Starting Over

I hit the reset button in 2024.

I believe that two things can be true at the same time. Two things can contradict each other and both be right. 

Last year was full of abrupt endings. Some of them I wasn’t ready for. Accomplishments I had fought for, suffered for, and spent years building suddenly ended. Opportunities slipped away, and I spent the year feeling like I was climbing a down escalator.

Yet, at the same time, 2024 surprised me. For every closed door, more seemed to open. New paths emerged; ones I hadn’t even considered.

The paradox of 2024 is that I both stagnated and progressed. Two conflicting truths, each valid in its own way.

Now, it’s 2025, and I’m staring down the barrel of colossal life changes. One of the biggest being my move back to Japan. A place that, for me, carries the weight of past hardships (some of them self-inflicted). A place I once swore I’d never return to. And yet, here I am, asking for another chance. I choose to start over and try again.

With that, I’m also resetting austinseyes.com. The old site was a product of 2024. This site is a product of 2025. I’ve added this blog to make it more personal. This is a space where friends, family, and anyone passing by can stay up to date on our journey.

The hardest part about living on the other side of the world is that it’s so goddamn far. I read books like Surprise, Kill, Vanish—stories of people like legendary Green Beret Billy Waugh, who spent his life traveling the world, constantly on the move, never fully stopping. It sounds exhilarating until you realize that once you start, you can’t just turn it off and go home. But, this is what I asked for. So I may as well take some pictures along the way.

Here’s to 2025. Whatever happens.