I realized after my Birthday Inventory 2019 was up that I had left out a few things. In the interest of completeness, here they are.
- I didn’t mention that I’m becoming a hugs guy. Yeah, I know. But I recently read a quote attributed to psychotherapist Virginia Satir: “We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.” I don’t think that’s based on any research, but I believe that human touch is a basic need. In particular, my two teen/pre-teen kids are moving into a time in their life when physical touch from adults starts to become taboo. I want my kids to get loving human touch from their parents, the two people who it won’t feel weird from. So I now give hugs in the morning, when people get home, and before bed. It’s good for me and I think it’s good for them.
- I also didn’t mention that I play Minecraft almost daily. A few years ago I started a realm (online shared world) for me and the kids to play and build in. The kids grew out of it; I didn’t. Our realm is now a huge area with multiple continents and many castles, farms and villages connected by roads and subways and bridges. I think the last time I checked I was closing in on 1000 hours played. The kids still visit, and we have a great time.
- We’ve also been getting our financial life in order for this next stage of life. Startup life is one of short term planning, where you think months or a year ahead. A founder is supposed to go without salary if necessary and put savings towards the company as investor of last resort. Since I started a new job, I get a regular paycheck, and we are thinking about what else we want out of life. We usually invest in experiences like travel. But what about something else? A second house? A sailboat? A third floor on our house? It’s been good feeling like we can invest in ourselves.
That’s it! I think I’m done for this year. See you in 2020!
Evan Prodromou's Blog 