I started writing this newsletter what seems like years ago. In fact, it’s been 11 months yet an entire lifetime. I started it because I wanted to move past my earlier years of writing, finding my voice, and creative pursuits that led me into dwelling more about how my work was perceived than how I actually went about creating it. A craftsman focuses on the process.
Quite honestly, this newsletter has been more fun than I thought it was going to be albeit entirely different than how I thought I could build it. I’ve heard from many people who read this newsletter sporadically or weekly and it really does spark the internal core to continue. I’ve written on Sunday afternoons, on weekday mornings while it’s still dark, and (very rarely) at night before I go to bed. It ‘s been a way for me to document all of the changing tides in my life so I hopefully can provide entertainment and information for others.
This past year went exactly according to plan….and nothing like our plan. Kate and I had a beautiful baby who is giggling and crawling now at six months. We have started to make Hawaii feel more like home than a temporary work vacation. We have grown into a tighter family unit and grown up more than I realized we could in just a year without losing our taste of revelry.
Mostly, I’ve felt myself grow into the person I always felt I could be, but never knew the path to get here. Some people know they want to be lawyers/teachers/doctors/musicians and the path is clear. For others, there is no path, only a machete to cut your own way without doing too much damage to yourself or those around you. The exploration I did in my early adulthood taught me how and what to say “no” to, how to dive all the way into the things I say “yes” to, and where I want to focus my attention moving forward.
I think back to those times when I was growing up in the closet. I knew I’d want to have a family and live a life of constant discovery. There certainly were no people of influence to mimic so I thought I had ground-breaking thoughts: a life with a beautiful wife and child with a job I don’t hate and the flexibility to help others. Luckily, fate dealt me a great hand and let that manifestation come about however unclear I was envisioning. This coming year Kate and I have no intention of slowing down on our goals to keep building a loving family while focusing on helping causes we believe in.
The world is opening back up and I know I have a lot of work ahead of me in the near future. Due to the fact that I enjoy rolling on the cushy play mat with Bennett as much as possible I want to make that time come first. I’ll be putting this newsletter on hold for a short hiatus. A summer break if you will. I’ll continue writing so I can come back in August to either pick up where I left off or start a tangential creative thread. Who can say? That’s how a creative craft works. You pick your path.