I came across this little comic while cleaning out paper piled up over the past year. Little bits and pieces shoved in file folders, hence this comic, told the small story of what has transpired in 2018. Some of these pieces of paper showed where my “deck” chair was pointed. Every year I have blogged, I always look back on what happened in the year (What A Year It Has Been) and thought about the lesson or experiences I have encountered. Yet where was my deck chair facing? Was it facing backward instead of forwards?
I remember last year as I was riding the ferry all over the Puget Sound, I always found myself at the back of the boat as the ferry pulled away saying goodbye, but as the boat headed toward the new destination, it was in the front ready to greet whatever was to come once I stepped off the boat. Then there were times I was at the front of the boat looking at the horizon the whole time. The horizon the future, the port left the past.
The song Auld Lang Syne comes to mind around New Year’s Eve.
Should Old Acquaintance be forgot, and never thought upon; The flames of Love extinguished, and fully past and gone: Is thy sweet Heart now grown so cold, that loving Breast of thine; That thou canst never once reflect On old long syne.
The song is often used as symbolism to endings/new beginnings. New Year means new beginnings, hope for the future, hope for an answer long overdue, or a long waited for a goodbye to the past. Saying goodbye to the past year in the Scottish tradition reminds us to not have the past keep holding us back. Make a decision which way you want to greet the new year.
Yet the wax eloquent of Lucy’s statement to Charlie Brown hits into a deep recess of those of us who find ourselves standing one foot in the past and another foot in the future. You could say our deck chair is neither in one direction nor our cruise ship out of port.
The deck chair facing which direction indicates where you want to go in life. Where you want to go this year. Facing the bow towards the future? Facing the stern towards the past? Or does the chair face in another direction? Is the new year a new beginning or is it an ending? The deck chair is the decision we all must make about the new year ahead of us.
On the cruise ship of life, pull up a deck chair and decided in 2019 which way your deck chair is going to be facing. Where it is facing is where your year is going to go.
Looking back on all that has transpired over the twelve months, I can honestly say it has been one adventure after another. Just like the picture on the left side, life takes you on some unexpected paths by the end of the year. Here is a recap of what all transpired over a year and yet, I still have a feeling it is just the beginning of another big adventure coming in 2019.
Graduation From University
Took three long years to complete, yet I persevere through it all and got it! Going back to school later in life is not easy, nor is it for those who want the easy route to a better life. There were a few obstacles in getting to the end, and yet when I look back on all that has happened, the obstacles made me a whole lot stronger for the next obstacle ahead (workforce). I am relieved to have a bachelor’s degree, and for the past few months, I have been putting it to great use.
Hiked Across Western Washington
New Job
After three years of further schooling and countless hours of searching, interviewing, trying to keep the faith, I finally got a job in October! Lately, it has come to my attention how competitive the job market is nowadays (in the Seattle biotech industry). There is so many applicants and not enough positions open, and recruiters are all trying to get as many people possible through LinkedIn to fill those positions. But after almost two months of searching, I now have a job, one that is a contract position, but nothing less a position with a great company. Will have to see in the coming months when this position will be permanent.
Friends and Family Moving
At the beginning of the year, my grandma decided it was time to move to Idaho to be closer to the family. All of my childhood summers were spent at her house in the southern part of Oregon. After a few years of close calls with wildfires burning in the area, getting older, and having a house located quite some distance from the majority of the family, she moved. Sometime next year I will be going to see her new home in Idaho and possibly seeing Yellowstone National Park. Also before the year was out, my childhood best friend move clear across the state of Washington to Spokane with her boyfriend for a new beginning. It has been a little bit sad since she no longer is just 10-15 minutes down the road anymore, but I am happy she finally found a place she is happy to live. Two weeks later after my friend moved, her mother got a new position in eastern Washington and moved as well. It seemed all of a sudden a huge migration with people in my life started. Slowly watching people moving on in life has been concentrated in the last three years of my life, yet there are always people moving into my life as well.
Celebrated 6 Years With WordPress!
Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com!
You registered on WordPress.com 6 years ago.
Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging!
Has it been that long? I read my first blog post, and I have grown since! After a long eight months of not blogging, it shows how much this corner of the interest has changed. Thank you to all of my readers for six years!
I Have Been To:
3 National Forests 2 National Parks 1 National Monument 5 State Parks 6 Campgrounds 2 Museums 8 Farms 1 Lighthouse 2 Military Forts
I Have:
Rode the Washington State Ferry 17 times
Watched 6 full Sunsets
Watched 3 full Sunrises
Watched 3sunsets on top of a mountain
Watched 3 Sunrises on top of a mountain
Watched 4 times Military jets fly over
Hiked 12 trails
Dipped my feet into 3 alpine lakes
Hiked 3 times in the dark
Peed in the woods 3 times
Smelled of Campfire 9 times
Up close to 3 volcanoes
Total of 30 bug bites
Sighted 2 bears
Seen 2 dozen deer
Seen 5 marmots
Seen 1 orca pod (J or L)
Done 2 field journals
Ate a total of 10 pieces if pizza after hiking 12 trails
Ate 5 smores
Ate 2 whole hiker dehydrated meals
Ate 3 really good hamburgers after a day of hiking
Ate 2 whole Costco size boxes of granola bars by the end of summer
Ate shellfish 3 times
Ate 4 different berries on hikes
Ate 6 meals cooked over a campfire
Ate 10 ice cream cones
Ate 3.5 whole watermelons by summer end
Slept in a sleeping bag for a total of 41 days
Slept in a tent 10 times
Slept under the stars one time
Been to Walmart 6 times
Seen a ghost 2 times 1 time climbing inside a cave 2 driving tickets
The Year’s Soundtrack:
Mausoleum- Seryn Things We Lost In The Fire- Bastille All Time Low- Jon Bellion The Village– Wrable I Will Wait- Mumford & Sons Oh Brother- Saint Raymond Yellow Lines– Brendan James Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) –Hillsong United Wagon Wheel- Darius Rucker Fuego- Eleni Foureira Eternity- Yianna Terzi Whatever It Takes- Imagine Dragons Natural- Imagine Dragons Believer- Imagine Dragons White Flag- Bishop Briggs Walk On Water- Thirty Seconds To Mars Into The Wild-Wrabel
Cheers to a new year! 2019 is going to another fantastic year.
