To spend time and effort concentrating on what you do not want is not rational.
Psycho Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz
To describe a human and all they they are about in a few paragraphs is quite a challenge. We are all incredibly special creatures who are ever changing, so keep that in mind.
I am a reflection.
Who are we if not a reflection of our family and friends? It's easy to forget that it's our relationships who define who we are as people. These relationships help us form our opinions about ourselves, our lives, and the world around us. They inspire what we think about, how we act, and how we treat one another.
I grew up on Long Island walking distance to the arcade, baseball field, friends houses, bodegas, etc. When I was about 8 my mom told me that we're moving to Maine to be closer to my grandparents. At the time I had some bitterness about it. Those walking distance conveniences were replaced by a ginormous yard, and many miles of hilly roads between me and my new friends and school. I was still overall a happy kid, and especially in hindsight I appreciate what the close proximity to nature did for my imagination and soul. In junior high and high school I was in the local skateboard crew (we were called 806) but was also still friendly with goths, jocks, nerds, and everyone in between in most grades above and below mine. I had a nack of being accepted and I am really grateful for that.
I didn't have much of a college plan so I worked in a wood mill for a few months after high school, then decided to book it to Boston to see if I could apply to schools. There I worked a ton of shit jobs before joining my uncle in his graphic design studio in NYC. For a few years I bounced between NYC and Boston dipping in and out of my first real relationships, many of which helped guide me to learning what I wanted and didn't want out of a life partner. Met friends from all over the world, some of which I am still close with, others who faded from my life. I appreciate them all so much.
I got my degree in graphic design at a now defunct school in Boston and promptly returned to NYC to pursue a job at a restaurant (oops!). I was taking it one day at a time and stuck to a crazy small budget, living in weird places like the last Brownstone on Schermerhorn in Downtown Brooklyn (which is now gone). This budget helped me to plant some foundational roots in Fort Greene and start building some momentum. It was there where I met my future wife through OKCupid (throwback) and started a small business in the commercial furniture world with my friend that brought me confidence and helped me quit my restaurant job. I leaned into this world of interior design, sales, and business strategy. It was hard, it still is.
My (then) girlfriend and I would take long weekend trips to "upstate" new york in the hudson valley, where we talked about moving one day where we were old people. The pandemic fast tracked those dreams (def for the better), and we found ourselves renting an apartment in Newburgh NY and starting a new life outside the city while the world was still slow. Those were tough times as well but theres so much to be grateful and thankful for too.
My (then) fiancé and I got engaged on a boat in Acadia National Park and had the wedding of the millennium not too far from home upstate. All the stars aligned and we found our dream home. I am now a professional house caretaker in training.
It's been an incredible adventure that getting better. Now you know a lil about me.