With the first half of the year having now passed by, I’ve found myself feeling a bit reflective today. Looking back on how the first six months of 2009 have gone, and wondering what the next six might hold for me. While I expected a lot of change this year, I still find myself in a very different place than I would have guessed back at the beginning of the year.
Career-wise, I started off the year in a job that, while not my ideal position, I at least thought was secure. The people were good, and the pay not too bad either. And I was starting to get at least the occasional challenging and/or interesting work. Unfortunately, that all came to a crashing end pretty quickly when I was let go early in February. Since then, I’ve worked a couple of short-term contract positions, and not much else. I’m financially okay for a few more months, so I’m taking this as a chance to get my portfolio updated and made much more compelling and representative of my work, hopefully leading to a really good job rather than a good enough job. I’m also trying to take advantage of having a summer with so much free time as best I can.
Creatively, this has been a mixed bag of a year so far. I’ve finished only one new song, and barely worked on anything at all for most of the time since. I did recently start getting back into that, and am pretty far into a new song, so I hope that tide has again turned. I’ve not been writing much at all, either here or elsewhere. I did a lot of writing while in Nepal, but that’s been about it. And I’ve not taken that and done much of anything with it yet. On the other hand, I’ve done a lot more photography this year than I ever have before. Sure, it’s mostly because of the photography workshop in Nepal, but it’s a new creative side of myself that I’ve not really explored much before. So that’s exciting!
Spiritually, I’ve got more engaged into Buddhism again. I really fell off last year, but I’m working back into meditation and other studies again. Being in Nepal really put me in touch with that, as well as getting to know a couple of new people that are into it as well. I’m still not meditating or otherwise practicing nearly as much as I’d like, but I’m moving in the right direction, I think. I’ve even got another retreat planned for August!
On to relationships. I started off the year dating someone I really thought I had a future with. But that ended back in February, conveniently the day before I got laid off. What a week that was! But I’ve recognized the mistakes I made there, and learned a lot from the experience. I quickly met someone new, who I’m still dating right now, and the things I learned from the first relationship have helped me a lot in this one. Again, this is someone I really think I could have a future with, so I’m optimistic and enjoying each new day as it comes. I don’t know where it will end up, but I’m looking forward to finding out!
Of course, the big story for the first six months is the Everest Trek 2009. I’ve already written about it quite a bit on this blog, so I won’t repeat too much of that. But, no matter what else happens this year, this will be a year to remember if only for that experience. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the kind of thing so rare and so special that “once-in-a-lifetime” doesn’t even begin to cover it. If nothing else, I know I’ve got tons of awesome footage to watch, and an amazing time to revisit, this fall when the podcast episodes start airing.
So that about sums it up. There’s more stuff swimming around in my head, but I gotta keep some of it to myself!