“Please mind the gap between the platform and the train.” London Underground
After a very long time silent, I am finally ready to break the silence. Little did I know back in January, this would be a long break and in the silence, I would be taking a much-needed breather to get through the tough months ahead. First of all, I want to say thank you all for hanging in there during this time, secondly, grab a cup of tea and lets get started!
Blogging has changed so much since I first started. Yet it is I who have changed along the way. I began writing A Biotechie’s Life back in 2012 as a twenty-something figuring out how to be an adult and starting out in biotechnology. So much of my life has changed since then. I’ve grown up all over again these past months on this long break and writing this post I can say the future looks bright. As I write this, I’m pondering the future of this blog, and it is very clear to me my time on this site is far from finished.
I started this blog in my early twenties and now I’m in my thirties. Back then in 2012, it was about moving on from a relationship gone very wrong. Back then the blog was an outlet for healing, now seven years later, this blog has turned into posts about places been, transitions gone through, and the constant journey life keeps taking me on. Mostly an online diary for you my readers, family, and friends who read about this girl’s life. One other thing to make clear, this blog is and will remain a hobby of mine.
Why did I take a break from blogging?
I’ve given a reason back in January as to taking this break because I was feeling very burned out over the course of the previous year (2017). But unbeknown to myself, I needed to start making myself and my health a priority. The stress of finishing college and stress, in general, was the culprit for all the health issues arising over the past two years. Now I am 99.9% sure this is the reason why I started to burn out fast.
Another reason for the blogging break is the constant facade of being a perfect blogger. I have noticed this past year most bloggers I follow have been addressing this issue and why it is starting to take a toll on them. Blogger Molly from Styling Miss Molly put eloquently in one of her posts.
Social media has an amazing way of bringing so many blessings and wonderful opportunities into our lives, but there is a side to it that not many people address- the pressure, the comparison game, the stress and anxiety, the keep going mentality, the constant desire to be perfect and always feeling a need to be plugged-in.
Really needed to be more present in my life as it was happening, and not compare myself to others. My life is far from perfect, and I like it that way! Since I last posted, I feel rejuvenated, motivated, and ready for what comes next in life. Taking a step back allowed me to rediscover who I am, find what where I truly am passionate about. For once I have did not have to worry about blogging and could be 100% living in the moment.
In the past few months, I have…..
Graduated from Northwest University with my bachelor’s degree in biology after three years of study. I won’t lie, the last three years have been a struggle to push through to see this dream of mine realized. With life and completing goals, some unexpected roadblocks happen, but each one makes you stronger than before. Through some of the disappointments of not getting the internship, not receiving the grade you wanted even after working so hard for it and facing opposition from others, I received my degree. A degree I am very proud of!
Found myself in beautiful places around Washington. This past summer I had the opportunity to go hiking in some of the most beautiful natural places in the Pacific Northwest. Through the experience, I realized how long it has been since I felt connected with nature and how my soul just longed to be in the middle of nowhere. Standing atop a peak looking out into the horizon reminds one there are always new beginnings with every sunset and sunrise. The phrase “the mountains are calling, I must go” has more meaning on top of a mountain.
I went back to my agricultural roots. Been a long time since I have walked down rows of plants growing the food we eat. I left just as most who grow up with a farming background to seek our fortunes in career fields promising stability of a paycheck. I no longer rely on grocery stores and farmer’s markets for all my produce, but grow more of it at home. Still, I found myself going back to the land or as Wendel Berry said “reconnecting with the land.” In a reflection of being in the moment talking with farmers, growers, producers, and agricultural scientists, I have been disconnected to the land for so long, and now it is time I reconnect back again. This does not mean only buy organic produce, it means supporting all who grow and produce the food we consume. It means Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), and those who commit to sustainable agricultural methods.
Gave the blog a refresh. You may have noticed something different about the blog and some of the content as well. I have done a revamp of the blog including a whole new theme! After reviewing all of the posts from 2012-to the present, the blog needed an overhaul and updated to meet legal requirements. There are older posts now archived that are no longer relevant today, while some (mostly hiking or travel) have been updated.
Moving on to a new position in a biotech company or organization. This has been a long-awaited moment, and I am excited to see what comes next for me in this new chapter of my career.
Most of all, what is coming next is a new chapter in life, and the best is yet to come!
*For the next two months I will be recounting all the places been over the summer. stay tuned!*
