And now the obligatory New Years post...

The Clifton Strengthsfinder claims that my second strength is Futurist. What does this mean? Well...one my favorite games is the "way too serious for this moment random question" game. Do you know this guy? It’s me. We will be at dinner and I will ask you what you want to do with the rest of your life. I will ask what city you want to live in next. I will ask you if you are going to marry that strange guy sitting in the corner that just hit on you. I am fascinated with the answers to these questions. Whether I am asking these future-oriented of you or myself…the answers to these questions push me forward into tomorrow.

Of course as a futurist I can often miss the joy of the past. 2006 was full of joys. Marriage. Graduation. A move. Huge life changing events…both difficult and full of joy. So as 2006's joys have come and gone, I cannot help but think about what may be in 2007 and beyond. What relationships will bloom in Seattle? Where will Taryn commit to go for grad school? Has God placed a city on my heart? Does it have a really big bridge in it? In which industry will I seek a job as Taryn is at school? What industry will I work in after she is out of school? When are we going to have kids (let the freaking out begin)? How do you live life as a family? What is my roll in a church? How can I maximize my strengths within that community? All of these questions pull me into the future. The hope of the future pulls me through the mess that today often brings.

While these questions are common place to my daily life, they often rub others the wrong way. What about you? Does a new year scare you? Do you ask yourself similar questions? Do you find yourself reflecting on the past, envisioning the future, or getting lost in today?