2014 Thanksgiving Recap

[pjpark]

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.  8 months in Afghanistan is a very long time away from those you love.  I am so happy to return back to USA.  Every deployment is wearing on the soul and body.  However, it always makes me reflective on life.  It puts things in perspective on what is truly important in your life.  Family, friends, your dreams and goals.  This deployment expanded my horizons both professionally and personally.  I wish I could pinpoint one thing that radically changed me.  However, cliche it may sound, it is the journey, not the destination that defines your character and your preserverance.  Ralph Waldo Emerson stated "Life is a journey, not a destination."  After assessing my professional and personal life, I have used the term "free agent" to define what is the next chapter of my life after active duty.  What is next?  Staying in Boston?  D.C.?  Moving back home to Seattle?  Do I take the contractor position in my home town?  Go somewhere else?  Grad school?  MBA?  Full Time Work and evening MBA?  Use my G.I.Bill and go full time?  Do you follow money?  Passion and Dreams?  How can I serve God and pursue my dreams?  Exploring all doors and options.  Nothing left unsettled.  What is the best decision for now and the long term?  I am so thankful to be placed in a position with many great options.  Need to update my resume and draft my personal essays this weekend.

Special shout out to JG, momo, and my mother...  I found this quote.  Very pertinent these days...

“Have your heart in your life’s work, and be stout-hearted. Do something, act always, and do it now. Don’t be afraid. Many a man has been defeated by his doubts - lack of confidence. Take your risks - you cannot eliminate them, you cannot escape them. You can diminish them by dominating them.” - Batten’s Wedge