Above:
Liz holding a quartz-bound book of mica over the newest addition to our
yard – a Brown Turkey Fig tree.
I
recently turned a year older. The point was driven home today after I walked into one of our local restaurants to grab lunch to go. I decided to have a pint
while I waited on the order. The girl checking me out checked my ID to ensure I
was of age (a compliment I will take) before smiling, and stating, “That looks
nothing like you.”
Have
you ever seen those side-by-side images of presidents before they enter the
office, and when they finish their presidential term? That is what this past
year has felt like. That said, much has happened in the past 12 months.
- Liz and I bought our first home in Durham, NC, and committed to our love of the wonderful city, by growing roots here.
- I quit my job at an advertising agency (after almost 7 years in the game) to take a leap, and follow my heart. It has been the hardest, and simultaneously, one of the best things I have ever done for myself.
- I proposed to Liz on a snow-covered beach on Lake Superior.
- We began planning a wedding, before saying “Nope” to tradition, and running off to the mountains to elope at the base of a waterfall.
- I (finally) successfully made the transition from “agency life” into personally fulfilling activities that I want to give my whole mind and heart to. More on that later, but it has been a long time coming… and I couldn’t have envisioned a better new beginning.
Presidents
before: bright eyed, smooth skin, and minimal grey. Presidents after:
experienced eyes, more wrinkles, and grey hair galore. The past year has kinda been like that. I still have
(and will always have) the child-like twinkle in my eye. I’m pretty sure I will
act like a kid until I throw in the towel. My smile lines have deepened, and
hopefully will only continue to deepen. And my hair… well, let’s just say I might be a silver fox
before too long. It is both hereditary and inevitable (a least it is not
falling out). If wrinkles and grey hair equals progress and a happy life, then
may I age quickly… and hopefully gracefully.
I can
honestly say that this year has been perfectly imperfect. While it is not the
future I considered one year ago, it has turned into more than I had hoped.
Cheers to the next 12 months of life.
