2018-2019

[gfish]

From September 4, 2018 to September 5^*, 2019 I...
...spent two weeks driving around the east coast with my mom.
...finished my largest public art commission to date.
...spent two weeks working on a tall ship.
...invented a programming language.
...finally solved my shelving problem.
...learned some basic genetic engineering skills.
...celebrated the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 in grand ridiculous fashion.
...started to really click with orchestral music, having a few powerful concert experiences.
...walked around Lake Washington.

A nicely productive year. In some ways I feel like I've plateaued a bit, but at least it's a pretty nice plateau. And maybe that isn't a terrible thing to be thinking at 42? Sometimes it's a less pleasant sense that big surprises about myself are in the past, and other times it's more of an enjoyable feeling of self-confidence, that I really know who I am and can (briefly) stop second-guessing myself.


^*Borrowing a day from next year to cleanly fit all of the Lake Washington walk in this post.

Comments

[corvi]

Wow, that's a pretty great year. Any particularly plans for the next one?

[jela]

You surely do not have to outdo yourself every year, it is totally fine to just do yourself. Sort of.
Speaking from the perspective of someone who just told their therapist that they were done with all this healing and personal growth crap because it is so darn exhausting I‘d say that not encountering big surprises sounds kinda nice.
You have put in the work. And still do.
Enjoy the view, you earned it.