14 years ago today I hopped on a plane in California and moved to Montana.

I came to finish a novel, and within a year, I finished it. For a while, I told others I was only going to stay for a year. I believed it. A year turned to two turned to 10 turned to 14. I built a life here, filled countless notebooks, finished another novel and started a few more, became an IT Director, then coached football, basketball, and track, I’m now teaching two classes somehow, I fell in love, grieved, got depressed too many times, recovered, and in 3 weeks, I turn 40. I now burn candles every Friday to remember those I’ve lost, and I bought myself a nice mechanical watch to help me readjust my relationship with time. I miss San Diego, and far too many times I’ve felt like I was wasting my life here in Montana.

But I’m still here, and I’m still trying to figure it out.

Last night I lit a lone candle a bit over an hour before sunset. I’ve been thinking a lot about my past recently, where my DNA came from, who my ancestors were and where they came from, and I lit a candle to remember them. I don’t know if this is something my ancestors used to do, or if I’m starting something new for myself and whatever future I hold, but I lit the candle and watched the flame dance while it snowed outside and while I watched the USA baseball team defeat the Canadian team in the World Baseball Classic. If my ancestors did light candles every Friday before sunset, how many years has it been since anyone with my bloodline had done so? And what am I trying to remember?

The Aztec New Year passed a few days ago, and Día de Muertos is more than half a year away. I once tried to grow marigolds, and I will try again soon. It’s been many years since people I’ve loved and cared about have passed, and when was the last time I thought of them? I lit a candle last night to remember something my ancestors first spoke generations ago, and I’m now, finally, trying to listen.

I changed the oil and filter on my Jeep Patriot today. This was my first time conducting my own oil and filter change on my car in my life, and I really enjoyed it. It was fun, challenging, frustrating, rewarding, and a great learning experience. I can’t wait to do it again in 3,000 miles.

The other day, while at work, I went to go fill up my water bottle in the gym lobby. The 2nd graders were there having PE, and as I screwed the top to my bottle, Gabriel, one of the students, saw me and yelled, “Mario, Mario! Can you fix my sink?”

“Your sink?”

“Yeah.”

“What sink?”

“My sink.”

“Where is your sink?”

“My house.”

“You want me to fix your sink at your house?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m not going to your house to fix your sink.”

“But you’re Super Mario!”

My favorite end-of-year recap is back!

All this has done is make me miss baseball.

I helped coached my first set of middle school boys basketball games today, and I have to say, I had loads of fun! I didn’t play basketball growing up and I didn’t know much about the game before I signed on to help coach, but after a few weeks with these boys and coach Pederson, I’m beginning to enjoy and maybe even love this game. I’m excited for the rest of this season!