The Year in Review

As is my custom, I find it helpful to reflect upon the good and the bad of 2025.  I start the year with goals; this post looks back at some of them and considers other factors we experienced this year.

Spiritual

My goals here:

- Be disciplined in reading/prayer routines (and reduce putzing).
- Do devotionals with the family twice a week.
- Serve better, but in fewer roles.
- Focus more on others. Figure out balance with competing needs.

Some good things here. Prayer was better from mid-year on, when I started doing evening quiet times (in addition to morning) with better regularity. And I now do Sunday morning 'prayer walks' for about an hour, which has been transformative. Humbling but good and necessary.

I did not do devotionals with the family nearly enough.

I stepped down from two roles this year (one 'permanently' and the other temporarily), which was needed to better focus on the family and my own spiritual disciplines. That has been helpful, yet life remains overwhelming at times due to the busyness of the season (lots of activities and obligations for all five of us). Overall, though, this was a positive year spiritually.

Nutritional/Fitness

My goals here:

- Get (and keep) weight under 185 lbs.
- Eat more fruit/vegetables. Eat out less.
- Improve gut health.
- Complete 270 workouts; bike 1200 miles.

Weight loss achieved! For the first time since college, I dropped my weight under 180 lbs (my low was 175). I am just over 180 today, as the holiday eating has taken its tool, but am confident I can stay at/under 180 moving forward. What a blessing. The keys for me have been eating less (and better) and walking more (doing an evening mile walk plus other things). 

I completed 272 workouts, which is satisfactory. I had shoulder surgery in April that knocked out a month, but I was able to hit 1000 miles on the bike, making it the first time I've done 1K in consecutive years.

Most workouts were gym, bike rides, and yardwork. Including the past few years' totals for reference:

2023: 22 runs for 54 miles, 182 gym workouts, 58 bike rides for 623 miles, 15 hikes/walks for 55 miles, 21 mow/yardwork, 113 hours spent working on the basement.

2024: 12 runs for 25 miles, 169 gym workouts, 82 bike rides for 1119 miles, 9 mow/yardwork, 13 'other' (hikes, etc.)

2025: 9 runs for 14 miles, 127 gym workouts, 92 bike rides for 1015 miles, 34 hikes for ~95 miles, 10 yard work (mowing/shoveling)

Reading
My goals here:

- Read 50 books.
- Read 15 works at my American Reading List.
- Minimize my owned-but-unread pile

I read 55 books, and kept my 'owned but unread' pile at an okay number. My post here caps this year's book recommendations. I read only 5 works on my ARL. Overall, though, I'm satisfied.

Household Management

My goal here:

- Minimize stuff in the home.
- Figure out ideal home organization.
- Buy less/budget better.

Buying less went pretty well until November, where the sales got me. I need to be better about ending the year well. Our home still has too many things. We made some home organization strides, but not enough. This one needs improvement.

_____________

Conclusion
Looking across the categories above, it was a pretty good year. Here's to a better 2026. "Never stop starting."

The Year in Review

As is my custom, I find it helpful to reflect upon the good and the bad of 2024.  I start the year with goals; this post looks back at some of them and considers other factors we experienced this year.

Spiritual

My goals here:

- Be disciplined in prayer.
- Be intentional/consistent in meeting with others.
- Serve well in the various roles.

Prayer was the same as last year: pretty consistent when in my routine, but easily dropped when 'out of sync' due to illness, vacation or other factors. I need to be better about keeping the first things first, even when the day is abnormal.

I did get to meet with a fair number of people this year, which is always a joy. This one is hard to quantify or limit; it was good, but should always be a priority.

I tried to serve well in various roles and felt they went reasonably, but this year showed me that I have too much on my plate, and that could be overwhelming at times for me (and the family) this year, so I will have to drop something in 2025.

Nutritional/Fitness

My goals here:

- Get (and keep) weight under 185 lbs.
- Complete 240 workouts (run, bike, gym, hikes, etc.).
- Eat less overall, and more fruit/vegetables.

I started the year at 197 lbs and did drop some weight this year; I stand at 192 lbs as of this morning (my low was 188 before the holidays). I did eat more fruit/veg, but ate too many sweets around the holidays in particular. Overall, I am pleased here, but want to keep going. 

I had what I thought were heart problems early in the year; they turned out to be gut-related. Managing my gut health is increasingly apparent as a big part of overall condition; I attribute better care here to some of the weight loss.

On workouts: I'm starting to feel my age; running now consistently messes up my knees for days afterwards. It is now 100% biking or walking for cardio workouts. Other big news: my son now does the bulk of the mowing. Hooray!

Overall, I completed 285 workouts, which is satisfactory. Most workouts were gym, bike rides, and yardwork. Including the past few years' totals for reference:

2022: 38 runs for 91 miles, 113 gym workouts, 68 bike rides for 1061 miles, 7 hikes for 30 miles, 43 mow/yardwork, 5 misc.

2023: 22 runs for 54 miles, 182 gym workouts, 58 bike rides for 623 miles, 15 hikes/walks for 55 miles, 21 mow/yardwork, 113 hours spent working on the basement.

2024: 12 runs for 25 miles, 169 gym workouts, 82 bike rides for 1119 miles, 9 mow/yardwork, 13 'other' (hikes, etc.)

Reading
My goals here:

- Read 50 books.
- Continue chipping away at my American Reading List.
- Revisit King Arthur.
- Find good books on the science/study of humor.

No problem here; I read 60 books, and kept my 'owned but unread' pile at a pleasant number. My post here caps this year's book recommendations. I enjoyed revisiting King Arthur, and made minor progress on my American Reading list. I did not make any progress on humor studies. (But I laughed a lot, if that counts.) Overall, I'm satisfied.

Stuff

My goal here:

- Minimize everything in the home.
- Buy less/budget better.

This went pretty well until July. My boys got into collecting sports cards, and I was caught up in the nostalgia of that; I spent too much in the latter half of the year on my hobbies. Need to reign that in.

_____________

Conclusion
Looking across the categories above, it was a pretty good year. The main thing that stands out as needing improvement are focusing areas of service, nutrition, and personal spending, but more on those tomorrow. Here's to a better 2025. "Never stop starting."

The Year in Review

As is my custom, I find it helpful to reflect upon the good and the bad of 2023.  I start the year with goals; this post looks back at some of them and considers other factors we experienced this year.

Our year was defined by two factors:

- home improvement

- church involvement

As mentioned last year, our kitchen flooding (plus supply chain problems) meant we didn't get that fully fixed in 2022. Thankfully, we finished that project in March 2023. Then it was on to the basement, which we tackled this summer with a lot of help from friends. We rounded out the year fixing the porch, replacing the worn (and increasingly dangerous) wood with trex material. Let's hope next year sees less home projects; it was good, but exhausting.

For church involvement, my wife and I increased our responsibilities. She is on two teams handling various aspects of church matters; I became an elder, continued leading the men's ministry and a community group, and led a Sunday school in the fall. These efforts are 'joyful burdens,' and though they can be heavy, we pray that we can help.

