I’m hoping to find us a place where my home office isn’t in the basement, because I can’t see myself going back to working in an office again.
So we’re pondering packing, and options, and moving again in the summer. This house was best fit at the time that we got it, but there’s been a lot of changes since then
I’m hitting my professional stride. I keep learning things, both things like “how to use Terraform”, and things like “manage your time and pace so you don’t burn out, because nobody else is going to do that for you” – important lessons!
The virus has dominated society less than the rabid right wing reaction to it. The vicious and ignorant are growing their power, and the next couple of years will determine whether society collapses into an apocalyptic hellscape or corrects itself. Along with most people, I feel so overwhelmed by it all, powerless.
My life keeps getting better. Shelley and the kids are wonderful people, and I love my family. I have trouble keeping optimistic with the trajectory of politics, economics, and epidemics.
But I will enjoy the moments I can enjoy, fight the battles I can fight, support those who I can support, and work towards a world I want to live in with whatever tools are available to me.
“The only thing I knew how to do was keep on keeping on…”
My challenges going into 2023 will be to manage my capacity better. I have been putting a lot into some aspects of my growth, and neglected my hobbies. I’ve had difficulty with creating time to spend with my people, and I’ve once again been using my corpse for little more than dragging my brain around.
Mindfulness in movement, in slowness and companionship, and in creating and learning are my areas of focus as we start fresh with a new year.
My hope for you all, and for myself is that the next year will bring sober reflection more than angry reaction; happiness and contentment more than fear and anger; satisfaction more than frustration, and love surrounding us in all that we do.
Happy New Year
Jay