Day 184: Tubing in Napa

At the ferry terminalLaura and I head to the farmers market at the ferry terminal where we join Tina, Edilsa and Mac.    

Tina picks up some fruit at the farmer’s marketWe buy some breads, cheeses, berries and falafel. 

Laura hit the sites yesterday before I arrived, so today we are going to Napa.  But we’re not going for a typical day of wine tasting at the vineyards.  Instead, we’re going tubing.  

Tina’s friends Meg and Greg help us load up the car and follow us as we head north to Napa. 

Greg, Meg, Tina and Mac loading up the car

Laura, Tina and EdilsaMac directs me to the Golden Gate Bridge, which doesn’t provide great views of anything other than the Bay mist, but we have the top down nonetheless. 

Laura is not missing this moment to take pictures.  She is standing up, rain in her face, wind blowing her hair into knots, and she is grinning ear to ear.  She looks up and kisses the sky.

Her excitement and zest for life sometimes takes me by surprise.  She inspires me to appreciate these little moments, which become wonderful memories that we’ll have for the rest of our lives.

We head to sports authority where we pick up our rafts, join a caravan of Tina’s friends and head to the river.

Stocking up on supplies 

Ready for the riverSee more pictures.

Day 183: A Fresh Perspective

I am traveling again so it’s about time I start writing again too.  Everyday our relationships evolve and we grow through our experiences, but when we travel and we are taken away from our routine, we are forced to see things in a new light.  We meet people and experience things that shape our perspective without searching.  

Today I am flying to San Francisco, where I am joining Laura who landed yesterday.   On the flight I am browsing the travel section on nytimes.com, reading about the Amalfi Coast.  I am planning a trip there in August with Ryan.  An article in the bottom right corner of the page about a music site grabs my attention.  After reading the article, I notice that the guy next to me is using the site.   I ask him about it.  “It’s my company,” he informs me. 

Over the course of the flight, we talk about the company and share some of our life stories.  The man, who I will refer to as S, tells me that he has started ten companies.  He calls his serial entrepreneurship a sickness.  “I never wanted to work for someone else, so I started companies and I can’t stop,” he confesses.  But at the moment he has a new lease on life.  He illustrates how volatile his world is.  At the peak, he was a hero.  Everyone was making money, loved him, praised him and he could do no wrong.  Just as quickly as he got up there, he fell back down as the company’s success dwindled and he received daily calls from investors complaining that they had overpaid.

He took some time off for himself and his most recent success came about by accident.  At first, he and his partner didn’t plan to turn it into a business, but the idea has taken off.  He wasn’t looking for the next big thing but it came to him.

One of the things that I continue to struggle with is my direction.  Silverlake has been a great experience for me.  I’ve been learning a lot and building a new skill set, but it is not a full time commitment.  I need something else.  I thought I would have found my calling by now.  As Laura’s time with me comes to an end, I am growing anxious about what I am going to do when I return to New York

His story and advice give me hope that I will figure it out.  My eyes are open but I can’t force it.  I need to have faith that it will find me.  It will just click and I’ll know what to do.   For now, at least I have to hope so…