Tag: friendship

“Navigating 2024: Personal Growth and Bucket List Adventures”

Since I’ve given up on New Years Resolutions years ago, I’ve found setting some personal goals for myself to be not only satisfying but fulfilling. They are, for me, far more meaningful and manageable to accomplish. I can add to them and edit them to suit my situation. As well as outright delete them. Some are completable, some are reminders, and some are something for me to continually work towards.

What did I learn in 2024?

Life has a way of teaching us lessons through both hardship and growth. I’ve come to realize that there are some mean spirited and fucked up people out there —individuals who, without hesitation, bully and cause harm to others, whether through reckless actions like causing a car accidents or through deliberate cruelty. And because of my experiences with these individuals, it has taught me the value of distancing myself from those who don’t give a shit about their actions. 2024 has also shown me the importance of friendship and the memories we create together, grounding myself in the relationships that truly matter. Along with time, my most precious and non-renewable resource has taken on new meaning as I try to spend it wisely—at work, at home, and in play—choosing carefully who and what deserves my attention. And finally, I’ve come to embrace the value of exploring the quirks of my own mind, even though it doesn’t seem to function “properly.” I’ve come to accept it with a sense of humor and a willingness to grow, knowing that understanding myself is an ongoing journey worth taking.

Where did I go and see in 2024?

This was a bucket list year which included a bunch of firsts for me. Beginning with a mini road trip with my best friends down to Toledo, Ohio to see our first Total Solar Eclipse. It was stellar. (Pun intended 🙂) Our next group outing was celebrating Star Wars Day (May the Fourth) in downtown Detroit.

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Then in July, I began my epic England aviation vacation. My first time “Crossing the Pond”, driving in England along with my first air-to-air photo flight. I struggle with describing how fucking exhilarating it was to photograph World War Two fighters over the iconic English countryside from the back of the famous pink Skyvan. While racking up 1400 miles on a rental car, I had to go and see the infamous White Cliffs of Dover along with one of my favorite all-time aircraft, TSR.2. She is such an amazing larger than life aircraft. And yes, I had to do some plane spotting at London-Heathrow while I was in England. Then I heard London calling, so I answered with another day trip via the train, which I found pleasing to ride. Seeing such iconic and historical landmarks felt like a dream.

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And since I fell in love with helicopter flights, you know I had to book a flight over London. And as long as I have been attending and photographing airshows, the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) has always been on my radar. And after 5 days of RIAT, I can say it is a far superior experience to Oshkosh AirVenture. A week after I got back from my England trip and with jet lag in full force, my sister along with my best friend and I headed to Las Vegas for some serious nerding out at the Star Trek convention. The best was saved for last. Two of my best friends got married, my other bestie officiated, and I was the “Best Man” (another first for me). From the rehearsal to the ceremony all the way through to the reception, we had an absolute blast.

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What did I Lose in 2024?

My good friend, Shawn Yost. Tragically, cancer relentlessly took him from us. My wonderful friendship with him started back in 2004 at the Grosse Ile Airshow. I had arrived early and scoped out a spot on the taxiway to shoot from. Shawn walks up and sets down his chair a couple of feet away from me. Opens up his camera bag and I noticed he pulled out the same camera body that I had, the Canon Digital Rebel. And that started our friendship with our shared love of aviation and photography that lasted for 2 decades. Over the years, we traveled coast to coast, shooting tens of thousands of photos, and creating countless hilarious and meaningful memories. We had so much fun together.

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As time passed, we had different paths in life, and our lives slowly separated further and further apart. I was in England when I got the news of his illness. It was two weeks later that I spoke to him, and the first thing he said to me was that it didn’t matter what happened to our relationship, life happens. But now we are starting over. And our conversation picked up right where we left off. We talked about shows and events we attended, shared photos back and forth, just like old times. Sadly, 35 days later, he passed. If I’ve learned anything from this, it is that Life is short. Use your time doing what you love with the people you love being around. Someone once asked me, “What are the images that you shot that makes you smile?” Not your best or favorite. Mine are of Shawn and my fellow aviation photographers goofing around at airshows over the years. I miss you, my friend.

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What did I Gain in 2024?

I’ve had better mental health in the past 6 months than I ever had in the past 40 years. Why now and what caused this huge positive shift? Well, for years now I’ve been putting a lot of effort and dedication into bettering my mental health. And I can say with confidence that looking back at my life, I’ve had poor mental health for years and didn’t know what to do about it. To a point of just accepting and struggling with it. I journaled for years, and it helped temporarily and had no lasting impact. Then I started listening to self care podcasts and philosophy audiobooks, applying what I learned to my life. Some of it suck like glue and some just wasn’t right for me. But as I slowly got to know myself and my triggers, my outlook on life changed as well as having fewer and fewer days of having a noisy and chaotic mind. Then with the death of Shawn, it dramatically altered my perspective. I started to see who and what is profoundly important to me and on the flip side, who and what does not. Also expelling myself from the super massive black hole of death scrolling through social media and the News has been so liberating. It’s a gravity well of anxiety and fear that is relentlessly damaging and tremendously toxic to my peace of mind. This ongoing spiritual journey has helped me discover and realize a meaningful purpose in life.

