This afternoon it started to rain – not the wild, windy thunderstorm kind of storm, but a good spring soak that makes the grass grow and brings out flowers and plants. Usually, it’s not a problem to see rain outside my office window. But today, I rode my bicycle to work. And there was still another hour in the workday before I had to head home.
Early on in our marriage, my wife and I loved to spend a quiet Sunday afternoon playing board games and talking. It was a great way to rest and connect, and we would often include extended family members in our afternoon gaming sessions. However, as home ownership and additional children entered our lives, the opportunities to sit down over a board game became less of a priority.
Perhaps we talk faster, interrupt, talk over, invent, dissect, criticize and then move on to the next thing. Boom, boom, boom.
Don’t want to fall off the bike.
But life isn’t a bike. It works fine if we take a moment and leave space for the person next to us to speak.
- Seth Godin, on Personal velocity
Last weekend, I cleaned off my back porch. That might not seem like much of an accomplishment, but considering I haven’t done it in a long time, and also considering that I have five children who like to use that back porch for all sorts of adventures1, this achievement was long overdue.
Last year was big for music discovery. I can’t remember where I got the idea, but I put together a “2019 Music” playlist in iTunes at the start of the year and began adding tracks that I discovered and liked. That might not have helped or hindered my music discovery, but it enabled me to catalog my new and interesting finds. And so, in 2019, I found some really awesome music… and listened to it a lot.
We’re now in a new decade, and I thought it would be a good idea to keep writing on my blog in 2020. With a new year comes resolutions and plans for the coming twelve months, but also the helpful and informative habit of looking back on past accomplishments, challenges, and growth. With that in mind, I hope to do a few posts over the next while to review some of the most influential books, favorite music, and exciting events of 2019.
