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Week 22: Taking Stock, Looking Ahead, and Gratitude Abounds
As we close out the year, it’s time yet again to take stock of the year that was.
The pandemic now seems like ages ago, and the world seems just as crazy. That being said, things are good in our little corner of the universe.
We’re busier and more stressed by jobs and the daily grind than ever before, but amid the storm, we’ve also had an amazing year.
Jacqueline and I had our 10-year wedding anniversary this year. To celebrate we went to Switzerland to spend time with my cousins Bobby Boat and Denise, then went over to France to see Jacqueline’s extended family in Paris, staying with Francis and spending time with Marie Noelle and her family as well.
Switzerland was amazing. We went to Colmar in the Alsace region of France for a day, hung around Basel, and spent a day in Zermatt, which was awesome. I highly recommend going to check out the Matterhorn if you’re in the area.
Paris was a mixed bag. We got there the day before a planned transportation protest was in effect, which paralyzed the city; museums, buses, the subway, and most other shops and businesses. However, once it was over, we were able to cram in a very full two days of art, a private tour of Versailles, delicious food, champagne (for Jacqueline) and of course a stop at Louis Vuitton.
We then spent a few days in Napa Valley for Jacqueline’s President’s Club event. It was a beautiful experience capped off with a hot-air balloon ride and a pizza-making contest in the middle of the Peju vineyard. While wine-country is a so-so experience for someone who no longer drinks, it was cool to visit and good food generally follows good wine, so I got to enjoy that at least!
We also spent a week in Belize with Jacqueline’s family. It was like a homecoming of sorts since we’d spent our honeymoon there 10 years previously. We were even able to get our old friend and guide, Diego, to take the whole family around spelunking, visiting Mayan ruins and chocolate plantations. We rented a boat for a day and went fishing and snorkeling as well, catching a good many mackerel and swimming with sharks and loggerhead sea turtles. Lincoln even pet a sea turtle as he swam right next to it and won’t realize for decades how cool that was.
The boys are now 6 (Lincoln) and 3 (Wilder) and keep us on our toes for sure. They are caring and loving brothers with one another, and it’s cool to watch them play and learn and experience the world together.
Lincoln is in kindergarten and seems to be growing taller by the day. He loves Minecraft and Mario and Waffle House. He also got his first broken bone when he fractured his foot in the first 5 minutes of his birthday party in a bounce house melee with his friends. Wilder will finish daycare this year before going to Preschool. He still loves sea creatures, trucks, and anything his older brother is into.
Jacqueline was a road warrior again this year, doing trips to Germany, France, Spain, Canada, Costa Rica and all across the US. She continues to manage global events and hired new team members this year for her corporation in a challenging environment despite another series of leadership changes. When she’s not globetrotting, she’s being world’s greatest mom, doing Peloton or running with the dog, her ever-present shadow.
As for me, I turned 40 this year, and it was an interesting experience. I realized I have so much to be thankful for, but I also remembered that nothing is guaranteed, least of all time. I spent quiet moments earlier this year considering what this all meant after being gifted a picture of my father, now 3-years passed, at peak bad-ass.
Inspiration ended up coming from an unlikely place. While Jacqueline was traveling in June, I happened to catch a YouTube video that would change my tomorrows and inject dreams of the 107-mile Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc or UTMB into my life. Over the last 6 months, I’ve run over 600 miles getting ready for my first 50km ultramarathon in January, right when it’s nice and cold in Ohio. If successful, I’ll attempt greater distances over the next couple years provided my body can take the training.
Since we skipped last year, I can also report I finished the 500-day writing project, which was absolutely life-changing. In the aftermath, I also released two ebooks, a curated selection of the 500 essays titled “Midlife Crisis? Try Midlife Renaissance, Bro” and a collection of quotes entitled “Fatherhood Through the Ages: A Collection of Classic Quotes for Today’s Dad” to follow up. Both are available on Gumroad and Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Midlife-Crisis-Try-Like-Renaissance-ebook/dp/B0BRJVG4HF
I often write about it, but one thing I realized in the last couple years has been that these are my “good old days.” These will be the days I’ll look back on fondly later in life if I’m lucky enough to have that later in life. As we get older, I realize more and more that nothing is guaranteed, and I take things for granted way too much.
In this sense, I feel fortunate to have realized these things. In the three years since Wilder was born and my father passed away with a week of each other, I’ve grown tremendously. In that time, I became clearer about what I wanted from my life and why. What resulted is I’ve become happier, more fulfilled, and more optimistic than ever before.
As the calendar flips over again, I hope the holidays inspire you to do more, reach for more, and become more.
We live in extraordinary times. If you want to do something, all you have to do, is do it.
From our family to yours; wishing you all peace, joy, and prosperity on this and every holiday season!