On to goals:

Spiritual
My goals here:

- Be disciplined in prayer.
- Overcome two besetting sins.

Prayer was pretty consistent when in my routine, but easily dropped when 'out of sync' due to illness, vacation or other factors. I need to be better about keeping the first things first, even when the day is abnormal.

I did make some progress in besetting sins, so that was encouraging, but more progress is needed. 

Nutritional/Fitness

My goals here:

- Get (and keep) weight under 185 lbs.
- Complete 240 workouts (run, bike, gym, hikes, etc.).
- Eat more fruit/vegetables.

I didn't meet the weight goal, though I had dropped to 192 by early December, the holiday excesses have me now at 197 lbs. My goal remains 185 lbs, and I've learned that it can be achieved only by dieting: eating a lot less (generally around lunch), snacking less, and so on.

I was diagnosed with a partial tear in my shoulder and moderate/severe arthritis in my knee, which did minimize my running and affect my workout approaches.

I did complete 298 workouts (not counting PT sesssions or basement hours), which is satisfactory. I am still "fit fat," meaning I'm in decent shape and can do cardio and weights without problems. I just need to lose some pounds. Most workouts were runs, gym, bike rides, and yardwork. My gym workouts 'shot up' as I did them more frequently for shorter time periods. As with last year, I incorporated a healthy dose of ab/core focus into what is typically upper body-focused. Included 2022 totals for reference:

2022: 38 runs for 91 miles, 113 gym workouts, 68 bike rides for 1061 miles, 7 hikes for 30 miles, 43 mow/yardwork, 5 misc.

2023: 22 runs for 54 miles, 182 gym workouts, 58 bike rides for 623 miles, 15 hikes/walks for 55 miles, 21 mow/yardwork, 113 hours spent working on the basement.

My diet was marginally better but could still use improvement.

Reading
My goals here:

- Read 40 books.
- Focus on American authors/topics.
- Pick another topic and 'get smart' (i.e. read a few books) on it. Probably humor.

No problem here; I read 50 books, and kept my 'owned but unread' pile at a pleasant number (down to about a dozen until Christmas). My post here caps this year's book recommendations. I made an American Reading list (see the link in the prior sentence) and chipped away at that. I did attempt to find books on humor, but there is shockingly little out there. Overall, I'm satisfied.

House

My goal here:

- Finish the basement.

We did it! We actually did it. I spent August blogging about what it took; this summary post links to the others.

Language
My goal here:

- Continue studying Spanish.

I did Spanish until April, then switched to Latin for a month or two, then went back to German until November, when I quite DuoLingo altogether (I explain my frustration here).  They didn't send me statistics for the year, so I don't know how much time I put into it. Language is valuable, and I will seek another means of practicing in 2024.

Games
My goals here:

- Minimize clothing.
- Minimize game collection.

I did minimize clothing over the summer, which was helpful, but I've noticed it crept back up to the point where drawers are stuffed. Need to clean up again. 

For games, my time was focused on minimizing my Magic collection. I sold 10,000 cards from there and got a nice return. 

Conclusion
Looking across the six categories above, it was a pretty good year. The main thing that stands out as needing improvement are spiritual goals and the weight. Here's to a better 2024. "Never stop starting."

The Year in Review

As is my custom, I find it helpful to reflect upon the good and the bad of 2022.  I start the year with goals; this post looks back at some of them and considers other factors we experienced this year.

Our year was defined by several factors:

- a return to 'normalcy' (meaning most pandemic-related restrictions or requirements were dropped by late spring)

- our van dying

- our kitchen flooding

The first was wonderful. Though I had COVID twice (during Christmas 2021 and in May 2022), both times were very mild. Loosening restrictions was such a relief; taking off the mask at the gym was a particular joy. Though we are still in the pandemic, technically, I am hopeful that 2023 will be the first fully "normal" year we've had since 2019.

Our van dying was unexpected and unpleasant. We had owned it for 8 years (and were hoping for several more). Buying a vehicle in this market, with pandemic-related supply chain delays, meant we had to wait over two months for a replacement. We managed with one car for about a week . . . I biked in to work most of those days, but was quickly exhausted. We were saved by friends who loaned us their car for more than two months. We are so thankful for their generosity. We picked up the new car in November and have loved it.  

Around the same time as the van problem, our kitchen flooded, which was another 'fun' wrinkle. We noticed warped laminate floor boards in our kitchen . . . we asked several handy people about the cause, but nobody could isolate the problem. We eventually determined that the refrigerator had two intermittent leaks (internal and external). The water from that had soaked through the laminate and hit an older linoleum floor, spreading out throughout the whole room and damaging the family room floor as well. Our insurance company has been great to work with- we're getting a new floor and cabinets- but supply chain difficulties mean this won't get fixed until February.

Though the last quarter of the year was dominated by the aforementioned challenges, the rest of the year was pretty 'standard.' It was nice to see the kids adapt quickly to life back in America and develop new friendships (or rekindle old). We feel settled, which isn't a guarantee when you move. We are blessed. On to goals:

Spiritual
My goals here:

- Be disciplined in prayer/scripture routines (and keep tracking them to encourage it).
- Teach the family.
- Take a more active leadership role in church.
- Redeem the time. By which I mean wasting less of it.
- Overcome two besetting sins.

Scripture was fine. Prayer was more sporadic- easily done when in my routine, but easily dropped when routine was altered (due to vacation or other factors). Need improvement there.

Teaching the family happened sporadically. I tried a variety of methods, but always inconsistently.

I started leading a community group at church (in addition to the men's ministry), and am considering other leadership roles. This one is going okay.

I still waste too much time.

I now have more besetting sins. Okay, not really- just the same ones. Need progress here.

Overall there is a lot of room for improvement here.

Nutritional/Fitness

My goals here:

- Get (and keep) weight under 185 lbs.
- Complete 240 workouts (run, bike, gym, soccer, hikes, etc.).
- Eat less sugar/carbs/food in general.

I keep going the wrong direction; I'm now at 199 lbs. I did a test in July (when I weighed 197) that indicated I should lose 11 lbs, which seems to hold to what I've experienced in the past: ~185 lbs is my 'happy weight' and remains the goal. I did put on some muscle this year, which could account for a few of the pounds I gained, but certainly not all. 

I did complete 274 workouts, which is satisfactory. I consider myself "fit fat," meaning I'm in decent shape and can do cardio and weights without problems. I just need to lose some pounds. Most workouts were runs, gym, bike rides, and yardwork. Included 2021 totals for reference:

2021: 63 runs for 134 miles, 115 gym workouts, 43 bike rides for 539 miles, 8 soccer games

2022: 38 runs for 91 miles, 113 gym workouts, 68 bike rides for 1061 miles, 7 hikes for 30 miles, 43 mow/yardwork, 5 misc.

My diet was poor—it's the same old culprits of too many calories (overall) and too many sweets (in particular). Need to improve there.

Financial
My goals here:

- Get good budgeting system in place.
- Follow it.

It's hard to budget when a vehicle dies and kitchen floods. Little progress here.

