making a difference. Justin Knabb's blog: February 2009

Welcome

Hi, my name is Justin. You may call this my blog, my journal, my diary... I simply say this is 'me.' My thoughts made transparent, my small imprint on the world around me, my look backward, forward, and with hopes for a joyful today. This is my life, my world, unashamedly through my lens. Most importantly, this is a time capsule that I hope to one day share with my children, to encourage them to live each day with purpose, with much introspection and with a great appreciation for life.
Enjoy, and welcome.

February 03, 2009

With all the problems and anxieties swirling around lately, I sit here and reflect on some things that capture the real meaning of why I'm here...

Rio Celeste, Costa Rica...

Brotherhood...

Sunrises like these...

Supporting kids at the orphanage in Tijuana...

... and the dream to one day move back here.

What I'm learning in 2009 thus far on the economy:

The economy, especially here in the US, continues to grow far worse than even the most gloomy pessimists ever seemed to forecast.
People, in general, are the most stressed, depressed, and frustrated than I've ever seen in my life.
Words like "sobering," "bailout," "stimulus," and "blame" pepper every news outlet, every day. If we're not on economic life-support by now, we're sure doing a fine job convincing ourselves we are.

What I'm learning thus far on our hopes for the future:

If there is any inspiration for some optimism, it's definitely coming from the Oval Office. People across the world are still excited about the fresh leadership and policies being proposed by President Obama.
There are still no massive strides being made on the clean, renewable energy front. Will Pickens' Plan or the Better Place plan ever come to fruition?

What I'm learning all the time regarding life in general:

It's surprisingly challenging to find friends who actually enjoy what they're doing for a living.
Life is full of compromises. You may dream of "starting a life" (aka family) in San Francisco or New York, but genealogy, geography and odd life circumstances sometimes just get in the way :(
Finding truly good, truly interesting, truly passionate, truly loving people... VERY VERY hard to come by.
Finding love... always, very hard to come by. Those who find it should know how truly lucky and blessed they are.
The clock keeps ticking and ticking. There's not a minute to waste not living (or striving to live) the life you imagine.
As frustrating as things get, I always try to remind myself that God is most certainly good.