How I Lived A Lifetime In 2021
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I want to apologize for my lengthy break from writing and posting. I took on some new commitments and had to readjust to balance them along with work, time with my family and writing.
If you’re a returning reader, thanks for returning. If you’re a new reader, I hope that you like this post and my previous ones.
A Hell (Helluva) of A Year
2021 has definitely been a year. I say this with a mixture of fact, a little levity mixed in with some gratitude and some sarcasm.
In terms of my day job, I look back on 2021: my first full year of working from home due to the COVID pandemic. When I saw some of my earlier 2021 calendar entries, I saw how I used to coordinate with my wife where I could set up to work that day. Would it be downstairs or perhaps in our home office space? During this time that I, sometimes, worked downstairs, I pitched in a little, when our son did virtual school due to school COVID outbreaks. Periodically, my family and I took small in-state vacations to get away. I worked hard and, so it was nice to get away to recharge. Just as I was starting to hit my work from home stride, then my family and I were impacted by the June 2021 flood in Metro Detroit. Then, I took off nearly a full month from work, so that I could help get our home again livable. A few more months passed and our son started the current school year. A few more months after that and we took another small in-state trip. Now, I’m here writing this to summarize 2021.
Another One Gone
I talked to my wife about this post, which is how I found the seed for the title. During that chat, she said something interesting: how 2021 both moved quickly but, at the same time, dragged on. I thought about how she made a lot of sense. A great example was the circumstances around the 2021 flood. It seemed to take forever to fix our house. At the same time, so much happened: sometimes, very fast at the worst time and in unexpected ways.
What Matters Most
During the last few years, I have paid increasingly more attention to what matters most in my life. To a small extent, there are some physical possessions that mean a lot. However, what really matters most to me are the important people in my life (family and closest friends) and the values that inform my…
