[Draft] 5 photos for 2^5

  

Last month I turned 32 (2^5, two to the fifth power). Being an exponential is pretty sweet and becomes increasingly less common as you age, and this is probably (and hopefully) the second-to-last power of 2 that I will ever be. For the occasion, I wanted to write a blog post sharing 5 photos from my life along with some reflections on each. Enjoy!

1. Youth

This photo shows me holding a fried worm while eating dinner with a new friend and his family in southern China during my Watson fellowship in 2014. 

I have changed a lot over the last 10 years since graduating college and even more so since starting my journey leaving home some 18 years ago. There are many benefits to being young, though, I really appreciate (and mostly prefer) my experience as I’ve gotten older. I have become more patient with and accepting of myself and the world. I am also more trusting of and relaxed with myself after having navigated a variety of strange and unknown situations across the world. I am more willing to watch things play out and enjoy the ride.

2. Connections - Present

This photo is of my two youngest nieces (their older sister wasn’t at the gym that day, I’m not forgetting you, Megan!). When I spent the winter in Bozeman last year, we got into a good rhythm of going to the climbing gym on Sundays. I appreciate rhythm and repetition in my life, and my connections with family and friends are built through those consistent interactions.

I really enjoyed living abroad, though it was hard to be away from friends and family. I have enjoyed having more time to invest in existing and new friendships over the last few years and look forward to continuing that in the future.

3. Connections - Past

While it is sometimes difficult to reflect on people who are no longer in your life either from their passing or the parting of ways, the pain of that separation heals with time. And hopefully, you begin to appreciate the contributions those people have made to who you are today.

This is a photo of my ex-wife hugging a huge fig tree in the Angkor Temples of Cambodia 😊 Our separation was one of the more difficult experiences of my life, and it, as well as our wonderful relationship, has greatly shaped the person I am today. I am grateful for our experiences together and for all the people who have contributed to my life and are no longer with me.

Embracing rather than fearing that relationships change is one of the harder things in life. But, as with most things, I am getting better at it with experience.

 

4. Focus

This photo shows one of the larger and prettier village visits I did while working for an off-grid mini-grid company in Myanmar. During that time, I was focused on visiting hundreds of villages to explain and sell our electricity service. This experience of focus is a major part of my life. I really enjoy the slow and steady repetition of an activity and the progression you experience as those things that were initially challenging can now be done effortlessly.

5. Reflection

This photo shows my tea, chai, samosas, and coffee cake at the local tea shop around the corner from my apartment in Yangon. On the weekends while living in Yangon, I would often go to this tea shop or a Japanese coffee shop with the newspaper and my computer to sit, read, work, and reflect.

More than just understanding what's going on inside you, I think reflection is an exercise in understanding and engaging with your inner voice. My relationship with my inner voice impacts everything I do and is the thing I am most grateful for in my life.

I know in a very deep sense that myself and my inner voice are all on the same team. I am there for myself through thick and thin because that inner voice is all I’ve got. It is the soft commentator on my slow ride through existence. While friends, family, and partners all make up a key part of my experience, at the end of the day, I am all I have. Relationships change, fade, end; people move away, and people pass away. But you will always have yourself.



I have found reflection to be a powerful force in my life and this 5-photo exercise is an exercise in refection. I’ve seen a therapist weekly for the last 15 months (something I think everyone should try), and while I have already discussed most of the real “heavy topics”, I still find the time really valuable because it really helps me be more aware of myself.

Even when my inner voice was being whiny, mean, or manipulative, it was still trying to protect and love me in the best way it knew how. Understanding and engaging with your inner voice is a form of self-love. And we all deserve ALOT of self-love. <3