How I met Cielo

Early this year, I got into a car accident which was caused by another driver’s road rage. Fortunately, no one was hurt but my car of 10 years was damaged. It was repairable but I knew sooner versus later, things were going to start failing and I wasn’t going to start dumping money into her. So, this was my reasoning for getting a new car. From the start of this, didn’t know what kind of car I wanted, just features I knew I wanted. Turbocharged engine, all-wheel drive, heated steering wheel, Apple CarPlay along with the newer technology that my old car didn’t have. Did quite a bit of searching online and found a few possible candidates. While at the dealership looking at various Genesis G70 models, I spotted the Hyundai Santa Cruz, which checked all my boxes. And after a test drive, I told my sales representative that I wanted a blue one. The dealership didn’t have any in blue. But she would contact their other dealerships and if they had one, it could be transported here. The next day, she called and told me that she found one with the same trim level I wanted. A week later, I got my Cielo. Which is “Sky” in Spanish.

Looking back on 2024, it had its profound life lessons, bucket list adventures and strengthening meaningful friendships. From witnessing a solar eclipse and fulfilling lifelong aviation dreams to embracing better mental health, this year’s ups and down has been instrumental in changing the way I live my life. Finding a sense of purpose, cherishing my friendships, and continuing on with my life long spiritual journey are my most valuable takeaways from 2024. So, what’s in store for next year? You’ll just have to stick around and find out. 

Until next year,

Steven

Links to this Year’s Post

“Between Clouds and Legends: My Air-to-Air Journey Over the English

Countryside”

Spotting at LHR

“From the Thames to the Clouds: My Memorable London Adventures”

“Seeking Unique Shots on Arrival Day at the Royal International Air Tattoo

2024”

“The Royal International Air Tattoo: Redefining Awesome for Aviation

Photographers”

“Departure Day: Capturing the Magic of RIAT 2024”

“Finding Purpose: A Personal Journey Through Solitude, Creativity and Real

Friendship”

“The Art of Sharing: The Importance of Thoughtful Interactions”

“Capturing Hearts and Clicks: Growing Your Instagram to New Heights”

“Finding Purpose: A Personal Journey Through Solitude, Creativity and Real Friendship”

I came across this quote about valuable things on Instagram that resonates with me. “Things that fulfills you intelligently, emotionally, spiritually, and lovingly.” Since I’ve heard this, everything that does not fit into one of these categories feels more like an unsatisfying routine or chore. But it does shine a refreshing light on what’s important to me. And because of this newfound knowledge, I now have a new sense of meaningful purpose and a lasting peace of mind I have been lacking and seeking for so long. So, what do I Value?

My Time

Time is my most valuable nonrenewable resource. Once it is gone, I will never get it back. And to say, “I fucking hate wasting it is a huge understatement.” The simplest way I can define using one’s time is to dedicate it to a purpose. Ideally doing something that you find meaningful and enjoyable. Not every purpose is going to be fun and exciting, such as doing chores or running errands but are at least productive. Boredom is powerless over you when you wisely choose how to use your time. Fortunately, I learned long ago how to occupy my time purposefully and creatively. Such as working on my various projects and hobbies, learning something new from listening to audiobooks and insightful podcasts, and connecting with friends. I can’t think of a truer statement than that time flies when you are having fun.

My Solitude 

The world has always been and will always be shit. But my solitude offers me a brief but refreshing escape from it. Where I can go untouched by its ever-present madness and constant distracting noise. My mind becomes quiet and still, allowing me to recenter on what is important to me. Such as my creativity gets a chance to re-energize and is free to run wild. In my solitude, time dilates making hours seem like days. Making a weekend feel more like 3 days and 4 if I’m lucky. I can recall a time in my life when my mind was so loud and constantly fixated on meaningless things that silence was rare and foreign to me. Now I’m able to appreciate the rejuvenating and calming nature of silence.  

My Peace of Mind

I can’t talk about solitude without mentioning mental health. The cultural definition of happiness that is constantly being marketed and promoted is bullshit to me. That fantasy state of perpetual joy and lasting fulfillment, I feel is out of touch with reality and is unreachable. But if I replace happiness with peace of mind, that’s far more realistic and obtainable. The cheat code for managing and maintaining any kind of good mental health is knowing what your triggers are and having the tools to healthfully cope with them. Such as meditating, journaling, reading, exercising or practicing your spiritual and or religious beliefs. Whatever calms your mind and brings you clarity. If you have the means, find and talk to a trained professional. Life is too short to constantly have a noisy and cluttered mind.