Reading
My goals here:

- Read 40 books.
- Focus on fantasy (a number of series) and American history/literature.
- Pick another topic and 'get smart' (i.e. read a few books) on it.

No problem here; I read 52 books, and got my 'owned but unread' pile from 33 down to 11 (until  Christmas put that number up to 15). My post here caps this year's book recommendations. I did not really pick another topic, but did a series of posts on the content we consume that was challenging and fun to investigate.

House

My goals here:

- Finish the basement.

Nope- kitchen flood dominated house, though we did also get some work done in the backyard to improve drainage. We have plans to do this in 2023, with the help of friends.

Language
My goals here:

- Continue studying Spanish.

This went well. It is easy to do DuoLingo every day. My stats (which they sent to me as of 30 November, so they do not account for the last month) indicates that I:

- completed 671 lessons (I do two per day on average)

- was in the top 4% of DuoLingo users

- spend 2333 minutes learning (7 minutes per day)

- learned 882 words and practiced 3199 sentences

Games
My goals here:

- Play the 12 games in my 'owned but unplayed' pile.
- Minimize game collection to what I play regularly.
- Build a cube for Magic.
- Have more game nights.

My 'owned but unplayed' pile now stands at four. I did some minimization and built a cube for Magic. (That was fun and I hope to build a few more this year.) I re-started my church's game nights, and one day hope to move them to my house (if we can get the basement finished). Overall, these goals went pretty well.

Conclusion
Looking across the seven categories above, I failed in about half of my objectives. Here's to a better 2023. "Never stop starting."

The Year in Review

As is my custom, I find it helpful to reflect upon the good and the bad of 2021.  I start the year with goals; this post looks back at some of them and considers other factors we experienced this year.

Our year was defined by transition- we moved back to the USA from Germany in July (I did a series of 'long goodbye' posts around that time), and then bought a home in September (after which we did a lot of home maintenance and had some reflection on what makes a home). Such things can be hard- we lived out of suitcases for over three months- but we feel that we've transitioned back much faster than last time we moved back to the States (2014). That's been a great blessing. Okay, on to the goals.

Spiritual
My goals here:

- Be disciplined in prayer/scripture routines (and start tracking them to encourage it)
- Teach the family

I mostly met this goal- I tracked what chapter I read each day and made prayer more of a priority. I also had a goal to teach the family more- that happened at times. There's room for improvement in both areas, but some good things happened here.

Nutritional/Fitness

My goals here:

- Keep weight under 185 lbs (goal: 180)
- Get a six-pack
- Complete 240 workouts (run, bike, gym)
- Be able to do 60 push-ups in a set and 15 pull-ups

The first two did not happen- I'm 190 right now and need to drop weight. I did complete 240 workouts, which I'm happy with, especially given the transition and days in hotels/with family/without access to 'normal' fitness routines. I started playing soccer again this year- what a great workout that is. But I started developing tricep tendonitis early in the year, meaning pushups are difficult. I did max out at 17 pull-ups at one point this year.

Most workouts were runs, gym, bike rides, or soccer games:

2021: 63 runs for 134 miles, 115 gym workouts, 43 bike rides for 539 miles, 8 soccer games

My diet wasn't the best- it's the same old culprits of too many calories (overall) and too many sweets (in particular). Need to improve there.

Financial
My goals here:

- Get good budgeting system in place

Little progress on this front- we did meet with a counselor and got some good tips on budgeting approach. But it's critical now that we're homeowners again.

Reading
My goals here:

- Read 50 books
- Complete my German Reading List

No problem here; I read more than 50 books and finished my German Reading List. My post here caps this year's book recommendations. 

Travel
My goals here:

- Visit the Alps
- Take the kids to new countries (Belgium, Liechtenstein, Italy, etc.)

While the pandemic obviously continued to affect travel, we were able to do a quick day trip to Bastogne, Belgium and Luxembourg. We visited France (Verdun, Paris, Metz) and the Austrian Alps (mainly the Pitztal and Ötztal) on long weekends, too.

Fluency
My goals here:

- Obtain a certification in German

Done. I tested as a "2+/2" in reading/listening to German (I was hoping for a 3/2). I started working on Spanish.

Games
My goals here:

- Minimize game collection to what I play regularly

No progress on this front. It will be a goal for 2022.

Adjust
My goals here:

- finding a house, job, school, etc. will be priorities as we approach the summer.

Done! We were really blessed to find a private sale in a horrid market. We love the house and neighborhood and location. The kids have settled into school faster than we thought, especially in the pandemic. 

Conclusion
It was a good year. There is still much uncertainty in the pandemic, but we're blessed and thankful. We need to step it up for next year, though. There's work to do.

The Year in Review

As is my custom, I find it helpful to reflect upon the good and the bad of 2020.  I start the year with goals; this post looks back at some of them and considers other factors we experienced this year.

I'll begin with the obvious: the pandemic that defined the year certainly upended a lot of these goals. Some were easier to meet as a result of lockdowns; others impossible. I found new hobbies and abandoned others. The disruptions meant nothing went as planned- but that's not always a bad thing.

Nutritional/Fitness

Weight loss was a big goal for me, so I weighed myself every day I had scale access. I started the year at 195.5 lbs and wanted to lose 20. I dropped 12 rather readily and maintained that level until the holidays (and colder weather), when I biked less and gained back a few. Some of that gain is muscle- I think- and I'm pleased with my overall fitness. As of this morning, I'm 187.5. Staying under 185 is doable and the max acceptable moving forward, with 180 as the goal. I think dropping under that would mean muscle loss.

Weight in 2020 (lbs)

The pandemic helped me up my overall workout totals. Though an achilles injury shelved my running for three months, I still got some decent miles in (and could do 2 miles in 14:00 and 3 in under 24). I discovered bicycling and enjoyed over 1,300 miles on the wonderful German bike trails. No six-pack yet, but lots of core workouts mean I see hints of one at times. Gyms were closed for about three months, which affected those gym totals, but I still hit the gym consistently when it was open. Overall, I did workouts on 268 days (out of 314 eligible- I rest on Sundays), meaning I worked out 85% of the days I could; not bad, especially with the injury.

I tracked push-ups this year and did 26,200 (personal best: 50 in a set; 100 over multiple sets in 5:03). I worked on pull-ups starting in autumn and can now do 13 pull-ups in a set. Looking back over recent years, this one was the best overall:

2014: 51 runs for 104.6 miles, 98 gym workouts
2015: 47 runs for 103.0 miles, 81 gym workouts, 5 soccer games, 5 PT sessions

2016: 98 runs for 205.8 miles, 115 gym workouts, 4 bike rides
2017: 77 runs for 203.9 miles, 111 gym workouts
2018: 44 runs for  78.2 miles, 107 gym workouts, 32 yardwork sessions
2019: 54 runs for 120.6 miles, 85 gym workouts, 26 'other' sessions (hikes, bike rides, moving, etc.)

2020: 94 runs for 180 miles, 83 gym workouts, 91 bike rides for 1310 miles

My diet wasn't the best, but I did have reasonable discipline until the holidays- though biking so much meant I had to frequent the German bakeries (you know, to make sure I was getting enough fuel). 

