Over the course of the past 2 years, I’ve written an entire 1 post here on my blog. This isn’t to say I haven’t been writing – I have notes everywhere – on post-its, on calendars, and on my iPad. I have been pieces of collaborative documents such as statements of work, technical design documents, and grants. I’ve listened to a bunch of audio books, read a lot of technical documentation, and listened to the Bible every day.

But when did I last write… just for me?

I encourage my son to do it. I tell myself it’s beneficial. Yet taking the time out of my day to just unload onto a sheet of paper, or in this case, a screen, has just not been a priority. We were talking with some teens we share life with last night about habits we’d like to build and routines that would add value to our lives, and writing for myself – or Writing for the Soul, as the book is called – is at the top of my list.

I don’t know if I’ll keep everything public here or not… probably not, as there’s plenty of parts of my life you don’t need access to. But at the same time, there’s nothing to hide, and more than anything, I need an empty page to just dump myself onto.

If you made it this far, thanks! It means a lot. But if you didn’t, I don’t give a flip (another great book!). This space is for me.

Here, I’ll probably write about things I’m going through, or maybe about projects I’m diving into. Or maybe even people I’m dealing with and how. Who knows. One thing I do know is that I’ll make bullet points… like these:

  • Dealing with a torn meniscus at age 45 sounds like fun, especially with 2 active kids and a 45 acre farm.
  • Holding the adults involved in my kids’ lives to a high standard of accountability, honesty, and appropriate behavior should not have been this hard, this trying, or this drawn out.
  • Being the first human being to lay eyes on a newborn calf is an experience I am proud to have taken part of!
  • A couple years ago I feared being cornered out of of work with one of our largest clients, and over the course of 2 days, that entire world flipped upside down. Who knew that loyalty really does pay off.
  • I’ve been a jerk to those I love. Really have. I’ve hurt some of them in ways I can’t just fix or undo, and that’s painful to both accept and move through. But with the right people, it’s possible.

Anyways… enough for today. Holding myself accountable to come here or my journal won’t be easy, but neither is losing 20 pounds during covid but not feeling like you’re making progress, hiring a team of about a dozen when you’re too scared to hire one without saving up their annual salary before you do so, or taking someone to court. Easy stuff if for the birds.

I’ll be back!