Reflections on Summer 2021

We are over a month into fall, which means my reflections on the summer of this year are overdue. But I have a very good reason for this tardiness - and I can express it in over 70,000 words. This summer marked the beginning of my adult life. For the first time in my life, I do not have the safe structure of school to organize my life and give a predictable cadence to the flow of things. At first I was nervous, unsure of how life in the real world would unfold. Those who are blessed with the privilege to witness my journey from the front row can attest it was probably the hardest season of my life. But if this summer is any hint of what life could be, then I am excited for what I am going to make of my life. As usual, the reflection is broken down into the four pillars that guide my goal setting. 

Personal Development: For a large part of summer and a bit of fall, I was busy working on a personal project that I have put off for years. As a result, I barely had enough time outside of work to cook. I value cooking because I find it therapeutic and nourishing - both for my body and my spirit as I often share the meals I make with people close to my heart. I was also not able to journal as much, with most of my words used up by my project. Despite this, I continued to make strides in my long-term personal development goal: to be the embodiment of loving kindness to myself, my loved ones, and humanity. In this season,  I learned that part of loving myself include prioritizing my needs over those of others and letting my loved ones show up for me. I feel grateful to have such loved ones whose encouragement gave me the motivation to see the project through. 

Meaningful Communities: It has been great resuming in-person activities. Especially now living in San Francisco and having easy access to Oakland. This summer I continued to live out my days of youth with some of the people who are close to me. The highlights include attending an underwhelming food market in Berkeley, a block party in Oakland, and - of course - Lost in Riddim in Sacramento. To be able to spend time with some of my favorite people in the whole world has been a blessing. At the same time, over the past few months I have felt suffocated by homesickness. It is not good for my soul to go so long without going home. I realize now that I am at my best with regular doses of home. To breathe the sweet air carried by the currents from the Drakensburg Mountains, feel the scorching heat intensified by the rocky hills in Kanye, and hear the sweet sound of Setswana all around me. It is for this reason that I have gone back on my previous quarter's resolution to discontinue my WhatsApp sharing. Thankfully, I will get to experience all of this very soon. 

Professional Excellence: In the summer I started my full time work at Krikey as an Associate Product Manager. I have my dream job. In 2020, I shared my vision for what my dream job looks like, and I have fond it. The factors I had included were the potential to learn and grow; work-life balance; collaboration and team spirit; impact potential; and fair compensation. I love being a part of a company that feels like a family. I also have the best boss in the world, who provides room for me to shine while providing the necessary mentorship and support to help me thrive. I realize that this goal of professional excellence can also be expressed as a commitment to delight my stakeholders. My approach to work is to deliver the most value that I can to all the people who depend on me. Although I have been there for almost 3 months, I have been entrusted with high responsibility tasks and I am grateful. I am excited to continue growing at Krikey and delighting my customers. Now it all makes sense why all the other roles and companies did not work out - the divine had the perfect role for me. 

Financial Sustainability: In the summer this goal suffered the most. Putting myself through graduate school was not a walk in the park - and I am grateful to all whose generosity saw me through that season. Unsurprisingly, the transition from graduate school to working full time has come with some implications for this goal. I am proud to say that I am in the second phase of implementing my Financial Policy. I continue to prioritize goals 4.1 and 4.2 over 4.3. I fell behind on keeping the relevant records updated, but now that my project is done I will focus the remainder of autumn returning to compliance. All in all, I am satisfied with my progress in this area. I think I am approaching the equilibrium solution in the optimization problem of balancing present utility with expected future utility.

In conclusion, summer and early fall were lit! I am still receiving recommendations for new hobbies to try out. If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, please share any cool activities happening. I am committed to living up my youth now. Until next time, let's be more present in our daily lives and open ourselves to the miracle of love. Here is to more music, more fine dining,  and definitely more dressing up!!