Financial
We started 2020 tracking spending exactly like we hoped, and doing a good analysis after each month to see where we could improve. Then came COVID, and many of our routines went out the window. But to be fair, we saved a good deal this year- there's not much to do in a lockdown. So we met some goals without the systematic budgeting we thought would be necessary. Still room for improvement, though. How do people budget 'easily' (without it dominating their time)?

Reading
It was a good reading year. I exceeded my goal of reading 50 books, made good progress on my German Reading List, kept my 'owned but unread' pile to a reasonably small number, and enjoyed a lot of authors new to me. My post here caps this year's book recommendations. 

Travel
Ha!  Whereas we hosted visitors for 28% of 2019 and traveled a good deal, 2020 brought it all to a screeching halt. We took the kids to the Black Forest (pics here, here and here) for a long weekend in the early Fall, and did a day trip into France while there, but that was it for foreign adventures. All was not lost, though- we explored the more local sights a fair deal, focusing on ruined castles that were easy to see while social distancing. (We even had a 'three castle day'.) I learned to delight in these less popular attractions; I love castle ruins. I think our favorites were Wertheim, Hohenstein, and Auerbach. Or Manderscheider Burgen. Or Runkel. Sheesh; I can't decide.

Fluency
My goals were to learn 5000 more German words (no idea if that happened), complete the DuoLingo German course (that did happen), and read 5 books auf Deutsch (I read a few). Still not fluent- and admittedly dejected about that- but I need immersion to get me over the hill here, and that's not going to happen in this pandemic. So I keep plugging away to maintain what I have (meeting the DuoLingo daily goal through review), but I have little hope of reaching my goals here.

Games
I wanted to host more game nights and play online games less this year. Again- ha! I did get a game night or two in before life shut down in March, which was nice. And I learned that a number of friends enjoy playing Magic: Arena, so I now have several monthly 'game dates' where a specified friend and I play each other on that platform and use Discord to chat while so doing. It's a lot of fun. Technology has been a wonderful aid in this time.

Personal Spending
I still spent too much this year, though I did a decent job tracking it, and I sold a few things to get back in the black. That needs to improve next year, though. I have too much that I don't use regularly, and spending plays into that.

Blogging
Blogging was consistent about the typical games, books, and movies. It continues to be an enjoyable hobby for me, perhaps even 'necessary' as my memory is so poor, and this helps me track things. In February, I started a second blog about my favorite card game, Magic: the Gathering. 

Parenting
I have no idea how to gauge parenting. I have a vague sense that we made some improvements this year, but much remains. The pandemic forced us to spend lots of time indoors and together, which was sometimes wonderful, sometimes crazy. 

Spiritual
My spiritual routine (prayer and scripture) was better this year- more meaningful and consistent. Early in the year, I finished some readings related to church leadership which were quite valuable. And I started being more intentional about teaching the family in these matters, though it was mostly ad hoc dinnertime discussions, and I need to be more structured and consistent about that.

Conclusion
2020 was certainly different than we expected. We were blessed with health and job, so we can't complain. I was happy to meet some fitness goals and improve spiritually. It was wonderful to discover German biking trails and explore local castle ruins. More than anything, though, we miss people. I hope fellowship can resume in 2021. 

The Year in Review

As is my custom, I find it helpful to reflect upon the good and the bad of 2019.  I start the year with goals; this post looks back at some of them.

Personal Spending
I took advantage of a favorable financial situation to spend too much and track too little.  This needs to go back to full-time tracking and better management next year.

Reading
I met a reduced book goal (40), as I diverted time to learning German.  My "owned but unread" pile is still pretty small but growing; I need to keep an eye on that.  I started a German Reading List; that's going well.  I hope to read 50 books next year.  My post here recaps this year's book recommendations.

Games
I played a handful of board games this year, but far fewer than 2018; I've been focusing on Magic: the Gathering because prices in Europe are cheaper (and the online version, called Arena, is free and fun).  I played Arena far too much, actually . . . that needs to change.  My goal to design a board game this year never happened, as my focus was elsewhere.  I may table that one (no pun intended) for a few years.

Fitness
My goal was to lose 10 lbs and (in general) be in better shape; didn't happen.  I did get into a better routine working core muscles, which was good.  And I consistently worked out 3-4 times per week, but my eating was horrible. (I blame the Germans . . . or their food, at least.  Or my complete lack of self-control.)  I did miss two months total due to circumstances outside of my control (hotel living, medical situations, etc.), so hopefully we can get on track in 2020.

2014: 51 runs for 104.6 miles, 98 gym workouts
2015: 47 runs for 103.0 miles, 81 gym workouts, 5 soccer games, 5 PT sessions

2016: 98 runs for 205.8 miles, 115 gym workouts, 4 bike rides
2017: 77 runs for 203.9 miles, 111 gym workouts
2018: 44 runs for  78.2 miles, 107 gym workouts, 32 yardwork sessions
2019: 54 runs for 120.6 miles, 85 gym workouts, 26 'other' sessions (hikes, bike rides, moving, etc.)

Blogging
Blogging was consistent. I blogged a lot about travel this year (big surprise), and about the typical games, books, and movies.

Adjustment
We just passed the one year mark in our Germany adventure. We sold our American home and moved into a German home in February.  We were blessed to find a suitable church quickly and have enjoyed becoming a part of that community.  But adjustment is always difficult, and it's hard watching the kids (and ourselves) as we struggle to form new routines and relationships.

Travel
We took the kids to the Netherlands, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and spots in Germany (the Harz Mountains and Bavaria) this year as our bigger trips.  Like us, they fell in love with castles, forests and mountains.  We've done a myriad of day trips, too, as we enjoy both typical German sites (like Rothenburg) and lesser-known local delights.

Visitors
An unexpected element to the year was the number of visitors we hosted.  We lived in our home for 46 weeks in 2019 and hosted seven sets of visitors for 13 of them (28% of the time).  Granted, four of those weeks were unplanned- a medical emergency necessitated a longer stay- but it's still a good clip.  We loved hosting and seeing friends and family, but to be candid we need to dial that back in 2020.

Fluency
Part of adjustment is gaining fluency in German, to which I dedicated considerable time in 2019.  I did DuoLingo app nearly every day (1230 lessons, 82 hours total), completing 57% (70/122) of the subject areas.  I also read a few books auf Deutsch, and pondered what it means to be fluent in the first place. I know about 5,000 German words and have a reading level on par with an 8-10-year-old.

Spiritual
My relationship with the Lord made some good strides this year in some aspects- an easier routine has made consistent prayer and scripture times more consistent.  That said, this still isn't where it should be.  More work to be done.

Parenting
Not many strides in parenting, sadly.  My kids- now 9, 7, and 4- are getting easier to handle (in some ways) as they age, but harder to handle in others.  We started going over children's catechism questions at dinner- that's gone well and been effective.  But other areas remain about the same:
- I'm too quick to anger at home- I have to remember that I can't expect my children to act (or reason) like adults.
- I also get uneasy when the house is a mess- which is all the time- so I have to dial back the OCD if I have any hope of surviving their childhood.
I may focus on minimization (again) in 2020 to help ease up the household mess and make it easier to focus on parenting.

