Time has been moving so fast here — the good kind of fast, the kind that slips by when things are going well. Overall, our time here has been pretty great. We’re in a very peaceful area a stone’s throw away from plenty of action. We’re surrounded by people whom we’ve grown quite comfortable around, and with whom we’ve shared so many great memories together now. The work, however, has proven to be quite demanding — so demanding, in fact, that many times now I’ve thought about walking away from it all, even with how great it is in every other way. Nevertheless, I’d still put this experience right alongside the summer of ’24.

In other news, following my previous post, I’ve been at work on Aleph and Aleph (A&A). I’ve accomplished a lot of the technical infrastructure behind starting a business. I have an LLC, a business bank account, and just about everything else set up. However, I seem to have hit an internal block preventing me from going forward. I’m not sure what exactly it is yet. Fear of failure? Maybe. But I trust that I’ll work through it. I believe my next step is to begin setting up a lot more personal structure in my life again — both for myself, and for the discipline necessary to continue down this path. A path I need to follow. The path that enables the big steps I really wish to take in my life going forward with Johana.

At the same time as I’ve been dealing with this block, I purchased a Kindle and have been immersing myself in books lately. It’s something I’ve always wished I did more of in the past. Johana also really inspired me with how much of a reader she is. I first read The Aleph by Jorge Luis Borges, which, despite being where my handle comes from, I had never actually read. It’s a short story capturing the essence of the universe through the concept of the Aleph. Intense. I’ve given a few other books a try, but my habit has always been to gravitate toward more depressing books, as I did in the past. Now, though, I can’t bear to read chapter after chapter of misery anymore. A change of who I am?

So now, we’re sitting about a month away from our next big adventure. This one, in many ways, will be just as challenging for me as my New York Chapter. This time, though, I won’t be alone. Our travel itinerary is set. The next couple of months feel like they’ll be make or break for me. I plan to set up a multitude of systems and build out the structure I feel I need to succeed going forward. A lot will have to change. All exciting, and honestly quite nerve-wracking, going in.

More coming soon.