Reinventing Yourself (without forgetting who you are)

🤔 Deep Thoughts by Brian

[ Note: I’m working on a massive photo dump catching up the last two months. In the meantime, food for thought. ]

Big moves force us to deal with our baggage, literally and figuratively. A lot of the stuff we think is important at the beginning of the process proves almost worthless in the end. See also the stuff you find at the very end that would cost as much to ship as to replace. Two-plus weeks on the other end, we’ve easily spent $5,000 replacing things we ran out of room and time to bring with us. (I mean, if replacement costs as much as shipping…)

The vacation vibes are fading as real life settles in for the long haul. I keep finding myself thinking, “I don’t do it like this.” What’s neat is how quickly “I don’t have to do it like this anymore” follows. I like noticing the little spots where my brain realizes we have a rare opportunity to radically change how we do things because there’s just no way we can go back to the way things were.

Turbobricks & Tools

I only know a few people in Iowa City right now. Some better than others. This town is so small compared to Phoenix, I’m already recognizing cars and people around town. The red 2Gb TSi AWD. The Barcelona Red GSX. All the black turbo 740s.

We’ve hard to borrow more than few tools, which feels ironic, given that I’ve bought a mower, trimmer, leaf blower, rake, hoe, and a broom. You buy a house where the previous owner planted 40-some-odd shrubs, and where any seed that touches the ground germinates, you find a new stump every day, it seems. I’ve only had them a few days now, but I’m already thinking about pushing all my other projects so I can get these stumps out, clean the tools, and return them promptly, in better condition than I accepted them.

Reinventing myself (without forgetting who I am)

Big moves force us to deal with our baggage, it’s true. They also give us a clean slate to reinvent ourselves. As I re-enter the job market (I’m a free agent these days), I’m reminding myself that “I don’t have to do things the way I used to do them.” But that doesn’t mean I don’t still have my values.

Always know that you gotta go do
What ya feel, but don't forget, make it real
No doubt, it's about stayin' true
(Nothing gonna stop us)
Always know that you gotta grow, so
Honestly, it's best that you know
Who you are as you go rolling through

It all gets me wondering if there’s a sort of gearhead code. What rules do you live by?