2023 Year in Review

2023 was a good year. For me, it was the first year since the pandemic that seemed normal, or at least more like how things were before the pandemic. I met up with a lot more people in person and there were certainly more in-person events. It reminded me that I actually do enjoy physically being around other people. The most memorable moment from this past year was a canoe trip down the Buffalo River. It’s a beautiful river that I’ve floated many times before, but this trip was unlike any other.

I had made a few new friends and suggested floating the Buffalo for fun. I didn’t think they’d actually take me up on the offer since I knew one of them was definitely not interested in going. However, this was balanced out by another one of them really wanting to go. Apparently the one that really wanted to go was very convincing. So, on a Friday in late April, the four of us drove down to Ponca to float the upper Buffalo. Two of them had never gone canoeing before, the other one had gone a couple times, but it had been a while. The Buffalo is not a super difficult river to float but it’s not the easiest either. It’s a very scenic river so I thought it’d be a nice river to go out on for their first float. I forgot about some of the somewhat challenging rapids but was quickly reminded. We paired the two who had never canoed before together, this was probably not the best decision. About 5 minutes into the float there was a series of very gentle rapids, they got their canoe stuck and turned around. Little did we know that this was foreshadowing for the rest of the trip down the river. It was pretty shallow so getting out of the canoe and straightening it out wasn’t difficult. My canoe partner and I saw them turned around and pulled to the side to wait for them. We watched, amused, as they got going again. About 20 minutes later we approached a fairly sharp turn that was a bit more challenging to navigate. There were some overhanging roots from some bushes, so you had to sort of lay back in the canoe. We were the first canoe to go through and got through just fine. We pulled to the side to wait for the others. As we watched them come through, we noticed they were going a little fast. They weren’t able to lean back in time and reacted by leaning to the side. The canoe flipped and they were both in the water. It was pretty cold, and they were not happy. Needless to say, they were not having a good time. I walked back to help them dump their canoe and get going again. One of them turned to me and asked if we could just carry the canoes back upriver and go home. Unfortunately, the river only goes one way, and the only way out was through. I felt pretty bad at this point, but we continued. They flipped their canoe several more times and at one point got the canoe stuck. The current was pushing the canoe up against a fallen log and it was not coming out. Luckily some other people stopped to help. It ended up taking 6 people to get the canoe out. I thought that would be the most harrowing part of the float, but there was more to come. We switched partners thinking maybe that would make things go smoother, it did not.? The scariest part of the trip was when one of the canoes flipped and pinned one of them behind it. Their left leg was stuck between the canoe and the stump of a tree. I scrambled over to pull on the canoe, but it wasn’t budging. Other people quickly ran over to help, and we were able to get her free. Her ankle got pretty beaten up but fortunately nothing was broken. I had her ride in my canoe the rest of the trip. By the time we made it to the landing area, everyone was exhausted and relieved. It was supposed to be a 4-hour float down the river, it took us closer to 8.

That canoe trip was a good metaphor for the year. Some parts of the year were nice and smooth, while other parts were a little rough. Some things take longer than expected and that’s ok. Sometimes you get a little wet and uncomfortable, but we survived. My biggest takeaway from that trip is sometimes you just have to go with the flow, or as Garth Brooks says, “you know a dream is a like a river, ever changing as it flows, and the dreamer’s just a vessel that must follow where it goes.”

Here are a few of the other highlights from the year, though nothing quite as eventful as that canoe trip.

Lapovations, LLC closed a $1.25M Series A round of funding. We also got $500k SBIR Phase IIB grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) .

Science Venture Studio (SVS) keeps evolving and expanding, increasing its impact in Northwest Arkansas and across the region. Working with Katie Thompson and Douglas Hutchings has been intellectually stimulating. Additionally, the work with SVS has exposed me to lots of interesting projects.

I also got accepted and enrolled into the inaugural Master of Science in Product Innovation cohort at the University of Arkansas -- Sam M. Walton College of Business . Through this program Sarah Goforth and David Hinton, MBA, PhD, RTTP reminded me of the importance of customer discovery. Jessica Andrews shed light on the importance of the human element when thinking about design, and Meredith Lowry taught me more about Legos and Barbie than I thought possible.?

2024 is just beginning, the possibilities are endless. Let’s make the most of it and make some memories. Every decision, every choice is an opportunity. Here’s a mashup of some of my favorite quotes that create a nice dialogue to start the year. If you have the time, check the context of each of the quotes. It’s worth it.

“…it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living or get busy dying.” (-Andy Dufresne, The Shawshank Redemption)

“Please my friend, choose to live.” (-Elnor, Star Trek: Picard S1E4)

“The best thing in life is life.” (-Ice Cube, “Until We Rich”)

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Here’s a bonus quote.

“If you only do what you can do, you will never be more than you are now.” (-Master Shifu, Kung Fu Panda 3)

Happy New Year!