Reflecting on 2017 and considering 2018

​It’s been a mixed year for me. I started a new job, one that pushed me far outside my comfort zone. As a rather cautious soul, that’s been quite challenging at times to deal with. The frustration of too much to do with constrained time. 

I did get to recapture AutoCAD knowledge, then grow and expand that knowledge. I’m looking to continue this growth. 

Another frustrating element for me: learning a new job. It’s one thing to expand my knowledge, quite another to learn a new role, where a company depends upon my effectiveness. It’s a rather terrifying sensation. Permitting, working with consultants, governmental representatives and departments had presented a deeper challenge. These organizations often are opaque and arcane. Learning their rules and needs requires delving into Byzantine regulations, laws and opinions. It’s often been murky and confusing. My project management skill set has been helpful. Actually, critical. 

More positively, I’ve grown as a martial artist, and my family has done some great stuff. I’ve deepened friendships I valued, and grown to new ones. I’ve also spent the past few weeks studying myself, seeking to deepen my understanding of what brings me joy, what brings me success. 

There’s great emotional risk in this research. What if my self-concept, ideas I’ve invested so much energy on, turn out to be bad fits? I realize my internal counterpoint needs to be “why would I want  to invest time, emotion and energy into something that robs joy and beauty from my life?” But overcoming negative self-talk scripts is challenging.

So, exploring, growing, developing: that’s my theme right now. What about you? What were your favorite parts of 2017? What challenges will you be facing in 2018? 

Memories of a fading Seattle

Many memories
Walking past the empty halls
In winter’s darkness

Ages ago I lived in Seattle’s heart. At that point, beginning a transformation, becoming the economic behemoth of our now. Then we were still the refuge of the poor, downtrodden. Suburban business professionals drifting through, vanishing as the clock struck five. The flurry of buses and cars carrying them away, far away from us. I found myself wandering nighttime streets, streetlights and gentle rain accompanying my steps. An urban beauty.