Conclusion
Though I met a few goals, and some good trends started, I continue to miss on the more important things.  Familiar struggles in several important areas remain and must get more attention in 2020.  "Never stop starting," as a friend would say.

The Year in Review

As is my custom, I find it helpful to reflect upon the good and the bad of 2018.

Minimization
My 2015 focused on minimization, and I've tried to maintain that mindset since.  I've cycled my focus, going from books to Lego and (this year) board games.  I didn't get rid of that many, but did play almost all the ones I owned (trying to maintain that 'use it or lose it' mindset).

Personal Spending
I did reasonably well here, using only gift money (or proceeds from game/card sales) for personal spending.  I'm less materialistic than I used to be, but I'm not there yet; I still covet far too much.

Reading
My goals here were simple:
- Keep my "owned but unread" pile small (under 10 books)
- Read up on game design, public speaking, and history of select areas of the world (like Korea and the Balkans)

I met those goals . . . and it was valuable.  I read over 50 books this year; I'm happy with that, but may read a tad less (40?) next year.  My post here recaps this year's recommendations.

Board Games
I played a lot of games this year, and tracked my efforts for the first time (check out the master game page here for an aggregate listing of links to reviews).  The goal was to design a board game this year; I kept a journal (paper and digital), read up on design theory, and started the process, but am a long way from completion.  I hope to do so in 2019.

I did see one area of progress here- I am tempted to buy a lot less now.  I've played enough games that I generally know what I like and can identify by a quick skim of the rules whether or not I should even bother with a given title. 

Fitness
My goal was to lose 10 lbs and (in general) be in better shape; didn't happen.  Gained a few, I think, as I ran less and spent the last 10% of the year in a hotel eating out, which *really* doesn't help (I'm not disciplined enough in restaurants).

My overall fitness levels tailed off from the years prior, as shown below.  Not good!

2014: 51 runs for 104.6 miles, 98 gym workouts
2015: 47 runs for 103.0 miles, 81 gym workouts, 5 soccer games, 5 PT sessions

2016: 98 runs for 205.8 miles, 115 gym workouts, 4 bike rides
2017: 77 runs for 203.9 miles, 111 gym workouts
2018: 44 runs for  78.2 miles, 107 gym workouts, 32 yardwork sessions

Blogging
Blogging was consistent. I blogged a lot about games this year (big surprise), and started some reflections post (see earlier this month) about life in Germany. I hope next year to do more 'reflections'-style posts on our adventures.

Relocation
The latter part of the year was defined by relocating, moving back to Germany. We're stll in a hotel here, and a long way from settling in. Hopefully we'll do so quickly in 2019.

Spiritual
My relationship with the Lord still isn't where it should be. I need to figure out better approaches to prayer & Bible study within the realities of small children and early morning demands.

Parenting
This section is a verbatim repeat from last year (and the year before, and before).  I'm not a great parent. I'm too quick to anger at home- I have to remember that I can't expect my children (ages 8, 6, and 3) to act (or reason) like adults. I also get uneasy when the house is a mess- which is all the time- so I have to dial back the OCD if I have any hope of surviving their childhood. Finally, I don't do a good job cherishing the time, frequently looking away to the future when the current challenges will be overcome. May I remember that current challenges will be replaced with other, possibly harder, ones, so I need to learn to enjoy each stage for what it is. Our kids actually like us now- so may I take advantage of that rather than view it as a burden that they're CONSTANTLY in our faces, even when we're in the bathroom.

Leadership

I took several strides, or at least made some important realizations, in leadership this year. It took a few years of both professional and voluntary leadership roles, but I feel much more comfortable now with several realities of leadership- more on this in future posts.

Conclusion
Though I met a few goals, I must honestly say this year wasn't the best. Familiar struggles in several important areas remain and must get more attention in 2019.  "Never stop starting," as a friend would say.

The Year in Review

As I did last year and the year before, I find it helpful to reflect upon the good and the bad of 2017.

Minimization

My 2015 focused on minimization, and I've tried to maintain that mindset.  I'm now fine with books- I'll buy a few each year but remove about the same.  The main progress in 2017 was Lego: I've finally relegated that hobby to my children, keeping a handful of favorite sets and turning over the rest to them (or selling some for a tidy profit).  It was hard, but maintaining a "use it or lost it" mindset is valuable.  Next up is board games (more on this below).

Personal Spending

I did reasonably well here, using only gift money (or proceeds from game/card sales) for personal spending.  I'm less materialistic than I used to be, but I'm not there yet; I still covet far too much.

Reading

My goals here were simple:
- Keep my "owned but unread" pile small (under 10 books)
- Read up on the Reformation, as this year marked 500 years since Martin Luther and his 95 Theses
- Read a few books I own but haven't read for years

I met all three goals . . . and it was fun, as always.  I read about 60 books and over 15,000 pages this year; I'm happy with that, but may read a tad less (40?) next year.  My post here recaps this year's recommendations.

Board Games

I played a lot of games this year, and the blog reflected that, with board game reviews featuring heavily (about one-third of my posts were game-related).  Check out the master game page here for an aggregate listing.

I see the trend in board games that I've seen in books, movies, and other problem areas in my life: I start a hobby by purchasing far too many things, then pare down and become more responsible as I learn my tastes and dial it down to acceptable levels.  I'm still in the initial phase of this hobby- buying too much.  I own "only" 60 games but have yet to play a quarter of them.  I hope to tackle that problem next year, playing them all and minimizing where appropriate.

Fitness

My goal was to lose 15 lbs and stretch more; I dropped only 5 lbs but met the latter, now stretching after every gym workout.  This noticeably decreased my back pain and is now a part of my routine.

My overall fitness levels stayed about the same as 2016, as shown below.  I had fewer runs than I would have liked; my 2-year-old decided waking up early was fun, so I had to back down running to give my wife a breather during the week.  I did the gym three times each week plus one run on weekends . . . I hope to get back to more frequent running next year, but that depends on how the little one does.  My distance increased, though, which was a good thing: I'm back to 5K (3.1 miles) as my standard distance.

2014: 51 runs for 104.6 miles, 98 gym workouts
2015: 47 runs for 103.0 miles, 81 gym workouts, 5 soccer games, 5 PT sessions

2016: 98 runs for 205.8 miles, 115 gym workouts, 4 bike rides
2017: 77 runs for 203.9 miles, 111 gym workouts

I also did 25 yard work sessions (mowing, raking, weeding, trimming), which definitely counts as exercise.

Blogging

I blogged more this year than I did the two prior, and continue to enjoy this hobby.  Though most of the posts (as always) were book reviews, game reviews were a close second.  Mid-year, I discovered this concept of "pages" vs. "posts," and made some changes.  Now, the sections across the top are pages, which are more visible (since they're not tied to date of publication, like posts are).  Most of my summary posts were so converted and are now easily accessed.

