REFLECTIONS AT MIDNIGHT ON TURNING 30: My 20s were awesome. I mean that in its most literal sense: full of awe. Awe is powerful. It can draw wonder, fear, hope, joy, love, hate, and a plethora of other emotions from deep within - nuanced, profound, and intense. And they were intense. I moved from Sacramento to San Jose were I attended San Jose State. There, I met my future wife, dropped out, and took several jobs during years of poverty, stress, and uncertainty. I had the most amazing friends, really growing up with them as we all diverged to a thousand, wildly different paths. I took a job at Apple Retail, left Apple to start a business, and came back to work in Cupertino, and moved to San Francisco with my then financé. Between those points, I lost my mother to lung cancer, watched my sister divorce, my father and brother move away, and several close friends die at young ages from various accidents (and one murder). I soon got married, and began traveling frequently - first a few times to Mexico, then to Canada, Italy, Germany the Netherlands, the UK, Norway, Greece, and Croatia. I went to 23 states in the US and took a significant amount of respectably medium to high-quality photos (if I do say so myself). There were other things too. The timeline of all these moments has all but washed away now for me, but their lessons are truer than time. I discovered my fierce love of the outdoors while hiking sections of the Cascades, Rockies, the Mohave, and the John Muir Trail in heat, ice, and fierce wind. I climbed Mount Rainier, Mount Shasta, and so many more that Ive lost count. I went skydiving with my father and learned to let go of a lot of things from the past that dont matter. I spent an entire summer surfing with a good friend, and learned to value of surrounding myself with kindness. I took six months to learn every pro app from Adobe and Apple, and I seriously contemplated becoming wildlife photographer. Life rewards those that help themselves with hard work, and are passionate about experiencing new things. One year, I ran five miles and lifted weights to prepare myself for a career as a policeman. On the day that I was accepted into the academy, I was also given another job offer. I had to choose. More important than the choice that I made was learning to accept that choice. I married my wife after almost a decade. We also grew up together, and learned that love is not only fiery and passionate, but a thousand subtle decisions that you take everyday. Love must be made to be truly wonderful. I almost joined the Army once, but didnt. I almost became a war correspondent once, but didnt. I worked in a deli. At a drug store. And many others places, too many to recount here. All those places, those lessons, are gifts. There was physical hardship. I broke three ribs on a snowboarding trip, and crushed my left thumb with a hammer setting up a tent during a storm. I was jumped by a gang and severely beaten, mugged twice, dislocated both my legs in two separate incidents, and had three concussions that I can recall... which may explain more than you realize. Yet I am still here. My scars are stories. My pain is a blessing. It teaches me patience. So while I have no idea where Ill be - or if Ill be - at 40, I am grateful. On my 16th birthday, one of my teachers told me that birthdays, weddings, and funerals were some of the most misunderstood events in our lives, and that they were really all the same. They arent for us at all, he said, but for those around us to remember that life is precious and short and not to be taken lightly. Thank you to all my friends and family. Life is pretty awesome.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 08:09:28 +0000
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