At the beginning of 2023, I left Raleigh and went to the beach for a period. I deliberately set off on January 1 as a poetic gesture to myself. The idea was a new direction and new plans for a new year. Those plans didn’t manifest as I thought they would even though I snaked my way across America and all the way to the Pacific coast before I finally turned around. I didn’t come back to Raleigh, instead opting for a new start in nearby Durham. I have definitely felt that 2023 was a year my life spent in neutral. I made the right decisions in the end even if I had wishful tunnel vision at the start.

I’ve joked recently that I no longer make five-year plans. After the way last year panned out, perhaps I shouldn’t make plans beyond the current quarter. And while that may be an exaggeration, that is roughly what I’ve done. I have work plans for the quarter and goals for the year. In my personal life, I’m currently evaluating and ruminating during the January M&A doldrums.

As 2024 begins, my focus is on adding and not subtracting—activities, trips, and friends in my personal life and systems in my professional life. I’ve committed myself to the Triangle Region of North Carolina. Now with that decision made, I can turn my attention to building my life here. Maybe I’ll even find some grace for myself in not making that commitment sooner. After all, it takes time to sink in roots and patience has never been my superpower.