SixFeetOver version 4.0

Growing Up

Sometimes I wonder what I will be when I grow up. I'm currently a software developer, a field in which age discrimination is rampant. Software developers have trouble finding work after age 40, at least work as a software developer. That's probably one reason so many become managers.

I had a couple chance meetings a couple months ago that struck me. The first was at the Topsfield Fair. I stopped by to see the blacksmith display (which, incidentally, was really great) and spoke to one of the guys there. He asked me what my line of work was, and when I said "software engineer", he replied by saying "Ah yes. I did my time as a software engineer on the North Shore, too. I gave it up and now I'm doing what I  love." What he loved was being a blacksmith and a martial artist (martial arts being the second thing we had in common).

The other meeting was at Red Hook brewery. Alice and I took the tour there (which is only $1, and you get plenty of beer samples, and keep the glass - a great deal). Same response from this guy when he asked after my line of work: "Oh yeah, I did my time doing that. Now I'm doing what I love." What he loved was hanging out with his buddies, giving tours, and drinking great beer all day.

It makes me wonder what I will be doing for work when I'm 40. Of course, there's a big difference between those guys and me: I don't feel at all like I am "doing my time" - I love my job and will be happy to work there for a long time yet.

In Awe

Lately I am in a constant state of awe.

I've been continuously overwhelmed by the many blessings I have recieved, especially in the last year. My apartment, job, church, and wife are all amazing.  Our one year anniversary just passed, and Alice and I have had a wonderful first year of marriage. It's certainly taken some getting used to - especially learning to jointly manage finances - but it's been great.

My apartment is about as great as I could possibly ask for. We've got plenty of space, appliances that work, fast maintenance, and we're in a great location. We have noise from the people above us issues, but in the grand scheme of things, that is a very small complaint. I even have two bathrooms. Amazing.

My job is fantastic. The people I work with are fabulous, and the environment is great. The stuff we put together is pretty incredible, too. When I first started there, I was distracted at how "ugly" our main software offering is, but now I understand the crazy power of it. I can build UIs in a desktop application without ever writing any code, and push out those changes immediately to our clients. That's crazy. I've learned just a phenomenal amount about programming, team work, business, sales, and more in my year and a half there. I've got the freedom to be creative in my solutions and to bring my own set of skills to the company in a way that complements my strengths, with no beaurocracy getting in the way. My boss is even a developer himself - not at all the pointy haired clueless stereotype, but a brilliant programmer and manager combo. Amazing.

Mike and Amy got married last month as well. I was able to organize a sailing trip for Mike's bachelor party. The family of my friend Chris stepped in and took us sailing for free. And the weather that day was perfect. They had no reason to take us sailing - Chris wasn't even able to make it - and yet, they did, and were happy to do it. Amazing.

Church is amazing, too. Our congregation has stepped up and found the funds to do some incredible renovations to our church, due in large part to a huge matching gift that someone was able to offer. The teaching there is great, and Alice and I have just gotten involved with the College Ministry - a ministry that was a huge blessing to me while I was in college. Amazing.

Of course, there is plenty going on right now for some people very dear to me that is not wonderful. However, it looks to me like God is fully in control of my life and is taking great care of me and the people around me. I spend a lot of time feeling stuck not knowing what to do about the bad things going on, but when I stop and realize that it's not up to me to figure it out, but to follow the guidance of He who is in control, that's pretty...well, amazing.

Offline

We're Getting ready to go camping tommorow. It's actually going to be quite nice to be away from screens and beeps and flourescent lights and such. Looking forward to it...although I should have been asleep two hours ago. Shame on me. Anyway, here's hoping it doesn't rain the whole time.