Recovering from a lovely Christmas and catching up on some prompts.
Work: grind, calling, or something in-between?
When I wrote this, I was thinking of my day job, which I both love and hate. Love because it gives me the opportunity to think about exciting issues, travel and live in interesting places, and meet and work with fascinating, smart people. Hate because I’m a cog in a huge bureaucratic machine that cares less and less about professional standards, and fosters a work culture that is dysfunctional at best and toxic at worst. So, my day job is, if not actually a calling, then a powerful draw, but it can also be a grind. Writing, my powerful avocation, keeps me sane most of the time.
As I started to think about this entry, though, I realized that the whole concept of work, or effort in general, needs some attention in my life. I’m strong and have the capacity to push much harder than I’ve been pushing. That applies to the day job, but also to writing, and to my personal life, including my fitness. I’m looking forward to digging in.
Family: what’s yours?
I think I’m fairly typical of a 21st Century person–my true family is a network of close friends, and pets–and my blood relatives, while important, live far away and are less a part of my daily life. My online community is also pretty important to me, especially when it comes to writing.
Who surprised you this year?
A few friends got published this year, and while it didn’t surprise me in the sense that I always knew it should happen, it was really nice to see things turn out the way they should.
In 2012, I hope I get to be the surprising one!