Spiritual

My relationship with the Lord still isn't where it should be. I need to figure out better approaches to prayer & Bible study within the realities of small children and early morning demands.  I did slightly better than last year, but much improvement is necessary.  On the plus side, we did family devotionals for about half of the year, at dinner time, and that went well.  Now to get back into those . . .

Parenting

This section is a verbatim repeat from last year (and the year before).  I'm not a great parent. I'm too quick to anger at home- I have to remember that I can't expect my children (ages 7, 5, and 2) to act (or reason) like adults. I also get uneasy when the house is a mess- which is all the time- so I have to dial back the OCD if I have any hope of surviving their childhood. Finally, I don't do a good job cherishing the time, frequently looking away to the future when the current challenges will be overcome. May I remember that current challenges will be replaced with other, possibly harder, ones, so I need to learn to enjoy each stage for what it is. Our kids actually like us now- so may I take advantage of that rather than view it as a burden that they're CONSTANTLY in our faces, even when we're in the bathroom.

Conclusion
This year, I was comfortable with progress in reading, weight loss, flexibility, family devotions, and blogging.  Next year, I need to lose more weight, improve personal devotions, and work on parenting skills.

I'm glad I made certain strides, but 2018 needs to see improvement in many areas.  This will always be true, I suppose, but it's important to keep striving.

The Year in Review

As I did last year, I find it helpful to reflect upon the good and the bad of 2016.

Minimization

After 2015 focused on minimization, I didn't need to do as much in this area.  I did notice, however, a general spirit in my life now of 'use it or lose it.'  It's a helpful attitude to have, and I continued to minimize (albeit at a slower pace) in 2016.  May it continue!

Personal Spending

I did reasonably well here, using only gift money (or proceeds from game/card sales) for personal spending. That is, until November, when I became infatuated with a 'dead' CCG and spent a few hundred dollars on that.  I must make up for it; my Christmas money went towards minimizing that deficit.  I'm less materialistic than I used to be, but I'm not there yet.

Reading

I met two important goals this year in the books:
- I read down the number of books in my "owned but unread" pile
- I read less

Regarding the first goal: after starting the year at 30 such books, I ended at 5.  As long as the number is less than 10, I'm happy.  I don't want to start piling up things here I'll never get around to doing.

Regarding the second: yes, this sounds odd, but there's only so much time in a day, and reading 80+ books/20,000 pages per year came at the expense of other priorities.  So though I exceeded my 2016 goal (36 books), my numbers are still down from the year prior: 53 books, just over 14,000 pages.  Solid; I'm happy with that amount.  My post here recaps this year's recommendations.

Fitness

My goal was to get to 180 lbs; I failed.  I dropped 5 lbs in the first few months, then gained it back and leveled off the rest of the year- I'm still at 195 lbs. My overall health improved, though, as I worked out a lot more and exceeded my goals in that area:

2014: 51 runs for 104.6 miles, 98 gym workouts
2015: 47 runs for 103.0 miles, 81 gym workouts, 5 soccer games, 5 PT sessions

2016 goal: 80 runs for 150 miles, 100 gym workouts.
2016: 98 runs for 205.8 miles, 115 gym workouts, 4 bike rides

I also did 36 yard work sessions (mowing, raking, weeding, trimming), which definitely counts as exercise.  Unfortunately, I did not stretch more frequently, and that's shown.  I need to work hard on flexibility in 2017.

Nutrition

Ahhh, here's the problem.  I worked out more and didn't lose weight in part because I ate poorly.  I need to eat less sugar and snacks in 2017.

Spiritual

My relationship with the Lord still isn't where it should be. I read the entire Bible this year (well, I listened to it).  This year I want to do more focused, in-depth study.  I didn't make the time for prayer  nearly as consistently as I should; that must improve next year. I didn't get the family into daily devotionals, either- that must change.  On the plus side, we got actively involved in our church community, which was a blessing.

Parenting

This section is a verbatim repeat from last year.  I'm not a great parent. I'm too quick to anger at home- I have to remember that I can't expect my children (ages 6, 4, and 1) to act (or reason) like adults. I also get uneasy when the house is a mess- which is all the time- so I have to dial back the OCD if I have any hope of surviving their childhood. Finally, I don't do a good job cherishing the time, frequently looking away to the future when the current challenges will be overcome. May I remember that current challenges will be replaced with other, possibly harder, ones, so I need to learn to enjoy each stage for what it is. Our kids actually like us now- so may I take advantage of that rather than view it as a burden that they're CONSTANTLY in our faces, even when we're in the bathroom.

Conclusion
This year, I made considerable progress in:
- reading
- working out
- Scripture reading

but fell short in:
- flexibility
- nutrition
- prayer
- family devotionals
- parenting

I'm glad I made certain strides, but 2017 needs to see improvement in many areas.

The Year in Review

As 2015 winds down, I find it helpful to reflect upon the good and the bad of the year.

Minimization

I set out to make this a year of minimization; in this, I succeeded.  I'm not done yet, but made considerable progress.  After spending January and February sorting legos (to reconstitute the original sets), I sold 25 lego sets to great profit.  I then minimized other games, selling my Nintendo DS (and ~10 games), complete Star Wars LCG collection, and a portion of three others (Star Wars CCG, Magic: The Gathering, Star Wars Miniatures) that I didn't use.  I digitized 5 photo albums- 549 pictures- and so reduced that [physical] footprint.  I got rid of 16 items of clothing (pants or shirts I didn't wear or need), 163 books, 66 movies, and 38 TV show seasons (239 discs total between the two).  Finally, I rid myself of various other collections- stamps, coins, foreign [paper] currency, or other knick-knacks that ultimately just 'sat around' and were seldom used, viewed, or in any way enjoyed.

The psychological result?  I can conclusively say that 'less is more.'  It can be hard to let go of certain things, yes.  But it gets easier, and often you'll find that you don't miss what you shed.  Of everything I removed from the home, I regret parting with only one thing- a single book.  Since I made over $3000 selling the above, buying one book back for less than $10 seems reasonable- though I haven't done it yet, because I've learned (shockingly) that I can survive without it.  If you take one thing away from my post, it is this: your life will improve as you reduce what you own.

Personal Spending

Related to minimization, I did a much better job spending less on myself this year.  I spent only what I got as gifts, plus 10% of the profit I realized from minimizing.  I also made my gaming habit self-sustaining, by selling back valuable items to the store (over $630 worth) to get store credit for future purchases.  May I spend even less next year.

Reading

I had an 'average' reading year, in terms of quantity: 84 books, just over 20,000 pages.  I went from over 100 books owned but not read down to 30.  My post here recaps this year's recommendations.

Fitness

After dropping 5 lbs in January, I leveled off and remained static (weight-wise) the rest of the year- I'm still at 195 lbs.  My overall health may have improved slightly, as I managed to finally heal (at least partially) a nagging achilles stiffness in my right leg and dealt with a shoulder problem through multiple PT sessions.  Two long spells of illness in the family- two months at the start of the year and six weeks at the end- combined with the birth of our third child (in August) meant that I didn't get as many workouts in as desired.  My numbers are down from 2014:

2014: 51 runs for 104.6 miles, 98 gym workouts
2015: 47 runs for 103.0 miles, 81 gym workouts, 5 soccer games, 5 PT sessions

On the plus side, I started sleeping more, retiring 30 minutes earlier and waking 30 minutes later.  That's made a big difference in energy levels.

