Retrospective: 2013 – Joy Your Day

Not gonna lie, 2013 was a hard year.

The first part spent with my father on hospice, and then his passing and all the logistics that come with that.

I lost not only my dad, but a best friend. And a business partner of nearly 20 years. My mentor.

I had to put the emotions aside, because there was work to be done. It was no longer my calling to run the software business, which meant getting all of our clients transitioned to new development teams. No small task.

We somehow in there also randomnly wrote a book on mobile internet, because I grew tired of continuing to answer so many questions on our personal blog about the topic.

My father wanted us to spread some of his ashes in Montana, the only state he never got to. It was mere miles after crossing the border that our vintage bus’s engine overheated – leaving us stranded without cell signal on the side of the road overnight.

That led to over 7 weeks of living in a hot parking lot while our engine was rebuilt. A grueling story of its own.

By September, we were free and back on the road. The business was successfully shut down, and we intended to take a year sabbatical while we figured out what was next for us career wise.

While we had some trickles of passive income from our apps and the book already coming in, this time off would mostly be funded by savings. It was time we knew we needed to invest in ourselves (spoiler alert: that sabbatical lasted all of a few weeks).

We kicked off this new chapter by taking a volunteer workamping gig being lighthouse docents on the coast of Oregon, joining up with a fellow blogger we had adored from afar.

A place to recharge by the ocean, to give, to heal and reduce expenses for a couple months. The friendships made that season became pivotal.

By the time we arrived, we were exhausted from the many months before that.

One of our followers had written and asked for our shipping address – they had a gift they wanted to send us.
When it arrived, it was an amazing kite that folded up nice and compact. Perfect for RV life.

I don’t remember the words on the card, but I remember how he signed it …

Joy Your Day

Not ‘Enjoy Your Day’ – as is a more common expression. A more passive pursuit.

Bringing joy to your day is more active. For we can’t control the things that happen around us. But we can control our reaction to them.

I can’t say I’m always successful in bringing joy to my day, but those words helped me navigate some pretty tough stuff. And they still do on days that are less than a delight.

So today, as I reflect on all that 2013 taught me – I hope to spread a little inspiration for you to Joy Your Day.

And I think it’s time for me to go fly a kite.

Technomadia 15 Years Retrospective Series

In the lead up to Cherie's 15th Nomadiversary on May 10, 2022 - she shared a retrospective post for each year with a lesson about nomadic life and our own journey.

Here's a video recap of the series (caution, it's over 50m long!):

And here are the individual chapters of this series:

Retrospective: 2007 – Overcoming Obstacles

Retrospective: 2008 – Scarcity vs Abundance

Retrospective: 2009 – Community

Retrospective: 2010 – Don’t Get Trapped by Labels

Retrospective: 2011 – Embracing Serendipity

Retrospective: 2012 – The Important Things