The Wanderer

Hey Friends, sorry for such a long delay between blog posts, I’d like to say I’ve been busy (I have) but honestly I’ve had a bit of writers block. I’ve been grinding at work for the past few months, working hard to do well and hopefully get promoted, and now I’ve gotten to a point where my workload is a lot less than before. I’ve been thinking about writing but for whatever reason I’ve had trouble finding pen to paper, or in this case fingers to keys? That doesn’t sound as good.

Life has been a bit tough over the past month. Work has been taking up a lot of my time, and traveling back and forth to different places has really eaten away at my motivations. When I’m traveling I find that I can only focus on work. Spending time working out is my only real solace from the constant grind, but as we all know, working out is a grind in itself. But I’ve found ways to make it work. And today was an example of that.

This week was my projects go-live, the week where the software I’ve been working on for the past 2 months finally comes to fruition and people can begin to use it. It’s an extremely rewarding period, as now I can see in real time that people are using something I’ve worked on, and it allows me more freedom in my work day to focus on some of the aspects of my life that I’ve neglected, which has mainly been writing. It feels like a weight has lifted off my shoulders, and my mind can focus on my creative side more and more. I’ve written more in the past few days than I have all month, and I feel so grateful for the extra bandwidth.

Work hasn’t been all bad either, I got a chance to visit my parents last week, always a nice time spending time with family, and I was able to pay for a trip with my girlfriend in a few weeks. Work gives me the freedom to pursue my own endeavors on the weekends, and the ability to travel if my heart desires. Along with that, working in new areas week in and week out gives me the chance to explore new places and make friends. This week was an example of the good side of travel.

Today was a good day. Today was the first day of go live, so tensions were high. The anxiety of seeing through something I’ve put all my attention on over the past 2 months culminating in one moment was weighing heavy on me. As the software went up and people started using it, there were issues right away. Keeping a cool head, I was able to put our fires as they came up, getting through the morning with nothing but success. The beauty of this specific project is that after a few morning meetings, I don’t really need to stay past 2 or 3pm, especially after go live. As I left work, the beauty of spring in Wisconsin was not lost on me, I knew I had to use this weather to my advantage. I went back to the hotel and, after eating some food and resting, I went for a quick workout. I booked a tee time at a beautiful golf course near my hotel, and had about 45 minutes before I needed to leave for the course. So I hopped on the bike, pushing myself hard and finishing 5 miles in 18 minutes, then finishing the workout with a quick 10 minute yoga. Lately I’ve been loving the bike. The other day I went out for an hour and biked 16 miles at around a 3:45 pace. Biking is great for getting cardio in and controlling the speed and intensity of the workout, while keeping my knees and shins stable and under low stress. I’ve been biking 10 to 20 minutes every day either in the beginning or the end of my workouts, sometimes both if I’m feeling extra crazy. And on days like this when I want a quick workout, hopping on the bike for 5 or 6 miles gets me burning calories and building strength in my legs. I’ve also noticed running is easier now that I’ve been consistently biking, a happy added benefit to already stellar exercise.

After the workout, I quickly hopped in the car and drove to the golf course. Many of you might know I’ve been really into golf lately, and I’ve been known to go golfing alone on occasion, especially in travel weeks like this one. Usually I go to some cheap course and play to the best of my ability, giving leeway on the score and mainly just enjoying the time outside. But this course was something else. The course was built in the middle of a pine forest in north west Wisconsin, a beautiful farm like escape from the hustle and bustle of Chicago that I find myself getting more and more accustomed to. It was like stepping into a new world, the grass pristine, the water sky blue, wild turkeys and falcons wandering about. It was everything golf should be, a primal connection between humanity, sportsmanship, and nature. I took my time, enjoying the views, driving around the course, and trying my best to score low. I spent two hours wandering, nothing on my mind but golf and the views. It was fantastic.

I came back to the hotel around 6, ate some food, read and wrote, and prepared for tomorrow, my mind very much still reeling over the joys of today. Lately life had been tough. Spending so much time away from home, away from my friends and my loved ones, focusing solely on work and fitness, it was all very isolating. Today reminded me that I can still have fun and relax, even so far away from home. And more than that, it gave me something to write about, which is all I can really ask for.

Thanks for reading the blog today, we’re growing slowly but surely and I really appreciate that. We hit 1000 all time views the other day and I couldn’t be happier that something I write can even warrant that many people reading it. I’m trying to get better and work on my craft, and the support is helping in more ways than one. Thank you all again, I’ll see you next time 🙂