My Wild 2019
23 Things that defined my year of change
1. FOUND OUT WE WERE EXPECTING
Yes, it was in the plans, but with so much that can happen you never know how long those plans may take to come to fruition. We were very lucky to have been given the news of our pending daughter launch date, and were elated to share it. Now to manage the anxiety that came along with resolving issues #3 (& #2, assuming I would be doing a lot of carrying of this nugget in the coming year).
2. HAD ROTATOR CUFF SURGERY
Would not recommend for anyone, certainly not as a way to kick off your year, but my 2019 high started on a sour note. Luckily it went well, and long-term has decreased the everyday pain I realized I was living with, but it certainly was a vibe-killer to lose your ability to sleep, sit comfortably, or lift anything besides a pencil with your dominant hand.
3. WAS LAID OFF — OR HOW I TOOK MY COFFEE DRINKING TO THE NEXT LEVEL
To borrow a few cliches, this one hit me like a ton of bricks. Any unexpected life change is disorienting, but one involving your job (and in many ways your self-worth) certainly can throw you off course. Luckily I went straight to work, connecting with old friends & co-workers, getting coffee, drinks, lunch, breakfast, seltzer; anything and everything to grab a few moments of insight, advice or good words from those who meant a lot to me. In the end, these meetings were invaluable and 100% led directly to any and all progress I made in finding a new job. My takeaways for anyone who finds themselves in a similar position (or proactively taking their next career step):
1) Build & maintain your professional network (LinkedIn works, for real).
2) Help others without expecting anything in return.
3) Be clear, open, honest & vulnerable. People don't really follow what you're doing that closely; most people I knew, even close friends, didn't realize I'd lost my job, or thought maybe I'd quit, until about the 4th or 5th time I posted about it. Being clear in any communication about what you are looking for and how folks could help is also important.
4) Say yes.
4. HAD AN AMAZING VALENTINE'S DAY DINNER (DESPITE THE LAYOFF)
Throughout the year there were a few moments that, at the time, felt pretty risky given that we didn't know necessarily when a paycheck would begin flowing again. This dinner at Longoven, truly a special place for Richmond, may have been one of those moments but was all-so-special for Molly and I to commemorate our Valentine's day.
5. BLOOD ORANGE CAME TO TOWN
It was an unexpected birthday gift when Molly surprised me with Blood Orange tickets. I realized I don't listen to or experience nearly enough live music. This explosive, enthralling and inspirational performance was certainly the best testament to needing to do more of that in the years to come.
6. I STARTED BOOKING A LOT OF MEETINGS
So in following all of my tenets for the job search I found myself taking a lot of meetings and covering a lot of ground (only went as far as Norfolk & DC; next time conferences & visits to my favorite major cities will be on the agenda). As I mentioned, I got something out of all of them; whether it be an insight about an industry I wasn't familiar with, learning something about myself, practicing my story, an opportunity to help someone else or a direct job lead. I've said it elsewhere, but I do think Richmond still is in need of a few more major employers of creative talent, but the difference between this time and the last time I considered a job change when there were literally only a handful of options, was still vast.
7. STARTED TAKING MORE PHOTOS
Knowing that I was going to have more than a few more stories to tell this year, I focused on trying to take more photos (which in-turn leads to getting out and experiencing more for myself). I picked up a new camera, the Fuji XT-2 I fell in love with at Mardi Gras, and started pinging my photographer friends to go out for walks. I'm very happy to be back and getting better every day, now to find the time to keep up the practice.
8. SOME INTERESTING PEOPLE CAME TO TOWN
Continuing my tour of "free agency" and putting myself out there, I was able to visit Aaron Draplin's pop-up shop at Mondial, and see his talk later at the ICA. Thanks to my friends at Capital One & Mondial for organizing.
Getting to see any presidential candidate is a treat, but someone as passionate & charismatic as Beto, not to mention driven (we literally watched him drive himself to the next stop in Charlottesville). I'm glad he was able to shape some of the conversation in this primary season, and look forward to what he does next. Also, pretty happy with some of the shots I snagged of him.
