2013 is over. Actually, for me it’ll end 6 hours later than it normally would.
In the memories, the photos, and the notebooks, many adventures remain;
In 2013 I didn’t play soccer, not once; it was the first time in my life I went a whole year without playing soccer. On the other hand, I went to a baseball game, watched an NFL game in the stadium, played basketball, surfed much more than I had ever done, skateboarded, biked more than 600km, ran, hit the gym, swam, practiced Yoga, and played tennis!!!
In 2013 I traveled, A LOT; Itapema, Bombinhas, Joinville, Pontal do Sul, Ipanema, Paranaguá, Morretes, Curitiba, São Paulo, Washington, Portland, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Malibu, Huntington, San Diego, La Jolla, a little piece of the Mojave, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon… and a few others I’ve certainly forgotten.
In 2013 I spent my first birthday far from my parents, and also Christmas, and the New Year… 2013 taught me what saudade (longing) is;
In 2013 I drove much less, on the other hand I biked more, took more buses, taxis, planes, rode a 700cc motorcycle and rode in a Helicopter.
In 2013 I moved, 4x — 4 different houses and a few hotels.
In 2013 I went to the cinema a lot, read a lot, several books, from fiction about King Arthur to the biography of the Beatles, from technical books on Jazz to deep books on Clean Code; I also tried a lot of different food.
In 2013 I rediscovered that there is life if you don’t have your own car, that a bicycle is an excellent means of transport, and that occasionally taxis and buses can help.
In 2013 I watched live 3 of the musicians I most love listening to: Michael W Smith, Michael Buble and Marcos Witt… they were spectacular shows;
In 2013 I learned to watch movies in English without subtitles. It wasn’t really my choice, but today I find it strange when a movie has subtitles… though I still don’t understand 100% of the dialogue in the original language;
In 2013 I suffered the pain of going days without a hug, a handshake, an “escape” to eat pizza with a friend and be able to cry and ask for advice;
In 2013 I received emails and messages from dear people, made new friends — many who aren’t anywhere near. I have a precious friend in Africa as a missionary, others in Curitiba, Santos, Spain, São Paulo, Denver, and even close by we already have a couple of friends;
In 2013 my wife and I understood even more what marriage’s partnership is. It’s just the two of us, on the other side of the world, with all the world’s problems, and it’s been a magnificent adventure;
In 2013 I hired employees and had to fire others. The company grew, and shrank. I helped the team improve infrastructure and better manage projects, but I had excellent employees, without whom it would be impossible to have done what we have done so far and what we still plan for the future.
In 2013 I attended meetings, many, long…
In 2013 I learned that the world is gigantic, and tiny.
In 2013 I visited fantastic places, piers, parks, mountains, beaches, cities, restaurants, malls, museums…
In 2013 I loved my wife, every day, and each day more.
The funniest thing is that, looking at everything that happened, little came out “as planned” on December 31, 2012, and even so, here I am with a list of projects, divided into business and personal sections, by quarters, ranging from which books I want to read to which activities I want to do.
One of the most important is to relax a little more, disconnect a little more… in 2014 I turn 30 and have learned that the world will keep spinning, even if I’m not checking on it minute by minute, while I manage my company and check my notifications on my phone.
To try to go a little slower, separate personal life from the office, delete Facebook and Twitter from the phone, leave planning the week’s agenda for Monday at 5 a.m. instead of Sunday at 7 p.m… life is too precious and sensitive to be set aside while I’m doing something else.
For 2013 I made several plans, almost all of them changed and I had to “improvise”; for 2014 I want to live…
Happy 2014!!!