It is Monday, July 4th, 2022. My family is in Japan and so I’m a bachelor for two months. Being alone with family all of a sudden is a bit like sliding into an alternate reality. Before they leave I have plans of all the things I’m going to do but once they are gone the energy disappears. It takes force of will to get those things done.
So far this year I visited Ohio for a week. It was comprised of kids little league games, the Grandview pool, a church festival, a mass, my cousins wedding and copious amounts of wine on both my parent’s and sisters porch. As I get older I realize the importance of spending precious time with family and so that is what I did. I didn’t see any friends, I didn’t get to Wilson Rd. golf course nor did I visit Roosters. However, I did have Donatos Pizza, went to the Hofbräuhaus and was satisfied.
I’m planning on a trip to France and Spain. My colleague has a daughter exploring life in France after graduation and I promised to go with him to Paris although my heart is set on Spain. My one concern is there is also a leadership position in my company for which I applied and I’m really hoping they don’t schedule the in-person interview for the same time. If they do I will still go on the trip since this colleague is being one I would manage. My thought is this is what an exceptional leader does. I want to be there to support him as I speak French, have contacts there and want to ensure it is a great time. Therefore, it is one of those life decisions and thinking clearly about it it is the right decision to go with him. It feels right even if I have to forgo the promotion. It is a trip he will remember forever and be extremely grateful for.
In other news America has shifted hard right thanks to recent decisions by the Supreme Court. I can understand the thinking of the Americans that support this but just as the left goes too far sometimes the right is going to far and it is scarier. America could become a place of Fascism and there might be nothing to reign it in. One never can know where events in the world will take it and it is big movements like these that cause a lot of unease.
We’re going through a time also of war (Russia), high inflation and social unrest. China is getting bolder about Taiwan and I assume that will happen eventually. What the consequences are are anyones guess but no outcome looks good.
My one ray of home lies in crypto. I’ve been getting bolder and have opened up more exposure. If it goes as I think it will crypto will be very valuable in the future, it is just a matter of choosing the right project. I’m not concerned about the dip as I have almost everything staked (earning more as time passes) and truly believe there is a big place for it in the future. The only problem is something like this can take a decade or two and being midlife my time is not unlimited. Even if it didn’t moon until later in life I would still have something big to pass on to my kids which is a good feeling.
Finally there is karate. I’ve missed a lot of class due to COVID and my travels. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal but this is the year we test for black belt. We cannot miss too much class or we will not be ready and to make matters worse Shihan might not think we are ready either. I don’t think he would stop us from testing but it still is on my mind.
That is what is going on in my life these days.
