dan

My new lunchtime habit is to hop on my bike and ride the 8 blocks or so home. There, I can do a little yoga, wash up the breakfast dishes, and still make it back to the office in an hour or so. Or maybe a little more. And OK, I’ve done it twice, but I’d like it to become a habit.

Returning from New Years Day on the beach at the mouth of the Gualala R.

2011 was a hella good year, when I stop to think about it. I did a lot of things right and a few things wrong, and by that accounting I’m happy to be in the black.

Most of the wrong things had to do with not taking care of myself physically. I didn’t do enough yoga, and I’m noticably stiffer than I was a year ago. I also struggled with my cycling fitness&#8212I forced myself to train while being too short on sleep and often with a nagging cold. In December I fell off a ladder at home, bruising my ribs and aggravating a rotator cuff already overstretched from carrying around the toddler.

Most of the right things had to do with connecting, and reconnecting, with people. Many of my favorite memories of the year are of when I squeezed in time to spend with close friends&#8212a couple hours for a  beer, or a whole day for cycling or skiing, or a few days for backpacking. Throughout the year I corresponded or got together with people I hadn’t seen in 10 or 25 or even 40 years, and I feel much the richer for each encounter.

At home, it’s been damned difficult at times. Right now it’s good. Zoe, now two-and-a-half, is growing and thriving and becoming more Zoe-like each day, which is what counts most.

At work, I continue to be blessed with work that inspires me. As the year turns, I’ve got projects at various stages of development&#8212some to wrap up, some to nurture into full flower, others just trying to get off the ground.

A lot of joy, and enough difficulty to keep it interesting. Who could ask for more?