I turned 31 today; I wasn’t sure I would live to see this birthday a year ago due to some health complications. Fortunately for me, those are sorted out and I enjoyed another birthday.
Last year, I set a few goals for myself. I have attained a few, and others are the reason to get out of bed in the morning and kick ass. I wanted to reflect on the amount of change that can happen in a year here, hoping that if you’re not where you’d like to be in life, you can see how relatively quickly things can turn around, if you constantly nudge yourself in the right direction.
Goals from November ’21
Get back to where home is
I’d left my hometown of Spokane, WA for Portland, OR, and for a while enjoyed that life quite a bit. Hundreds of new and exciting restaurants to try, good hiking, quality entertainment, superb public transit, lovely summer bike rides along the bluff, better weather, etc. I was enjoying it all, but I’d given up being close to most of my family, and after a while that started to take its toll on me.
I decided I was going to return home, to put up with sub freezing winters, living so close to North Idaho, limited dining options, and a small river to be with my family, and my friends that I’ve known most of my life in the area. I moved back, and I’ve been more content in my life because of it.
Work at a company that gives back
I had worked for a small development shop in Spokane, then for a recruitment firm in NYC, and both of them were ok to work at, but none of them contributed to the community that I lived in (Spokane or Portland). I was finally able to begin working at Washington Trust Bank as a DevOps Engineer, and I’ve been enjoying the work immensely, and the fact that they are heavily involved in the community, both events and through giving back via charities and volunteer work.
Go Electric
I just got a Tesla Model 3 a week ago. It runs like a dream, and I’m comfortable knowing my commute isn’t contributing to the global emissions crisis (Spokane’s Electric is all Hydro and Solar power).
Outstanding Goals
- Buy a house or condo
- Get in better shape
- Go Skiing (easily achievable this winter)
- Sell my gas vehicle
- Read more
- Watch less TV
- Eat better
Some of these are pretty pedestrian, others provide a greater challenge for me. Here’s to another year of knocking a few more out of the park, and to adding a few more worthy goals to the list 🍻