9. STARTED A NEW PROJECT (TO REVISIT AT SOME POINT)
With all of my free time (was still approaching my job search as a full-time job), and in an effort to "put myself out there" I started a new project that involved sitting down with folks I admired who had defied the odds and started & run their own businesses. I look forward to when work and life settle down one day I'll be able to dust this one off
10. WENT TO FLORIDA
I'm so grateful that Molly and I were able to continue a yearly family tradition and join a vacation to South Florida. We had an amazing time exploring, eating, lounging, and otherwise resting up for the journeys that were ahead of us in 2019.
11. GOT OUTSIDE MORE
With my free time, I was also able to dedicate more of it to causes I'm passionate about. In terms of big ideas that could happen in Richmond and bring transformational change, none are more exciting than BridgePark. The future park system would dissect the city, connecting many of Richmond's oldest neighborhoods and would provide access to the James River and natural, cultural and artistic interactions on the way there.
12. WENT TO NEW YORK CITY
Somehow we'd let years pass since our last visit to NY. Our trip, while too brief, corrected that and allowed us to try and connect with as many friends, see as many sights and eat as much food as we could possibly cram into a long weekend. Next time we go we'll get to experience all of those things through the eye of our newborn.
13. RODE MY BIKE - AND ATE PIZZA
The 10th annual Pizza Crawl was a great excuse to spend a Friday with hundreds of bike and pizza-obsessed kindred spirits, traversing the city’s streets and pizzerias.
14. WORKED ON HOUSE PROJECTS
While I don't need any excuse to work on another house project, I did move to tackle a few that I thought would be a few years away. For the first time in likely 30 years or more, the garage beneath our kitchen had a car in it. I also pulled the trigger on replacing our fence. I was going to try my hand at it, but realized my talent, free time and still healing shoulder didn't need to learn how to put in fence posts. I stuck to small projects involving electricity, wallpaper and paint.
15. IMPORTANT THINGS HAPPENED IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD
We're lucky enough for the tides to be turning in Richmond and the hard work and dedication of folks across the city is finally paying off. We got to attend the dedication of Arthur Ashe Boulevard, hear Ghazala Hashmi speak before her election, and finally now we get to witness the amazing beauty and inspiration of Kehinde Wiley's Rumors of War.
16. FOUND A JOB
While the journey took longer than I expected, the weeks of meetings and years of fostering relationships paid off and I landed on a team at Capital One doing work that excited me with a team of smart and talented folks who inspired and intimidated me. The numerous cafeterias and coffee shops are great and the benefits are nice but the prominent and impactful work we're producing, the emphasis on personal and professional development and a work-life balance truly made the journey worthwhile and the destination fulfilling.
17. MOVED MY PARENTS TO TOWN
I never thought my parents would become Richmonders, but then again I didn't picture myself as a father either. They are so happy to see us and the grandchild every week, and I'm glad we don't have to drive 95 any more.
18. FLOATED & CHILLED
This summer was hot, and we took any opportunity; pool, lake house, Homestead waterslide, to keep Molly cool and relaxed. I think we accomplished it.
19. TOOK A GREAT PHOTO
I'm not sure this is THE ONE, but I pulled it from a set I took at The Powhatan Parade, and felt it was particularly Robert Frank-inspired. But having my camera on me more, felt good to capture & share more of those moments instead of only having my own memory of them.
20. WE FINALLY MET COCO
Our long wait came to an end on September 4th when we met the cutest, funniest little nugget ever. She quickly made friends with the dog, The Mayor, and made a splash in the art and dining scenes.
21. TRAVELED FOR WORK - MET SOME AMAZING PEOPLE - MADE SOME GREAT WORK
The new job has brought me to DC more in the past 6 months than I'd been over the past few years. It has been great to explore more, and I've been able to do a lot of proactive work to attempt to learn more about the folks using our products and help them tell their stories and I look forward to where the next year will take me.
22. INTRODUCED COCO TO FRIENDS
Now comes the fun part (besides dressing her up in vintage clothes), introducing Coco to all our family and having her make new friends.
23. AND I ATE A LOT OF PIZZA
No list of mine would be complete without multiple mentions of pizza, and these were the first and best that came to mind. 2020 should bring more Scarr's Pizza, Quality Pizza and Pizza Bones.
