 I write this on the day of my 39th birthday. I carved out a few precious child-free hours to post up with my laptop at a favorite local place to write. I woke early this morning (3am to be exact, I am nursing my youngest) and in the dark morning hours wondered how I was looking down the last year of my 30s. While my 40th birthday seems the time to reflect on the decade past and dream about the decade forward, for some reason I feel like doing it this year. In a world that feels increasingly negative or scary, I don’t want to wait to dream of beautiful things. Perhaps this reflection will be something to think about all year long. Perhaps I will now have time to modify and think deeper on these goals. Perhaps when I reach my 40th birthday, I will have a whole year’s worth of clarity to launch with more purpose than ever before. We'll see. So here is a bit of a life reflection and some bucket list items I think I would like to go after in my 4th decade.
 In August 2024 I started a new job very different from my old position as Assistant Professor of Anthropology. A few weeks later, I discovered I was expecting my 4th child. These two were a lot to juggle mentally and physically. Progress with my consulting work under my LLC Modern Anthro Consulting reduced significantly. Luckily, I had worked ahead a bit before starting the new position. The rest of 2024 was characterized by having little time or energy to do anything but rely on those reserves.
When 2025 started, I wanted to recommit to my consulting side work. With New Year energy, I worked to find ways to fit in consulting around my full-time job and family obligations. I thought I would share some Q1 notes here. Make no mistake, progress is still slow. But it’s not non-existent, and for that I am happy.  In March of 2023 I established a business entity around consulting work I had done on and off for a few years. What seemed at the time to be a good financial decision turned out to benefit me (and my family) in more ways than I expected. While growth of my consulting and business entity is slow (it has always had to be third priority after my full-time role and parenting), growth IS happening. A look back on 2024 helps me see progress and pushes me to keep growing in the new year.
 A tough season punctuated with some small professional wins and worthwhile happy things. To finish what I started (blogging periodic updates this year), I will share the last few months in brief.
 These were surprisingly challenging months. I didn’t expect that. I faced new obstacles and complicated emotions. I am happy October is here and that some of the discomfort that came from chaos (August) and change (September) is behind me. Onward and upward!
 Two very full months. I read a lot, worked on a lot of fun work projects, did a LOT under the "Things I Enjoyed" category and kept moving nonstop. Here is an update on life these past two months!
 I am writing a lot about heritage in urban parks these days. Because the parks I am working with are on or near the Great Lakes, I have been learning a lot more about this incredible system of freshwater...the largest in the world. The Great Lakes are an amazing inheritance for those who live near them, but they have not always been treated (or recognized) as such. I wrote this piece a while back and to be honest, I felt a bit weird about it after. I questioned my stance advocating for inheritance of place as one of the millions of Americans whose ancient ancestors do not lie in this soil. I am an individual of full European descent. Who am I to claim that all living in Western New York, European and otherwise, are the inheritors of this land? How do I write about heritage in a land of immigrants?
 Two months, two very different vibes. April was tough. May was a ton of fun. So goes this season of life. Its a great many things all at once.
 Some seasons of life are just plain tough. During these times, our instinct may be to reduce, take on less, eliminate anything that is not necessary. While sometimes that may be the best thing, I would argue there are times when adding to our work load, particularly in the form of a passion project, can be the better option. Sometimes you really should do that passion project...even during a tough season of life.
 Well, March rounded out a tough season overall. More kid illnesses, sleepless nights, and the struggle to establish good routines. BUT...as I noticed when I wrote a month in review for January and February, there was actually a lot of good things that crowded out the bad. Its easy to focus on what's tough, but where's the joy in that? While I am very happy Q1 (Jan - March) is over, I am also happy to reflect on positive things - what I read, listened to, worked on, and enjoyed. Bring on spring now, please!
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AuthorDr. Kathryn Grow Allen ('Katie'): Anthropologist, Archaeologist, Writer, Researcher, Teacher, Consultant, Yoga Lover, Nature Enthusiast, Book Worm, and Mother of Four. Archives
June 2025
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