Posts from the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Small Things Big

Things at work are insanely busy at the moment.  I find myself juggling a myriad of big projects and other activities – items related to winding down the current fiscal, but also preparations in advance of the coming year.  In between all of this, I have been interacting frequently with colleagues in Europe and India, which has its own set of challenges.

Time is such a precious commodity during periods like this.  I’ll be honest, it can be quite overwhelming.

It is with this backdrop that I found myself surprisingly calm early this morning.  One of first arriving to an otherwise scarce parking lot, I couldn’t help but stop for a few moments and admire the sky above.  The morning sun yawning, the mix of blues skies and clouds was pretty special.

Selfishly, I allowed myself a few moments of reprieve before fully jump-starting my day.

It’s just a small thing these clouds, but enough to stop me in my tracks.  Something – I’m not quite sure what, compelling me to walk back to my vehicle, grab my camera and snap a few pictures.

More and more, I’m trying to maintain the discipline to slow down.  I want to more frequently pause to enjoy these brief moments in time; they are quite nice actually.

Amazing how simple can be extraordinary if one stops to notice.

Connecting the Dots

For the past few years, Kelly and I have been assembling a roster of blog sites we find interesting.  We each have some unique to our personal interests (for me – triathlon, cycling, Chicago Bears football, travel, and camping & hiking – just to name a few).  

However, we also share some common blogs – mainly those published by individuals we find interesting due to their approach to life.  Generally, these are people pursuing a path atypical to the “average” 30 or 40 year old.   Its seems to us that when asked what they want to do or be when they “grow-up”, the answer is focused squarely on being happy.  Seemingly, these are people that define themselves by who they are, not what they do.

I like that.

For us, these bloggers are more than interesting, they are an inspiration, validation that there is nothing wrong with eschewing the assembly-line approach to life that many of us are commonly led to believe as being the the mature and responsible path.  For some, buying a house in the suburbs and settling into a nice community while amassing loads of stuff fits them and offers great fulfillment.

I’ve been there, I once held similar beliefs … but no longer.  For Kelly and me that approach feels more like the uncomfortable beginnings of a pending blister caused by ill-fitting shoes.

Over the past year or so, Kelly and I have begun communicating with many of the blog authors we appreciate.  I like to think of this activity as virtual community-making.  In fact, we’ve been fortunate enough to meet some of these bloggers, which has been great.  There are awesome people out there, individuals such as Brian & Leigh, Kevin & Laura, & Glenn (and soon we’ll be meeting  Tiffany & Deke).  All of these bloggers have been hugely helpful to Kelly and me.  The common denominator to our introduction to all has been the internet.

Last night, Kelly and I had the opportunity meet another blogging couple – Tim and Amanda Watson who full-time in their Airstream.  They were passing through Half Moon Bay this week and graciously invited us to their campsite.  Over the period of a couple hours, we enjoyed drinks and appetizers and of course, great conversation.

Once again, virtual became real.

Like others we’ve met, Tim and Amanda are more than bloggers – they are real people with real lives and have chosen a real lifestyle Kelly and I admire.  It was great to spend time with them.

Slowly, Kelly and I hope to continue converting virtual relationships into something that increasingly becomes tangible; more encounters wherein the virtual becomes the real.  Our hope is that over time, these brief meet-ups morph into real friendships, all courtesy of the Internet.

I really think that would be something nice.

Post Vacation Blues

The morning following a trip is always a bit of a drag. The vacation hangover can be a cruel thing – recent events still gelling into longterm pleasant memories combat with practical realities of the routine.

Yesterday Kelly and I returned from a wonderful week in Yosemite National Park. The entire week was perfect, especially the weather. I managed to stay true to my goal of not checking-in with work and the time away seemed to linger.

Then vacation was over.

I returned home and began thinking about what size mountain of unresolved issues await me at work. How many emails will I shovel into various folders before my Outlook Inbox is again free from clutter?

Before I could even get into work, I was greeted head-on this morning with a reminder that my vacation had concluded and that life in the real world is not the same as vacation.

Mother Nature can create spectacular beauty and serenity, but she can also be a real pain in the ass.

Day 10: Vacation Over

Pretty uneventful day today – one that I like to describe as being “without incident”  Kelly and I packed-up our campsite and drove home.

Overall, we had a great trip and really enjoyed visiting Yosemite National Park.  Tomorrow it’s back to work.

Other details:

Trip summary