David Welch Life Information
1996

I had originally planned for 1996 to be, quite simply, a year of finances. Ever being the good boy scout, my goal was to save enough money so that I could live for six months to one year without working at all. I managed to achieve this goal, which is not all that remarkable except that I did this in the context of other unexpected projects. Yes, this was the year of finances, but 1996 was also a year of dramatic change. I moved out of my house in Washington, D.C. and into a much safer community in Falls Church, Virginia. This effort took a tremendous amount of time and energy since my new apartment required construction and I had to sell old furniture/purchase new furniture. At the same time I moved, I bought a new car and sold my beloved car of 11 years, my Volare wagon. Definitely the end of an era! 1996 was also a year when I turned 30 and said goodbye to my twenties. This single event has done much to fuel a sense of urgency in my life. I began to sense my youth slowly slipping away (I can hear the snickering of grandparents even now). As a result, I realize I can't afford to postpone the things I want to do much longer. In this spirit, I got busy with dating again. I met a very nice woman named Rita, and we dated for a number of months before realizing that we were on completely different timelines (i.e., I want to date, not father). 1996 was also a challenging year in my professional life with Andersen Consulting. I was tasked with managerial responsibilities for the first time, and I climbed a steep learning curve. I emerged a little beat up, but sometimes the messy process of growth is like this. As painful as it is at times, I really do welcome it. In the end, I had a chance to recover from all this change. As I write, I am in the Caribbean. Amen!

So, 1996 turned out to be much more than I originally planned. I planned for it to be the year of finances, but it turned into the year of many things; the year of a new car, the year of leaving my twenties, the year of dating, the year of professional growth - in short, the year of change. And believe me, it was all that I could do just to keep up with myself.

As I look towards 1997, my goal is to get back on the balls of my feet - I have been on my heels for what feels like a very long time. The longer I am reacting and coping with change, the more I begin to feel as if I cannot control the elements of my life that I should reasonably expect to control. Taking more frequent vacations is one way to counter such a circumstance. Another way is to take on less activity. Over the last five years, I have greatly simplified my life by getting rid of physical possessions. I have done just about all I can do I this regard, and so my attentions have naturally turned to getting rid of activities. By reducing the number of activities in my life, I have begun to take large strides towards greater simplicity. I am only at the beginning of my journey towards a simplified schedule, but this is a theme which will extend over the next several years, most likely, and will color almost every decision. I think this is a direction which will serve me well.

In the shorter term, one of my big goals for 1997 is to embrace fitness as I embraced finances in 1996. I have always kept fit, but I would like to take my physical fitness to a higher level while my body still permits. I would also like to establish a rhythm of exercise in my life which is constant - even when work gets crazy. Another priority in 1997 will be relationships. Simply put, I am ready to be in a full-time relationship. I'm at a great age for that.

Fitness. Relationships. These are two more elements I want in the balanced lifestyle I am creating. I have worked hard over the past five years to bring career and finances into focus. I believe I have made good decisions about my career; I chose to use my technical skills for a living and my musical talents to relax. Now it is the time to build upon these basic foundations. Relationships and health are good areas to focus upon next.

1996 was a tough, hard-working year. I made progress in areas I wanted, and I dealt with new challenges I did not anticipate one year ago. I pray that I have the intelligence, discipline, talent, good fortune, and good decision-making to reach the goals I have set for myself this year. There is momentum I can carry from 1996, and there are lessons I can carry, as well. At the same time, I still feel the optimism and excitement which comes from the new year, and I hope to use this feeling of renewal and possibility to my full advantage. 1997 holds tremendous potential, and it is up to me to explore as much of this potential as possible. There are very few things to stop me at this age besides myself. All I can do is pray for safety in things I can't control and strength in things I can control. It should be a great year, as I hope for my family and each of my friends.

David Craig Welch
Marie Galante (the largest of Guadeloupe's offshore islands)
31 December 1996

"Being honest is a long-term goal." -- Edwardo Lopes (acquaintance)

"The more we are able to extricate ourselves from the furious pace we would otherwise have, the more we are able to live." – David Welch

"After four or five cups of coffee, I become brilliant." – Win Harper (friend)

"...God is the simplest of all." – from Leonard Bernstein's Mass

"Be Fearless, Choose Love" – from a t-shirt

"It is easier to love humanity than to love your neighbor." – Eric Hoffer

"People always make the mistake of thinking art is created for them./But really, art is a private language (for artists) to congratulate themselves on their superiority to the rest of the world./As my artist's statement explains, my work is utterly incomprehensible and is therefore full of deep significance." – from Calvin and Hobbes

"I have discovered that nothing lends itself to the imagination so much as suspense and longing for something." – Robert Schumann

"I am as yet in the youth of my imagination." – Robert Schumann (at the age of 20)

"...that self-tormenting egotism which makes all men wretched...always I, I, I – never you, you, my brother." – Gustav Mahler

"I realized how free and happy man feels as soon as he leaves the unnatural, restless turmoil of the big city and returns to the peaceful realm of nature." – Gustav Mahler

"Overcommitment is a crushing weight." – David Welch

"If your only tool is a hammer, then everything in life looks like a nail." – Susan Miller (my mother)

"If a cat spoke, it would say things like, 'Hey, I don't see the problem here.'" – R. Blount, Jr.

"You are free to do whatever you like. You need only face the consequences." – Sheldon Kopp

"Sometimes being simple can be very hard." – John Reed Fox (designer/woodworker)

"Be kinder than necessary." – Dave Wottle (gold medalist, 1972 Munich Olympics)

"It's easy to make a buck – much harder to make a difference." – Tom Brokow (NBC news anchor)

"Son: When I grow up, I want to be a musician. Father: Sorry, you can't have it both ways." – Anonymous joke

"You need to make serious romantic mistakes in order to play the classics." – Garrison Keillor

"Love all, trust a few, do harm to none." – William Shakespeare

"I find that a person that does not have goals is used by someone who does." – Ken Blanchard

"I don't vouch for my sanity." – Andrea Durso (friend)

"Growth is found in chaos, not order." – Judith A. Shipengrover, Ph.D.

"...guilt comes from a violated conscience." – Stephen Covey

"You only live once, but if you work it right, once is enough." – Joe E. Lewis

  

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