It’s been quite the summer compared to last year, where I broke my arm and spent most of my time inside either watching Netflix or (eventually) getting on the indoor trainer. Back in May I wrote about being at The End of the List, which really afforded me some great time this summer to spend with my family and also upping my cycling skills.

I really challenged myself on my bike this year and I’m excited that I was able to hit a number of achievements:

• I joined the Tri-Cities Cycling Club and challenged myself to do a group ride at least once per week. I started riding in the Slow-C group and worked my way up to the Mid-B group by the end of the summer season!

• I took a week-long trip to northern Vancouver Island and rode the trail network in Cumberland as a brand new experience outside of the trails I normally ride in the Tri-Cities. I also spent the day on Mount Washington and tried downhill cycling for the first time,

• Completed by first 100k ride through the Tri-Cities in August and followed it up with another in October as part of our club season closer, beating my existing time by 4 mins!

I’m also proud to have spent a significant amount of time with the kids enjoying the summer here in Coquitlam. We didn’t travel too far during the summer but were able to do all the local activities: PNE, Waterslides, outdoor pools and more. It was really refreshing to have so much fun in our neighborhood without having to travel too far or have to spend a ton of money on a big vacation.

Of course, none of this comes without its own challenges. In particular, I have been dealing with a shoulder injury that resurfaced with the purchase of a new road bike (Madone SL 7 Gen 7). It’s a wicked bike that I love riding fast in group settings, but is definitely challenging my aging body. During the fall, I also had a bad crash on my last commute ride to work, totalling my endurance bike but thankfully walking away from the crash without any major injuries.

With that, I’m excited for the fall and winter season and a bit more cozy time with the family. I have my first proper gravel bike on order to ride through the winter, combined with some awesome training on my indoor ride to get ready for next season. I’m excited!

I’m writing this post as I find myself in a space that I don’t really find myself in regularly. There have been a number of major events in the past year of my life that have kept me “busy”, per-se:

• Dealing with a major accident and a long road to recovery.

• The inevitable business chaos at the start of the fiscal year.

• Completing a significant renovation to our home (new siding and windows, yay!).

As a lot of this starts to settle down and I look ahead to the summer season, I’m finding that my task list and list of projects is starting to wind down a bit. There’s part of me that thinks that I would enjoy this, as I tell folks that I operate best when I don’t have a lot “on my plate”.

However, I’m finding as some of these major initiates start to settle, I find myself in a place of discomfort. It’s almost as if my mental state defaults to being busy and having a long list of tasks/projects ahead of me. This is likely true due to spending 20+ years in the tech industry where the work never stops, dealing with young kids and being a homeowner.

I realize that a lot of life comes in cycles, and this is just naturally part of that cycle. Heck, I wrote back in March of 2021 that I was doing a “whole lot of nothing” at that point in my life, and it’s been a wild ride since then (navigating the pandemic, taking on a new role at work, purchasing a home and much more). I need to reflect on this and welcome the fact that I might be moving into a slower cycle in my life right now, where I don’t have a ton of big projects or initiatives. I should enjoy this time as it won’t last forever and I’ll likely have big problems to solve in the not-to-distant future.

I’m also taking this into the context of my values for this year that I wrote about in my previous post, and seeing where these values intersect with my thinking on the current cycle of my life:

• Adventure - Having less big projects gives me more time to explore and live an adventurous life in nature, particularly as the summer is approaching here in British Columbia.

• Order - Much of my life is organized well now, particularly after the chaos of a major renovation. I should be grateful for this.

• Wellbeing - This is tricky as I balance the fact that I’m navigating a cycle of growth here, while also being mindful of its impact on my mental wellbeing. I think the awareness that I have is actually a good thing.

Who knows what the summer holds for me and how it will impact my lists and projects for the remainder of the year. Heck, I was blindsided by a major injury last year so let’s hope that doesn’t happen again! In the meantime, I plan to lean-in to this part of the cycle and continue to challenge myself to be OK with less on my plate. I will fill up at some point in the future, no doubt!

Another year is almost in the bag! Yeesh - 2023 was super rough personally but also a year of growth and excitement. Much like every year, I’m thrilled to share my top albums of the year. Similar to last year, I find myself listening to music less and just enjoying quiet time more!

I think it’s interesting to note here that for the first time in a long time, I only have one hip-hop record listed in my top hits. I’m finding that I’m definitely moving away from newer hip hop and embracing a lot of my rock and punk roots with some of my choices this year.

10. Rancid - Tomorrow Never Comes
9. Metallica - 72 Seasons
8. Foo Fighters - But Here We Are
7. Macklemore - BEN
6. Queens of the Stone Age - In Times New Roman
5. The Glorious Sons - Glory
4. The Dirty Nil - Free Rein to Passions
3. The Gaslight Anthem - History Books
2. Blink-182 - ONE MORE TIME
1. The Hives - The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons

Wishing everyone who reads this a happy holiday season and all the best in 2024!