The end of the year was busy: a major product release, helping my kid study for finals, and so on. I did not wrap up my 2023 until January 7. Here is a recap across life, work, reading, and writing.
Life
The biggest change in 2023 was a new family member: a cute toy poodle named Coffee Bean (our “younger son”). Our family is now me, my wife, our older son (the kid), and our younger son (Coffee Bean). The moment I open the door and both the kid and dog rush at me (sometimes jumping onto me) is the part of every day I look forward to most. It has been a great stress reliever for both work and life.
2023 also featured the most expensive National Day holiday I have ever had: a deep tour of hospitals. At the end of September, my son was diagnosed with mycoplasma pneumonia, which rapidly became severe. We went through a tense search for a hospital bed and were finally admitted to New Century Children’s Hospital. After 12 days of treatment (including two lung lavages), he was discharged safely.
My biggest takeaways:
- Healthcare is expensive.
- Medical resources are scarce.
- After COVID, infectious diseases are so damn intense.
- High-end medical insurance is a must (I bought AIA coverage immediately in November).
I did not travel much in 2023, but I did visit Sanya, Guangxi, Changbai Mountain, and Yanji. People say reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. In a time that does not feel so great, do not overwork or over-study. Take time to see the world, learn and understand it from a different perspective. Travel really helps calm the mind and ease anxiety.
In 2023 I wrote five posts, about one every two-plus months. By the end of the year I was honestly ashamed of my laziness. The main reason is that I did not summarize and organize my work and technical learnings enough, so there was not much to share. Next year I will try for one post per month.
A Note to Myself
When I look back, my life is basically either coding or writing plans in front of a screen, or spending time with my kid and walking the dog, with the occasional trip. That is middle age in a nutshell. It may lack passion and big dreams, but overall I am not too anxious (sometimes a little). I do not have strong material desires, no major debt, I work in a field I chose and have built for more than a decade, the company vibe is great, my boss is nice, and I still have time with family. That is pretty good.
In 2024, I hope I can keep reading more, travel more, spend time with family, and continue cultivating myself on the road of life: live honestly, follow my heart, go with the flow, and stay at ease.