Way back in 2015, I purchased a green 1969 VW Beetle from a friend who was leaving town. It was an awesome little car, but with no heat or AC, it was a fair-weather car only. I have two distinct memories of that bug: wiping freezing rain off the windshield with my hand in the dark on my way home, and how the world was a cheerier place when I drove it–people would smile and wave when I drove by. With our rental situation at the time and the very strict HOA rules, I wasn’t able to do much with it, so I sold it to a VW enthusiast not long after. But I missed that little bug.

For the last five years, I’ve walked the neighborhood with Zoe almost every morning–sometimes multiple times a day. She’s a focused dog and walked on a short leash at my side. Even when other dogs bark at us from behind fences or windows, she tenses but very rarely reacts. I’ve imagined multiple scenarios in my head about what I would do if another dog (or mountain lion) attacked us, but I’ve never had to put those plans into action–until today.

I chose to dissect Ruth as a test subject for my biblical connections project because it is a short book that is fairly self contained. I didn’t expect to find anything surprising or insightful as I worked out how to standardize or automate my process for importing and tagging the text. Never underestimate the Bible.

Wow, it’s been over a year and a half since I last posted. Life has been busy, and I’ve been trying to keep up with everything else. I’m shocked that I didn’t post through the Intuit layoff and transition to SwineTech or all the crazy things I’ve done and learned since then. Here’s an update

Some people have a real aversion to New Years resolutions because of how often they fail or how cliche they sound. New Years resolutions often remind people of their past failures to stand by their own commitments, and there is pain there. I firmly believe in regular reflection on the past in order to recognize places to change and move. Intentional course corrections are a vital part of navigating this chaotic life.