Returned

I’ve been in my new position with Lufthansa for just over six months now and it’s going pretty well, all things considered. Good job, good colleagues, and the chance to bring in a bit of that “youngest sibling energy” to the workplace. I’ve also learned quite a few things about the US immigration system and its baffling complexity. Sure, German bureaucracy may be slow and lumbering – I wasn’t able to deregister myself until about 2 months after I physically left the country – but it does follow a certain logic that, if followed, somehow spits you out the other end relatively unscathed. No so here it seems. As I’ve learned, some US visa holders have three different government documents telling them three different expiration dates related to their stay in the country. Why three different dates/documents? Idk, something to do with freedom, probably. I don’t make the rules. I just try to explain them in a somewhat comprehensible manner. But that’s another rant for another time. I’m here t...

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about growing old. Maybe it’s that I’m approaching my 30th birthday, or that I’ve finally returned to the states and become a bit more sesshaft. Maybe it’s two family members passing away recently, one of which was tragically too soon. Whatever the case, the process of aging and eventually passing on is something we all must go through, and I guess I’m in a reflective mood, so buckle up.  I believe it important take your whole life into perspective from time to time and imagine yourself towards the end of this life. Not to obsess over growing old, but just to be conscious of how your life is changing over time, and to recenter your life on things important to you. When I do that and picture myself as an 80-year-old fart sitting in my reading chair somewhere a few things come to mind:  1.) Work is work, nothing more. I enjoy my job. I enjoy my coworkers. I do my best and would like to progress in my role because it’s always good to give yourself ...