In keeping with my annual tradition (2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008), this New Year’s Eve I’m reflecting on everything that’s happened this year.

In 2016, I didn’t play much DDR. My favorite single-player video game was The Witness, deeply moving and mystical. I didn’t read any non-fiction, and my favorite fiction books were the Fairyland series by Catherynne Valente.

My word of the year for 2016 was easy mode.

In November 2015, we met Amanda’s Erik, we had a MasterHeart with Kelly and Chris that helped me plan how to recover from burnout, and I started working at my old day job again.

In December 2015, we visited Dru in Texas and stayed in a hotel.

In January, I pivoted my business so that I can focus on podcasting and coaching, and I stopped doing most of the other stuff I used to do.

In February, we had a magickal mystical experience at ClaraCon 1, and Kyeli took hand as a Sufi!

In March, Amanda came up to visit for Kyeli’s birthday adventure, during which we stayed at the Stone Church.

In April, we had a MasterHeart with Kelly and Chris which helped me deal with my identity and ego issues that arose as I scaled back my achievement. I attended a Sufi retreat at The Abode of the Message. We were propositioned by friends (we politely declined), and Kyeli started physical therapy.

In May, Kyeli went to Dallas by herself, her first solo trip since the accident, and brought Dru home with her for a visit. We decided to move to Lansing.

In June, Kyeli started driving. I tried fasting for Ramadan but I couldn’t work because my brain spaced out, so I gave up. We took an experimental roadtrip to Maine to see if Kyeli could handle the upcoming drive to Lansing.

In July, we celebrated Kelly’s birthday with a Spiritual Superfriends gathering! We became birds of a feather and got tattoos. I attended the IEA conference in Minneapolis and met the Sufi community there. We drove to Lansing for a house-hunting scouting mission. We almost bought the house on Kalamazoo but it turned out be a lemon, and we dodged that bullet.

In August, Kyeli almost entirely stopped needing the wheelchair. Physical therapy FTW, Alhamdullilah! We had Waywardpalooza, our farewell time with Kelly and Chris and our other Beacon friends.

In September, we moved out of Kelly’s house in Beacon, NY, and moved to Lansing, Michigan. After various moving shenanigans, we found the house on Catherine Street and made an offer.

In October, Kyeli took me on a surprise birthday adventure all across Lansing and beyond!

In November, we closed on our new house, Dreamhold at Rooted Keep, and moved in! We visited Beacon for Thanksgiving, Pie Day, and a MasterHeart from which my biggest takeaway was “Stop, don’t pause.”

In December, Dru came to visit for a week, and we spent Christmas Day with Julica and her family. We closed the year with a New Year’s Eve MasterHeart focused on having a more wholehearted 2017 by getting out of our comfort zones.

In summary, 2016 was a year of deepening my friendship with Kelly, and it was a year of healing and recovery from the burnout I suffered from due to pushing too hard on my business for the previous five years. It was definitely restful and healing, but I think I overshot the mark – I think I took too many steps back away from burnout, and ended up disconnected, from both my friends and from my passion. I threw the passion baby out with the ambition bathwater.

Dearest 2017, I choose to share warm bread and butter with you. Empowered but not overconfident, optimistic but grounded, I choose to engage with you.