This Is Water (And a Few Thoughts for This Final Post of 2014)

I was perusing my blog reader this morning at the uncivilized hour of 4am (because my internal alarm clock is always on east coast time), catching up on some reading since I haven’t had a whole lot of down time this week. And I came across a blog post featuring a video based on a David Foster Wallace commencement speech from almost a decade ago.

Watching the video I was struck by how relevant it felt to me; although I would hardly call my life routine, I certainly relate to the tedium he talks about in life. What comes to mind are the endless hours spent in TSA lines, getting on and off planes, waiting for baggage, driving in traffic getting nowhere quickly and thinking these people are persecuting me. Hell, I had that thought this week as I waited for my food during a brief lunch break while 4 cashiers puzzled over a cash register problem–it’s a conspiracy to keep me from getting fed and other less charitable thoughts running through my mind.

Although the holiday season is a time of celebration, it’s also one of the most hectic times of year–for some reason I am always traveling for work right up until the Christmas week. It’s easy to let the aggravation bubble over, especially when I’ve barely slept in my own bed (or seen my wife) in the past 8 weeks. So this video made me take a deep breath. It made me stop and think about how I want to approach these especially chaotic days, what with travel, the holidays, looming deadlines for existing projects, and big changes on the horizon (more on that in the new year). It also made me especially grateful that I am traveling this week with part of my pack–one of the people in my life who has made my professional and personal life so much richer. Someone with whom I have spent who-knows-how-many hours and holidays on the road (Hanukkah this year is just the most recent), who lessens the tedium and makes my brain work better and sharper. Thanks, BHR, for the companionship around the globe (literally–we’ve been in Korea, Italy, and at least half of the states in the US together) over this past decade. It also made me think about all the other pack members, my family of choice, who provide depth and occasional balance in my life. And the community of professionals with whom I have regular contact here at FHO. 2014 has been a good and complicated year; I’m going to leave it at that and sign off for the remainder of it, as I give myself the gift of some impending downtime surrounded by family and friends. I’ll be back in the new year with some announcements, some celebrating (FHO’s anniversary is coming up!) and a refreshed perspective. In the meantime I wish all of you a safe, peaceful and happy holiday season. Thank you for continuing to visit this nerdy little site and being a part of my community. I’ll see you back here in January…

And with that, please enjoy This Is Water:

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