If one counts yard work as exercise (which it sure feels like), I mowed the lawn (with a push-mower) 26 times (which is 52 miles walking) and raked 3-4 times.

Nutrition

I set out to avoid all store-bought sweets in 2015, which I did reasonably well until autumn, when I fell off the bus hard just before Halloween and remained off.  While I ate less 'garbage,' I ate more home-made sweets, so the overall point of eating better was not realized.  My goals for next year will be more fitness- and weight-based and focus less on specific types of calories; in my experience, when I work out more, I want to eat better, so it comes more easily.

Adjusting

2015 was our first full year back in the USA after 7 years in Europe, and I finally feel 'adjusted' back to life here.  It took about 12 months, though . . . our time overseas has forever impacted us.

Spiritual

My relationship with the Lord isn't where it should be.  I don't make the time for prayer and Scripture nearly as consistently as I should- something I have yet to master as a parent.  That must improve next year.  On the plus side, we finally chose a Church, and look to get actively involved in that community.  And I continue to learn the lesson that it's not about me- truly loving those around me involves focusing on them and not on my own needs or wants.  It's the hardest lesson, and one I suspect I'll be learning the rest of my life.

Parenting

I'm not a great parent.  I'm too quick to anger at home- I have to remember that I can't expect my children (ages 5, 3, and 4 months) to act (or reason) like adults.  I also get uneasy when the house is a mess- which is all the time- so I have to dial back the OCD if I have any hope of surviving their childhood.  Finally, I don't do a good job cherishing the time, frequently looking away to the future when the current challenges will be overcome.  May I remember that current challenges will be replaced with other, possibly harder, ones, so I need to learn to enjoy each stage for what it is.  Our kids actually like us now- so may I take advantage of that rather than view it as a burden that they're CONSTANTLY in our faces, even when we're in the bathroom.

Conclusion

This year, I made considerable progress in minimization, but fell short in almost every other area.  As I look back, the thought pops into my mind: "one goal is accomplished at the expense of others."  I'm glad I made certain strides, but 2016 needs to see progress in many areas, not just one.

Materialist Me

Like many, I find ironic the immediate post-Thanksgiving materialistic frenzy that is Christmas preparation.  The very day after we're reminded to be thankful, we're told that we don't have nearly enough and won't be complete until we spend spend spend.  I must buy!  It's good for us, good for others, good for the economy, good all around- or so we're told.  Decades of indulging these notions have made us into a nation of materialists, of whom I am chief.

I don't think of myself as a hoarder, and I cringe when I see the extreme examples on certain television reality shows.  But man, do I love stuff.  At one time or another, I've collected or accumulated books, DVDs, Legos, CDs, games, stamps, currency, sporting equipment, running shoes, baseball cards, nostalgic items (from childhood), magnets, action figures . . . I could go on.  Though I don't think myself extreme, I recently conducted research that indicates otherwise.  Some examples to quantify the insanity I uncovered:
- I have 98 books I've not yet read- 37% of the books I own (counting ebooks)
- I have 40 movies or TV show seasons I've not yet watched
- I have 25 games- 18 of which I haven't played in years
- I own a decent bit of camping gear (last used: 2004)
- I have small stamp, currency, and baseball card collections (viewed: almost never)
- About 33% of the clothing I own never gets worn- or gets worn less than once a year

My overall point here is that I have an awful lot of things that I just don't use.  Either haven't ever used, or haven't used lately.  What's the solution to this situation?  In a word, minimize, and stop living like this guy:

In the last few weeks, I've spent a good deal of time minimizing.  Going through games I don't play and selling them.  Donating books and clothing.  Auctioning off childhood nostalgia items (old toys).  Selling my stamps and currency.  And you know what?  It feels great.  The more I minimize, the more I want to.  It's very freeing.  There's a problem, though: if I'm not careful, the accumulation will begin anew (as it has in the past).  With that in mind, I present the following principles I have to remember when it comes to material goods.

1. There are many cool things I won't own or experience, and that's okay.

This is the biggest trap for me.  I have the gift/curse of being a man of many interests.  In so many cases, I see something of interest and think I'll miss out if I don't own it.  That's 100% true!  We all miss out on most things life has to offer, because the choices are endless, but our time and resources are finite.  I can't do it all- I will miss out on many things- and that's okay.  There are lots of cool things to own or do, places to go, and people to see in this world, and a lifetime of pursuit won't bring me anywhere near an exhaustive experience- so I must be content with the 'small' sample granted.

2. Where my treasure is, there will my heart be also.

Straight out of Scripture here, I have to remember that my heart should be with God and people.  Not stuff, experiences, or achievements.  All those decay, fade away, and are forgotten- so why bother investing in them?  My children won't say at my funeral, "I'm so glad he collected all those action figures."

3. The more I have, the less I can enjoy it.

Choice is great, but too much of it can be paralyzing and leave many things unused for long periods of time.  What's the use of having 25 great games if I have time to play only 7 of them?  Why bother toting around the extra?  Isn't it better to really enjoy a smaller number of things?

4. It's not just about money.

Accumulating stuff in any form isn't just about the money it requires to obtain said goods (though that's important).  It takes time to purchase things, space to store it, and may require additional purchases (storage containers or furniture, gas and wear & tear on car, etc.).  More stuff decreases my flexibility (and mobility), and increases my footprint.  So 'one more thing' can lead to many more things . . . the cost can be great.

5. Nostalgia needs limits.

I toted my college notes, exams, and many of my textbooks through three moves before realizing that I never looked at them, referred to them, or even thought about them.  Why did I keep them so long?  Nostalgia.  They were part of my past, and I didn't want to part with them.  The same is true of my boy scout badges, soccer trophies, and elementary school drawings.  All told, I had several bins full of stuff from the days of yore.  I've since minimized, and now keep a small container under my bed keeping some things I couldn't (yet) bear to part with.  Nostalgia isn't bad, but the reality is that nobody cares about this stuff but me, and when I'm gone, it will be someone else's job to pitch it- so keep it small.

6. Remember my resources.

The Internet, libraries, and neighbors/friends/family are a wonderful thing.  They can provide access to amazing amounts of stuff.  That should directly impact (in a positive way) what we own.  Do I need to have books and movies on everything I find remotely interesting?  Do I need to own every tool?  Absolutely not- because I can access many of these things, for free, in several places.

7. What's the purpose? 

I know people who own a considerable amount of things that just 'sit around.'  You know what I mean- those doe-eyed little kid figurines, random knick-knacks, or whatever.  I have a small amount, and I need to ask myself why.  Why bother having something like this?

8. Have criteria for ownership . . .

. . . and it needs to be more than "I like this."  For example, I should own books only that I plan to re-read, reference, loan out, or are my absolute favorites (and even some of them can be found in the library).  Having criteria beforehand helps determine if purchase is warranted.