 

My Creativity/Passions

I can best describe my creativity and passion by, it’s a fire that burns in my spirit. When it is lit, I can tell you what color the flames are along with how hot they are. Doubt and frustration can quickly snuff out its flame. But I love feeding it and enjoying its heat. I must be careful and not put too much fuel into the fire. When I do, I start to neglect other parts of my life. And finding that balance is crucial for me to have that life I love and enjoy. Writing, photography, and building scale models are my current passions.

My writing has become one of the most powerful ways for me to connect with myself and the world around me. It’s more than just putting words on a page; it’s a process of discovery and expression that challenges me to think deeply, confront my thoughts, and articulate ideas to share with others. Finding my writing style has been a challenging journey in itself, one that’s both intellectually demanding and rewarding. For me, writing is a creative outlet that allows me to share my passions, perspectives, and inner world to life in a way different from my other passions. Writing has taught me patience, persistence, and the importance of embracing imperfection—it’s a journey I’m grateful to be on and a passion I must continue to nurture.

My photography is the most cherished of my passions. I’ve never had a bad time behind my camera. Not to say, I don’t bitch up shots. (Which I still do 🙂) But even after nearly 20 years, I’m still deeply in love with the art of visual storytelling. I’ve been trying to capture a collection of images that are unique to me since I started this love affair. A portfolio of photos that tells a story of some sort that would be very hard, very expensive, or impossible to duplicate. As pretentious as that sounds, it’s something that I feel compelled to work towards. And not all my photos that I share fall into that precise definition. It’s about enjoying the photographic journey and not its destination. Look here to view My Photography.

My scale model building is my oldest creative passion. I started building models as a kid because there weren’t any toys of the airplanes that I wanted to play with. As I grew older, I built for model competitions. But after years of doing the necessary research and the tedious nature of correcting kits, I lost interest and didn’t build anything for years. While away in college, I studied industrial design focusing on model making. There I was exposed to a tremendous amount of new building techniques and materials that propelled my building creativity into a new level. After graduation and starting my new career, it was about 8 years before I felt the urge to build anything again. But I gave myself two conditions about getting back into the hobby. First, I wasn’t going to build anything real. My builds are 100% fantasy but deeply rooted in reality. And second, I was only going to build when I feel like building and not whenever I had the time. I’ve found working on projects while not inspired, leads to disappointment and frustration. Look here to see My Modeling Madness.

My Adventures

“I thought I wanted a rewarding career. But come to find out, all I wanted was a paycheck to pay for plane tickets!”  Each adventure, whether it’s a short road trip or a journey halfway across the world, offers the thrill of discovery and the chance to step into the unknown. There’s nothing quite like wandering the streets of Tokyo, observing the pulse of life in a city that never seems to sleep, or plane spotting from a helicopter over LAX, photographing the world from a new perspective. Some of my most memorable moments come from these unique, sometimes one of a kind experiences—like hanging out of the back of a Sky Van, photographing warbirds over the countryside of England.

These adventures aren’t just about seeing new places; they’re about capturing memories that can’t be recreated and moments that feel like they belong only to me. I love collecting souvenirs like refrigerator magnets and Starbucks mugs from each place I visit, little reminders of those incredible moments. Traveling reminds me of the importance of living fully and embracing the unexpected. Even though I don’t get to explore as often as I’d like, each trip enriches my life, fuels my creativity, and reminds me that there’s always more to see and learn in the world. Head over here to see “My Adventures”

My Music 

Music is comfort food for the soul and a playlist that can drive your mindset. Music that resonates with your spirit and is joyous to your heart. Music that ignites your imagination where you are free to explore new ideas. Listening to music due to mood and or when trying to alter it to be a better place. Also, to drown out the stupid, the condescending, the incompetent and the entitled. Heck, sometimes I have to drown out my own irrational and destructive thoughts to maintain my peace of mind. It should be noted that music can also be harmful to your wellbeing. Just like coffee, it can amp you up especially when it’s not needed. But being in tuned with one’s emotions can helped you weed out and remove music that is toxic to your mindset.

My Friendships

“People are like books. Some deceive you with their covers and others surprise you with their content.”  And I love my friend’s content which are beautiful with their own unique flavor, seasoned with the ups and downs of life. Unapologetic about who they are and the lifestyle they choose to live, and a creative couple that make relationships look easy with their loving understanding and gentle support for each other. Making tacos together, taking road trips and especially when I have to draw 15 while playing Uno, my friends truly mean the world to me. Friends that won’t co-signed my bullshit, who genuinely cares about each other’s feelings and wellbeing. Who you choose to surround yourself with plays a substantial influence in the quality of your life.

In embracing these values—time, solitude, peace of mind, creativity, adventure, music, and friendships—I’ve come to realize that a fulfilled life is one built on intentional choices and meaningful connections. Each of these elements shapes my days, grounds my purpose, and brings a sense of calm and clarity. By focusing on what truly matters and letting go of what doesn’t align to me, I’ve found a path that feels both authentic and rewarding. Life is hard and its difficulties will never go away. But living with this newfound awareness has given me a peace of mind, reminding me daily of the beauty in a life guided by purpose and passion.

Until next post,

Steven