Think Kit Dec. 31st - Looking Toward 2014 By Continuing The Best of 2013

As 2013 ends, I feel I've settled into a great groove.  Taking time to reflect really pays off. I find activities I like and make them habit while looking for new experiences.  So while I obviously can't describe the unknown events and activities that will highlight 2014, I can list a few things I've done in the past that I know I'll be doing again this coming year.

• Camping with my girls
• Indy's summer festival season
• Afternoons spent biking along the canal path to the IMA grounds, Butler's campus, Broad Ripple, and so forth
• My 36th consecutive year at our family's little lake house up on Lake Tippecanoe
• Quality music shows that will pop up throughout the year (e.g., Neko Case)
• Reds v. Pirates baseball games with my family
• Settling into my first year at Apparatus
• Quiet summer evenings at my family's farm

What I enjoy about this is list of things I'm looking forward to in 2014 is that I use them all as an exercise in self-awareness.  I contemplate the people around, my geographic position, and how I affect and am impacted by them. Much of this list is family oriented because that's who I am at 35.  These activities are all accompanied by moments where I stop, take a deep breath, and look around. It can be a very intoxicating and rewarding experience and I will ensure this next year will see it in abundance.

So here's to 2014, the year where we all take some time to recognize the moment, focus more on ourselves, and respect and honor our fathers and mothers.

Think Kit Dec. 26th - My Self-Portrait: Channeling Calvin and Hobbes' Dad

Watterson family, please don't sue me.

I'm not really a big fan of these visual Think Kit prompts as I am not an artist.  So, don't expect much in the way of originality. If you recognize this self-portrait as Calvin's dad, you'd be correct.  I found a favorite Calvin and Hobbes strip with Calvin's dad and intentionally copied it, adding a little more hair and a beard to make it resemble a self-portrait.

I deliberately chose to copy Calvin's dad as my self-portrait for a number of reasons.  First, I grew up reading the strip and it left a lasting impression.  Bill Watterson's comic was a favorite of my grandfather Ford.  I remember the collected books and newspaper clippings around my grandparents house.  I'm really lucky to have this strong association.

I also chose to copy Calvin's dad because I want my kids to have the life of Calvin and Hobbes.  I'm going to ensure there's uncontrollable imagination and years-ahead-of-its-time awareness and wit.  I'm going to nurture yet be a gentle disciplinarian, like Calvin's dad.  My children are going to need cleverness and intellect to keep them engaged and ensure their success.  This is who I am consciously visualizing myself to be, Calvin's dad.

Think Kit Dec. 25th - An Image Capturing My Peace

This image represents the confluence of peace we feel with some regularity. Peace to me is the intersection of the fauna and family. Merry Christmas.

Think Kit Dec. 15 - a Handwritten Tweet About God and My 5 Year Old

I don't normally get social about religion and spirituality because it never seems to end up where I want it. But this has been pushed to the forefront of my mind of late what with a very perceptive kindergardener and it being Christmas. So, I thought I would pair it with today's Think Kit prompt that asks us to display our penmanship with a note, story, tweet, etc. Marvel at the clear, varied style of my personal font and don't ask me about religion.