Week 2500

It seems significant that this is my 2500th week of life. I wanted to celebrate it, but as it approached the winter lockdowns made planning seem unwise. And even though restrictions are now light, Shannon is recovering from COVID-19 and I’m waiting for my PCR test results since I have some symptoms. So, no 2500th birthweek party for me.

If I’m still logging weeks in late 2031, maybe I’ll celebrate 3000.

Even without a party, the milestone is cause for reflection. I’m in a very midlife mood, struggling with very low-grade depression symptoms and worrying about whether I’ve led productive life. I know this is all foolish, but I am after all a product of my culture. As I’m about to turn 48, I can’t ignore the pressure of physical aging, either, which I’ve started to document at /logs/aging. The pandemic and working remotely has left me feeling quite socially disconnected.

But these 100 weeks1, despite the loss of family, have had upsides: Shannon published her book and started an exciting job. We bought an amazing house. We both passed the Dutch integration tests and gained permanent EU residency.

So I ought to be looking forward; change is in the air. The pandemic that hit us is winding down, at least in our privileged world. Shannon’s work evolves rapidly. My manager has resigned, and a plethora of opportunities internal and beyond makes me expect I’ll find a different role this year.

I shall endeavor to make the best out of the next 100.