Welcome To The Pin Drop

How a recent trip to Finland inspired this space and where we go together from here

Traveling is a great teacher.

It shakes the cobwebs out of your head and forces you outside of your own daily routines and habits. Bye-bye comfort zone.

Traveling gives you 20/20 vision from 30,000 feet in the air so that you can get out of your own way to see the bigger picture in your life and in the lives of those around you.

To travel is to move through the world physically, mentally, and spiritually all at the same time. The more foreign the travel, the more profound the effects on a person.

What traveling often does is give you fresh senses to your own nature. The questions of what can stay in your life, what can go, what can be refined, and what can be added are all cleared up upon return from travel.

Travel brings a world of possibilities to your world.

All this to say, hello world! My name is Michael McNeil, I am a pragmatic technology director, cartographer, and world traveler with a desire to share experiences, personal and professional lessons, and more through writing.

The plan for this space is a weekly letter to share thoughts, strategies, experiences, philosophies, and the lessons I learn on my own journey toward self-actualization.

These letters could range from something technical, like how to make a map using QGIS or how to write a custom program using Python, to something personal like taking you on one of our adventures or sharing a struggle or failure.

Our first destination together — this post — is inspired by a recent trip to Finland for 10 days that was long overdue. This was our first international trip since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it certainly improved my health and well-being in many ways.

What follows below are three themes that kept popping up during and after my time in Finland, and some ideas for incorporating these into your life at home.

1. What you give to others > What you get from others.

In this distracted and endlessly-entertained world, perhaps the most important thing you can give to others?

Your undivided attention.

2. Keep it simple.

Remember: Simple does not mean easy.

It is hard to wake up without hitting the snooze button every day, to admit when you made a mistake, and to ask for help when you need it.

These things are simple, but not easy.

3. Get back to nature.

More nature, less __________. Some things to fill in this blank:

• News

• Busyness

• Ego

• Screen Time

• Waste

The more time you spend in nature, the sharper your focus on the things that matter most like __________. Some things to fill in this blank:

• Relationships

• Giving

• Craft

• Learning

• Community

Thank you for reading and for joining me on this trip. My hope is that the lessons I learn along the way and share here are helpful to someone else out there.

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