8 Years Later

I'm back! Did anyone know I left? Even I forgot I was gone. It's been a wild 8 years since my last post. To celebrate all the changes in my life since I last posted, I'm going to list new perspectives I've gained over the last 8 years, in no particular order. 

Myself as a 2014 blogger probably would have called these "learnings". But I've .... learned .... that life is way too nuanced and ever-changing to "learn" things. All you can do is grow. 

• Capitalism is a major driver of our culture in the US, and it's not like that everywhere in the world
• Capitalism is good because it incentivizes hard work and progress
• Capitalism is bad because it leaves people behind
• Capitalism is incomplete because people are not fully rational and our prejudices significantly drive how our economy works
• Money is the driver behind at least half, if not most, things people do
• I would have been a good CPA (sorry I realized that one too late, Dad!) 
• It's really important but not always possible to leave well; to create bridges vs. burn them when it's time for a change in a job, relationship, or community
• If you let problems fester, they will blow up. Honesty, no matter how scary, is better
• I have a culture! And I happen to have grown up in a very privileged, majority culture
• It's very prevalent among women to be conditioned not to believe in themselves
• Almost no one sees it coming when they're being played by a sociopath; most people cannot believe what is happening
• Sometimes you're just in the wrong place, and there's no reason or benefit from changing yourself to fit your environment. Sometimes you just need to make a change and leave something behind
• Gaslighting, y'all. Trust your gut, ladies
• I'm healthier in every way when I take things at a measured pace, vs. when I am constantly striving 
• Other people give me a sense of purpose
• You CAN start over, especially when you have no choice
• And last one ... sometimes it's a cliche because it's true ... Sometimes starting over is the best thing that could ever happen to you

Peace