Summer’s almost gone in the northern hemisphere….and I couldn’t be happier!
Not about Summer being over. I love summer. I love the sun, the warm weather, all the activities available to me…and unlike many people I even like a little “heat” like we had recently here in the Perfect Weather City (it even got up to 87 degrees at the coast, more than most people here could handle!).
The last 3 days I: went surfing, played beach volleyball, went to a party on the beach, and hiked in Elfin Forest. Not too terrible of a weekend!
And, everything is in constant change for me. It would be enough to give a lot of people a heart attack! But I just want more of it.
So on August 15th, I moved out of my downtown studio apartment that I loved, and temporarily moved in with a friend in North County, Solana Beach to be exact. And I went from having about 450 square feet to myself to sharing a 600 square foot place! I also live in a closet! It’s pretty comical, I literally have clothes hanging above my head.
I also broke down and bought a car….a hybrid. Okay, it’s a Prius! I’m now saving the earth and can judge others for not caring. Not really, but the car does play in to my plans next month.
But it’s all been amazing at the same time. Coincidentally, I’m re-reading the book, The Power of Now by Eckert Tolle. While some of it is a little out there, and woo-woo (or is it wu-wu?), I’m finding that most of it can be applied in a really positive way to life- especially when things are changing constantly.
Constant Change is Here To Stay
-Rush, “Digital Man“, from the album “Signals”
There are so many things I want to do and see that I came to the realization that I needed to really start embracing this Rush lyric. I’ve actually enjoyed the challenges of re-adjusting to having a roommate, and I can see how well this is preparing me for…..another adventure!
I was looking at getting an apartment recently. I thought I wanted to be more “stable”, and to “settle down” and to get organized, get consistent, live more “normally” and meld into “society”.
The problem was I looked at a bunch of places and none of them seemed right. Even when I upped my budget a bit and saw some nicer places online, I was even less interested in inquiring.
I think this is how I’m viewing it. I spent 2.5 months in Asia, never staying more than a handful of nights in one place. I had constant change and time slowed down. I was happy and at peace living in the moment most of the time. I got used to that, even though it was stressful at times.
Downtown was a nice transition to reality. It was all new to me. And, there’s lots of activity and action there, so things were never really dull. But, I got used to things….and soon the newness wore off, like it always does. Being in North County is like a new atmosphere with new routines and things and places to check out. Looking at signing a year lease somewhere suddenly sounded awful!
So now, Southwest Adventure is in the works.
Nothing is planned yet. I’m vaguely looking at getting to Las Vegas on September 8th, and on the 9th I will be watching the Ironman 70.3 Championships and cheering on my assistant to Tri Swim Coach, Chris Hague. From there, I’m looking at going to Flagstaff, AZ, the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and then over to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I’d like to stay in Santa Fe for a bit. 7 days? 10 days? 14 days? I don’t know. There’s lots to see and do there, and I’d like to get some serious hiking in. After that, I think southern Colorado would be in the works, go through Grand Junction, hit the wine country, then swing down through Southern Utah and make my way back to SoCal!
So that’s a rough thought of where I’ll be going. I’d like to do some couch surfing, some hotels, and some camping.
And to get around, my Prius will help cut down on gas stops and expenditures.
That’s about as much as I’ve thought through at this point.
In the mean time, I’m super excited to be right here, right now. I’ve got some really exciting business projects I’m working on, and I’m in the best shape I’ve been in all year.
Of course, I’ve had to deal with all the reasons to not hit the road. Many things are popping up here that will be during that time. Events, work stuff, social stuff, business stuff. I will miss out on all of it. But, like my dad always said growing up- “life is a trade-off.”
And what has solidified my thinking on this is talking to a friend today about what makes life exciting. Having a nice place to live, going to a nice gym, buying $5 fancy coffee drinks every day sort of ease the 8-5 grind a bit, but are these the things we will remember when we’re old? Is it even possible that I could say “Wow, I’m SO glad I lived in that house for 30 years and didn’t veer far from it! It was so NICE! And my gym brings back such great memories! The time I ran 10 miles on the treadmill, or when I lifted 5 extra pounds on the bench press! Memories!”
Or, no matter what the outcome, is it more possible that I will be like “I swung through SE Asia and met dozens of really interesting people, then lived in downtown San Diego for a bit and headed off to the desert and saw some of the prettiest places on earth and hiked my butt off, and had some of the craziest adventures….”
So I will miss out on my local coffee house for a bit and the next 3 networking events, and probably someone’s birthday. I think I’ll live. Life.
