I Still Think About You Sometimes

I'm not going to sit here and pretend like I've been blogging all along, but I am going to jump right back into what's now going on, which is what this is all about. I think my lack of blogging has actually been pretty reflective of my mindset this year.

So many good things to do. So little time. So much wasted time that could have been spent doing MORE good things. This is my life.

Adolescent psychiatry has offered me a rare insight into the minds of not just kids, but myself. I see in my patients many of my own thoughts, attitudes and desires amplified and mirrored back to me. It is always humbling to see a caricature of myself and realize it's probably closer to reality than is comfortable.

One of them thinks he has everything figured out. A young, athletic, good-looking guy who made some bad choices and ended up suffering the consequences. Rather than listening and taking the advice of those outside his situation though, he's just trying to plow through and make things work out the best he can. I feel for him, and really hope he makes it. He's still not making the best choices, but he has this air of confidence in himself and optimism that make you want to believe he's right. I'm not even making this up.

What am I learning from him? That I'm in the same spot. I've had my fair share of ups and probably fewer downs that I deserve, but the point here, I think, is that I would do well to heed the advice of those with an outside perspective, not quite so invested in my personal view of things. Anyway, kind of a tangent.

I probably won't post again for months, so if I don't, I've loved being back in Anchorage, have felt incredibly renewed since being here and am learning to walk by faith again. I believe that this will be a year of strength for me and am excited to embrace all that God has to offer in 2009. Peace.