A few days ago I sent this tweet inspiring a full post because this is an issue I’m going to need to put some brainspace toward and why not do that in public…

I architected my life with a clear thesis. Minimal, small, urban, walkable, alt transportation and public amenities. It was something my wife and I talked about at length a number of times especially after having a kid.  How can something so small immediately consume 50x it’s own space in essential supplies before you blink?  Well, it’s real and needs to be dealt with.

That conversation was 4, then 3, then 2 years ago and we doubled down, strategically downsizing and keeping the accumulation of stuff at a required minimum.  We grew into this life at a great time in the city of Boston.  The playgrounds continue to get upgraded, each summer they open at least 2 new beer gardens within walking distance, the Rose Kennedy Greenway has multiple water features(and a Trillium Beer Garden).  There were even 2 skating rinks(Fenway & Seaport) this winter.  It all culminated in late February when we met some friends at Fenway for family ice skating, lunch at the Time Outmarket.  It included live music with room for the kids to dance and the parents to chat.  Since Ellery wasn’t exhausted but close, she even allowed us to grab a beer at the the Trillium Tap Room on site!  The day was just about perfect and we were home in 5 minutes.

Way better than flooding the backyard or finding a pond(plus beers)

Pure joy, riding a frozen whale.

That day there was a of lot talk about this virus and what that might mean for work, school and health but I had no idea that my life thesis was about to be blown to bits right in my face.   Truth be told, I didn’t even realize it until ~5 weeks into quarantine because I’m an external optimist and always look for the unintended silver lining(proof here). My positive predisposition held as a distraction for only so long. There are a million more important, horrific things happening and sometimes getting through each day felt like a victory but even that didn’t soften my resolve.

Then the walls started closing in and the reality of my defunct life strategy settled in, threatening to cause an existential crisis. At the core of this life is the focus on minimal personal space for living and maximized shared communal and active space outside the home. Until a few weeks ago, the plan was in perfect harmony and the family(wife & daughter) did little more than sleep and bath in our apartment. 

We’re living through a once in a generation event that is going to alter, shake and shatter almost all our assumptions about how we can, should and want to live life. This is going to require a complete reimaging of the truths upon which I’ve built my life, define happiness, success and the values that define some core decisions.  I feel like this type of thing doesn’t happen often in one’s life and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

The good news, I don’t have anything to do except think about it. Nothing but time on the horizon, calendar is wide open…

The bad news, I don’t have anything to do except think about it. Nothing but time on the horizon, calendar is wide open…