(From the NYPD years)

People matter the most (Boyd – People first, Ideas/Process next, Technology last).  Place is a close, underrated, and missing second.  8 years ago, we drove back from Acadia National Park with ny daughter in utero, masquerading as bad potato chips.  One big move, two massive additions to the family (including the one masquerading as bad sushi), several jobs, a rude introduction to NYC politics, money, and pettiness later, I have mixed feelings about this stage of the journey.  In the preceding years, I’ve had to contemplate chaos, complexity, the role of time, and free will – on professional and personal scales.  And it is simplicity, order, and peace, both outer and inner, that are the elusive, difficult, but not unattainable goals.  Place plays a significant role in that pursuit.  I’ve lived in cities that worshipped power, money, achievements, and status – at the requirement of self-preservation, soul damage, and other unwanted effects.  Yet, I wouldn’t change anything, each stop so far taught and prepared me well for what is next – even a return to the area where I consider the once and future home.