Hiya

I feel useful. 

I feel alive. 

Last week I worked on base all five days. 54 miles of driving every day and it turns out that (at the right listening speed) I can consume a 6+ hour book in just four days of commuting!

Wednesday, I facilitated a leader development session for my squadron, the 353d RS… the Wild Wild West. (Let’s go!) As I prepared the week ahead, I reflected on the weight and quiet honor of being an Honorary Squadron Commander. Not as a title, but as a place of trust. I felt how much that matters to me. 

Throughout the week, I ran ten miles and took longer walks when I could. I kept up with the pushup challenge. (There’s a group of us to keep track of our daily efforts… us “older” civilians are in the fight!) Just over 800 pushups in five workdays. 

There was a calm that came from living on purpose last week. Now, that IS paired with a low hum of anxious energy from staying near the edge of my comfort zone.

Not overwhelmed. Wide awake. 

My daily reflection practice shifted. I responded to a single prompt each day last week. It felt cleaner. More deliberate. Less about capturing everything and more about noticing what mattered. 

What I am carrying feels like a set of opposites held simultaneously. 

Pain and joy. 

Survive and thrive. 

Awe and boredom sharing the same space. 

A wish for peace and a recognition of extreme turmoil. 

Care showed up in amazing places this week. 

Friends, peers, and colleagues stay connected as my mom continues her recovery from stroke. (I'll spend 3 days with her next week...)

Our family was not positioned for the financial cost of round-the-clock caregiving or for the broader shifts that have made everything feel tighter. And still, people show up.

Handwritten notes to my mom. Messages of encouragement. Friends are sending my sister a gift card for gas. Others have funded a month of caregiving so my sister can breathe. 

I am still taking that in. 

Oh, and that saying, "If you build it, they will come..." still rings true. A group of Guardians and Airmen - Active Duty, Reserve, Civilian, and a Contractor - all gathered for our first "Connecting @ SSC" event of 2026.

The stage was set...

What I am unsure about still remains unresolved. The landscape keeps shifting. Economic signals. Political noise. The question of whether my own work will be interrupted again at the end of this month, or what happens if my sister needs to take on a different job.

I am not answering those questions yet…I can’t. 

I am noticing how easy it is to get distracted; Dry January (aka: DryUary) has given me something to focus on with intention. Whether it is a run I do not feel like starting, a daily prompt that challenges me in thoughtful ways, or listening with my whole body when someone shares what they are carrying beneath their words. 

Where I am standing right now is here. 

I am responsible for the choices I make, the attention I give, and the care I extend. I am inside my own life, fully participating. Not detached. Not waiting. 

Present, engaged, and still learning how to hold all of it at once.

Much love,

JW

PS: Book I listened to was on storytelling

I have a list of prompts, should you wanna reflect

These conversations are really, really good to have