The last three months have been a whirlwind of personal and professional activity.

I have a burgeoning new romantic relationship.

In May, I was voted the next APALA president for the 2023-2024 term.

I started working on a new Filipinx local newspaper, Mahalaya SF. It felt good to stretch those journalism skills again.

I also spent three weeks in the Philippines with my extended maternal family.

In June, wrapped up my first stint as an APALA mentor. I wrote about it here. It was my first time being on the other side as a mentor, not a protégé. We will actually continue our mentor/protégé relationship, and I’m excited to see where the future takes her.

I also attended the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. for six days, then took a train to NYC, spending another six days there.

This week, I surpassed the one-year mark of being the branch manager of the Ocean View Branch of the San Francisco Public Library.

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I figure it is time for some reflection.

Much has changed, but I feel a little stagnant in the personal development department.

I noticed this during my trip to the Philippines. I should have spoken up for myself more often instead of going along with the crowd. I would have had a much better time. I often feel very insecure when directly expressing my needs. I’ve made great strides over the last six years, but I am still limited.

Professionally, I’m humming along quite nicely. I still feel like I have a lot to learn as a supervisor, but I have a handle on a majority of what I need to accomplish at the branch. In greater LibraryLand, I’m gaining more recognition and I find people are seeking me out for my opinion more often.

It still feels strange. In so many ways I think of myself as still very green. Very young and inexperienced.

I think, “I’m only 35. I’m basically a child.”

But I don’t think I can really claim that anymore. I’m firmly planted in a good career. I take care of the majority of my own finances. I care for three cats. I do my best to practice good self-care and mental health.

I’m an adult, in all the glory and horror that word encompasses. Seventeen-year-old me in 2004 could never. Maintaining balance is a struggle.

I thought my life was chaotic back then. Adulthood is a whole other level of barely contained chaos.

By some grace I’m doing it. And it’s far more fulfilling than I ever could have imagined.