9. Set limits.

For the things I enjoy (books, games, etc.), I need to set firm limits- perhaps shelf space occupied, number of games, or whatever measure is sensible- and stick to it.  Limits helps me decide what I really want- or just think I do.

10. Review and reduce.

Every so often- quarterly, annually, whatever- I should do a quick review and make sure I'm not hanging on to unnecessary things.  Are there things I'm just not using?  Have limits been compromised, and are collections accumulating?  Bad things can happen where accountability ceases . . . this isn't a once-and-done affair.

11. I can't take it with me.

I'm probably going to die within 50 years.  None of this stuff can accompany me to the next life.  My descendants will not care about my stuff, and may have to spend days sorting, selling, donating, or pitching it.  I should save them the time and do it myself.  Ideally, at my death they could just put me on a Vader-style funeral pyre in the backyard, burn me, and be done.  No cleanup, save perhaps a few potentially-awkward explanations to the neighbors.  That's the way to go.

Transition & The Rose-Colored Past

We tend to look at the past through 'rose-colored glasses,' as the saying goes- we remember things as better then they actually were.  I'm experiencing a heavy dose of that now, as my transitory state (now, over 100 days long) comes (hopefully) to a close soon.    Every time I go through a transition- which generally means a physical move and/or job change- the same cycle occurs.  It tends to start with this emotional pattern:

1) Excitement- due to the new environment, responsibilities, people, locales, and possibilities. 
2) Anxiety- due to the same.
3) Exhaustion- due to all the administrative, academic, social, and logistical responsibilities that come with a change.
4) Sadness- due to the loss of the familiar, and the initial loneliness that occurs with a new start.

Our most recent transition has been the move back home.  We came back to America over 3 months ago.  After a decent dose of 1), I've been hovering between 2), 3), and 4) for a while now.  I pass a British book in the library and feel a pang.  I see a photo of a beloved foreign spot and grow wistful.  In short, I long for what once was, and lament its passing.  I have nothing but fond memories of my time overseas . . . but was it reality?  Are these cheerful images that race through my mind the complete story?

Thinking back through my life, I have to take a long view, and realize that my current station is not new.  In 2007, we were quite happy in Maryland.  We had a familiar, enjoyable routine, with good jobs, friends, and contentment.  Then, we uprooted ourselves and moved to Germany.  How exciting!  But I still remember driving away from our USA home with a heavy heart.  We were leaving all that we knew.  Once in Germany, it took a few months to fully settle in.  Those initial times were hard- learning a new language and culture, making new friends, establishing a new routine.  Then, once we adjusted, we had an absolute blast for 4 years.

In 2011, we had the same pattern.  Those first few months in England were rough!  We kept comparing it to Germany and found it wanting.  It took us a while to learn a new culture, make new friends, and establish a new routine.  Then, once we adjusted, we had an absolute blast for 3 years.

It's now 2014, and here we go again.  These first few months in America have been rough!  It's taking us a while to re-adjust to a 'new' culture, make new friends, and establish a new routine.  It's taking longer this time around, as we added a new home to the mix, but it will end the same.  We'll learn, become familiar, establish a routine, and have a blast.  We will get there.  We're just not there yet. 

Transition is hard.  It always is.  But then, it's always worth it, too.  I've never regretted a move, and each time, we've profited by it in many ways.  I have to remember that right now. I must remember, too, that the past is fond not because it was perfect, but because it was familiar.  It will be here, too, soon.  Just give it time.

A Matter of Perspective

Most readers know that my family and I have been living in a state of transition for 2.5 months now.  Yesterday, we were going to close on a house and take a big step towards routine and normalcy . . . but due to others' errors, we have to wait another few weeks.  I'm very angry, frustrated, and tired . . . but should I be?  In a sense, yes, it is justified, but I have to keep things in perspective.

Let's face it: we, the rich western world, have lost a lot of perspective.  In general, our prosperity has increased to the point that most of our anxieties center on things which are, in the end, trivial matters.  Can I feed, clothe, shelter, and support my family?  Do I have employment?  Do I have a base of caring friends/family upon which I can rely?  The answer to these questions is 'yes' . . . so what is my problem?  Why do I tend to get angry over things like poor drivers, inconvenient parking, or non-ideal situations?  Why does waiting an extra week or two for my home seem to be such a big deal?  It's because I'm spoiled.  I've lost the sense of what matters in life; I daresay most of us have.

When I look at my children, I see the perspective problem in full force.  Most of their meltdowns are about unbelievably stupid matters.  "I want a different color fork."  "I have only 2000000 toys, and I need that one I don't have."  I look at them, mouth agape, and think "how can they get so worked up over such stupid stuff?"  Then, later in the day, we go out for a drive, and I'm behind someone going 5mph below the speed limit.  I simmer . . .  "How dare that person drive so slowly!"  "Woe is me!" "We might take 3 more minutes to get home!"  Fool that I am . . . I do the same thing.  I wonder how that starving child looks upon my plight.  And I wonder how God looks at us- those who He's blessed so much- whining about what we do. 

When the movers were packing up our belongings in England, I went through a now-familiar emotional cycle: excitement at what lay ahead, anxiety about what must be done to get there, and exhaustion as we progressed through each task.  I spent more time in the 'anxious' and 'exhausted' departments, and was getting tired of it all- I just wanted it to be done, and was in a mild state of depression.  I had occasional dead time with the movers, which I filled by reading Endurance (reviewed here)- the story of Shackleton's amazing Antarctic survival story.  All at once, the 'trial' of moving became very trivial indeed.  I thought I was having a bad day?!  How about that group of people stuck for years in a wasteland?  Suddenly, this 'horrible' move seemed rather easy indeed, and as I sat in my now-empty house eating takeout on paper plates, I couldn't help but think how blessed I was.

Like I experienced with the move, reading has proven helpful in correcting perspective problems.  Reading history, especially, shows us just how good we have it.  Right now, I'm reading All Quiet on the Western Front- a fictional account of a soldier's experience in WWI.  Today is 19 July.  Nine days from now, we commemorate 100 years since WWI began.  That conflict killed 15-17 million people and destroyed the life of millions more.  Even those who survived were permanently affected/impaired in irrevocable ways.  Am I angry that I have to wait for a house?  Yes, but it's lessening . . . and as I read more accounts of war and other horrible events, I start to feel very small when I complain about anything in my life. 

WWI photo . . . they had some justifiable grievances

I don't mean to imply that bad stuff doesn't happen- it does- or that we're never hit by tragedy- we are.  I'm simply stating that most of what we consider to be hardship, when we look at it through the lens of time, really isn't.  We are so blessed.  So blessed.

Yes, we have to wait for our home.  Chances are, by the time we finally move in, it will be a full 3 months since we last had a house of our own.  But it's a house of our own.  A house that meets our needs and more, in a safe neighborhood with good schools and convenience to amenities.  It is good; I am blessed; my needs are met; with this may I be content.

The greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.  - Martha Washington