Equinox

Yep, it’s another trip around the sun. Today is my birthday, coming on the first day of spring. Time to see what spring brings to my life after thirty nine years.

The term “midlife crisis” gets thrown around a lot with people my age. It’s where men start to regret missed opportunities in life. This should, in theory, result in purchases of new sports cars to impress mistresses and take attention away from any bald spots forming on my skull.

I do expect to make a lot of changes in my life this year, but none of the stereotypes drawn from Maxim or Cosmopolitan magazine articles.

This blog started almost ten years ago. In that time I’ve made some pretty serious changes in my life. All of them fall under what I like to think of as “infrastructure” to build my life around. Job skills, hobbies, housing, friends, relationships, personal beliefs … even the black belt in karate falls into this pile.

So what happens when you approach the theoretical mid-point of your life with all of this stuff? In my case, I expect to use it as a foundation for making another set of changes.

The past ten years have been quite incredible. It’s more than I can describe here, but the me at 29 would have no idea how I got to where I am today. It’s been a pretty huge change.

However, some aspects of my life have leveled off a bit. Nothing’s in decline, but I need to seriously consider how I can continue to improve and progress. That means making some serious decisions about my life. It’s nothing I can do overnight or on a whim … and no, I can’t explain it all in a single blog post.

Think of it as a season, like spring. The equinox is that tipping point when the seasons really change. Seeds planted start to grow, and the blooms can’t be seen for some time. I feel like that’s where I am right now, having tilled and planted for so long.

I don’t think people who know me well will see a huge change, because I see no need to fundamentally change who I am. What people may see is a change in how I share myself, how I put my thoughts and ideas out into the world. But it’s something I couldn’t possibly do without my friends, my wife or the past ten years of growth.

It’s something I’m still figuring out, but it will be interesting to see what blooms this spring. I doubt it will be a red sports car … they just don’t have enough trunk space for a drum set.