Last April, I was standing in this very park thinking to myself, ”The digital nomad thing would be pretty cool…I wonder if I could actually pull it off.”

This photo is me at the end of March — almost exactly a year later — as my digital nomad chapter officially comes to a close.

In the past year, I’ve spent time in Tokyo across six months: April, November, December, January, February, and March. I got to experience autumn foliage, snowfall, and #sakura cherry blossoms — all in one trip! I reconnected with old friends who were randomly in town. I made a few meaningful connections. I had fun crossing off a bunch of small things at the bottom of my list. I discovered what things back home are things I’ve taken for granted and what things I can live without.

And of course, I got to spend some quality time in Manila, which gave me a glimpse into what retirement life might look like.

Now that I’m back home and reflecting, I can’t help but appreciate how many things had to fall into place for this to happen:

• my work situation
• my financial situation
• my (lack of) relationship situation
• my 19-year-old Acura’s stubborn refusal to die — and spare me from car payments
• my ass (literally) recovering from rectal surgery
• my parents’ health

Had any one of those factors been different, this chapter would have never been written.

Will I ever have this opportunity again, especially with all the shit that’s happening in the world today?

I have no idea. But if I never do, at least I can look back at all my photos and no longer wonder.

Because I did it.

AJ, you're in the Marvel Cinematic Universe now too!?!

This past year I stopped thinking of weight loss as a goal and approached it more as finding balance. I realized that if I just focus on the process, the results will come; enjoy the process and the results will stay.

I realized that carbs are just a vehicle for carrying all the flavor. I discovered that replacing breakfast & dinner with low-carb shakes saves a shitload of money and makes me appreciate my lunches more. I noticed I was much happier spending less money on being a foodie and more money on being active. I found I'd rather be the only dude in Zumba class and dance to girl group music for an hour than run on a treadmill for 15 minutes.

All that has brought me here today, back down to my high school graduation weight. (The dots are weight measurements and the line is my moving average.) I’m sure my weight is gonna have its ups and downs, but that's okay because that’s life. By focusing on — and enjoying — the process instead of obsessing over a goal, I know my body will always balance itself out.

(Sidenote: Drop off at 250ish is when I cut high-glycemic carbs from dinner. Drop off at 245ish is when I started doing strictly protein shakes for dinner. Drop off at 240ish is when I started doing Zumba. The plateau at 234ish is when Halal Guys opened by my house, LOL. The big drop off is when I started doing low-carb, high-fat Keto diet. Those four up-spikes at the end are weddings and baby showers.)