A Moment of Reflection: Three Years in the Making

This moment of reflection brought to you by Google Photos.

Three years ago I had 4 part time jobs, I had just walked away from my dream PhD composition program (a couple of them), I had 40K in student debt, and didn't have an apartment. To add salt to the wound, NYS told me I could no longer drive the car on the left. Although I had recently met a girl, and she seemed really cool, things felt bleak.

I remember saying to myself, "Dude, whatever it is you think you're doing, it isn't working." I knew my life needed to change and that weekend I decided to change it.

There have been so many steps on the journey since then. That girl turned out to be pretty special. I got serious about building a life that was sustainable financially, emotionally, physically, and creatively. The last few years have been transitional to be sure, and I only now feel like I'm landing the plane, but the arrival gate feels more welcoming than ever before.

Last week my new car (the one on the right) broke down in a Starbucks parking lot on Erie Boulevard. A smoking engine, lights going off, a dead battery. It was a huge hassle, but it wasn't a crisis. Three years of investing in myself and my future resulted in a "well, this sucks", handing it, and moving on. I'm forever grateful to be able to deal with what comes and continue the work of building that sustainable life.