Six Years Later

Some might say that six years away fom a blog is a sure sign that it has been abandoned. Well, this blog has not been abandoned, just neglected. I intend to correct that oversight starting now.

I cannot believe how fast the last six years has gone by. So very many things have changed, and I think all of the changes are for the best. There have been many ups and downs, but I can honestly say I'm a better person for it. I've learned many things including how to be a better sysadmin, a better father, and a better husband than I was just a few short years ago.

At work, I have been made responsible for several projects over the last few years, and at times have struggled as to how to handle this new role. Adding project management skills on top of my well worn sysadmin skills was a challenge at first, so I muddled through it the best I could. It wasn't until recently that someone I consider a friend and mentor revealed to me that while my job performance hadn't dropped, it was not really at the level it should be for a sysadmin with ten years of experience. It stung. It was one hundred percent accurate, but it stung. So, I have spent my time since then making sure I take every opportunity to develop my skills. Time to bring my A-Game. More on this in a later post.

Becoming a better father is by far the most challenging aspect of my learning. It's not easy, often thankless, but always rewarding, especially when you hear those magic words "I love you daddy!". There really isn't space here to document all I have learned about being a father. Mostly it has been trial and error, and whilst I wish I could say the errors have been few, they haven't. It is in those times, however, that we all learn the most. So, I am looking forward to learning much more over the coming years as I watch my children grow.

As for becoming a better husband, it has been 11 years since I was lucky enough to marry the most wonderful, kind hearted, and generous woman I have ever had the privilege of knowing. I think one of the biggest things we learned was to never go to bed mad at each other. Always work out the problems before going to bed, even if it means staying up until the sun rises before you resolve the issue. Some of our other best learning comes from Mark Gungor's Laugh Your Way to A Better Marriage seminar. I have never laughed so hard in my life, but it revealed to us that whilst we are different people, we don't have to change the other person for us to be happy. We just have to understand the differences between us and work with them, not against them. We have been together for over 20 years now, and I cannot imagine spending the rest of this grand adventure called "Life" with anyone else. Love you babe!

In closing, I'll just say that I intend to keep on reading, learning, and improving myself in any way possible. For those of you, especially recent graduates from high school who say "I'm so glad that school is over.", allow me to say never stop learning! Learn something new every day! It is through learning that we become better people.

Have a great day everyone!