A year ago, the Koorse family was hanging on by a thread. We had just had baby Arin. My workplace was awesome enough to grant me paternity leave and we had come to Florida to spend our first months with our son in a sunny climate instead of the brutal cold of Maryland. However, the first few months with a baby are challenging – even if you’ve been through it before and you think you know what to expect. The entire family was feeling sick, the baby was colic, and his big sister had no idea what was going on.

Fast forward one year. Dahlia, Arin, Megan, and I are partying on the beach in Cape Canaveral. We’re mostly healthy and we are all very happy. My son is cruising around on two legs and my daughter is swimming in pools and sharing her toys. While work-life balance was rough, we’ve made it through this crucial period for our family. Life is good.

I’ve been thinking about this blog very frequently recently. When I first set it up in 1998, I used it to win a business school representative election. In 2001, I started using it to communicate about my Peace Corps experience. In 2005, it became a forum for showing how challenging it can be to transition back to life in the United States after living abroad. In 2008, it became an infrequently updated collection of ideas about the non-profit world. In 2015, it was all about my first baby. In 2019, it’s been all about my second child. What is it about now?

I stay away from most social media. However, I am passionate about politics around the world and group dynamics. I do think I want a forum to express my opinions and collect feedback. 2020 is going to be about finding a new way to share my interests on the blog and to participate in the rich online communities that sponsor activities that align with my values.