Life In The Pacific Northwest
The train’s horn carries
Upon the suburban calm
Miles from the shore
I often hear the train’s whistle miles away from the Edmonds shore. A few miles, up the hill, from Puget Sound. It actually delights me. Well, at times the intense quiet unnerves me. At my core, I’m an urbanite.
It’s been a mixed year for me. I started a new job, one that pushed me far outside my comfort zone. As a rather cautious soul, that’s been quite challenging at times to deal with. The frustration of too much to do with constrained tome.
Another frustrating element for me: learning new stuff. It’s one thing to expand my knowledge, quite another to learn a new role, where a company depends upon my effectiveness. It’s a rather terrifying sensation.
More positively, I’ve grown as a martial artist, and my family has done some great stuff. I’ve deepened friendships I valued, and grown to new ones. I’ve also spent the past few weeks studying myself, seeking to deepen my understanding of what brings me joy, what brings me success.
There’s great emotional risk in doing such. What if those ideas I’ve invested so much energy in turn out to be bad fits? Of course, my internal counterpoint needs to be “why would I want to invest time, emotion and energy into something that robs joy and beauty from my life?
So, exploring, growing, developing: that’s my theme right now. What about you?
The day rockets by
I never feel like I’ve completed
Enough
There’s always so very much
Left to do
Found this post while reviewing my blog: Overactive Mind.Written back in 2011, I still struggle with overflowing data streams, too much email, and finding focus. Well, better to call the last part “retaining focus”. A challenge over my adult life: focus. So many cool things to learn, study, do.
I struck me seeing how little changed over 6 years. Ok, that’s frustrating, too. Really? The SAME issues? Sigh…..
Looking back over my adult life, well, still the same. Seeking focus, passion sums up my quest. Ultimately, I seek passion. For work that consumes me so deeply, filling me daily with delight, wonder and energy.
Business, administration and all that received my attention. Mainly, my natural talent simply pulled me along. I never felt the passion which I sought. That nagged me.
I see now my passion lies in place and family. My connection to community drives me. I love people: stories, struggles and the simple beauties which define our humanity.
This region, this Puget Sound area, and western Washington, hold my heart, my history. Generations of my ancestors walked here, loved here, died here. THIS resonates with me.
Writing also generates passion within me. I started journaling as a young man, with my writings going back to the 1980s (my mind fails to embrace how long ago the 80s were). Even though I devalued my work and ambitions (so much hubris: a writer?), still I wrote. Helping me find peace in terrible times of my life, see so many things clearly, and hold hope, writing kept my sanity and gave me meaning.
Well, clearly I defined my life’s passion. Here in this blog lies the manifestation of the intersection of my passions. Now, though: focusing upon them. The terrifying risk of failure focusing on my loves. Facing down the negative self-talk surrounding all this. So much left to accomplish in this journey. What a feeling of excitement and terror. Fortunately, you are along, too. That gives me peace.
I’ve been a long-time fan of PhD Comics. This one connects as I’ve long struggled with Impostor Syndrome. I’m at a point in life where I’m often angry and frustrated that my mind races down these paths of self-doubt and counteracting my successes.
So, add in the Lord of the Rings reference and you have a total geek winner for me.
Coffee came up several times for me today. Ok, well that sounds like a case of indigestion. Coffee came up in discussion several times today. Which got me thinking…
Coffee holds a special place in my life, and my heart. First: well, coffee goes back to childhood. I adored smelling coffee brewing growing up. Loved the feel of the old Starbucks in Pike Place, back when there were spices and stuff. That very first espresso. The sophisticated feeling of sitting in cafes. Oh, so very much delight in the old, old feels.
Being a broke college student post-Navy, the cafes on Capitol Hill, Queen Anne and the U-District were important haunts. Places to study, to read, meet friends; so very critical at that point of my life. Low cost style and elegance.
For just over 5 years, I worked on the Corporate Social Responsibility team at Starbucks. For a year before that, I was part of the Public Affairs team, within the Global Communications group. I lived and breathed coffee during that time. That’s where I learned about roast curves, growing regions, different flavor profiles, the agricultural impacts upon the coffee, as well as the “processing method” and the instrumental way that impacts flavor.
I got to gently counter disparagement to my former employer. Even though I was laid off from there, nor is it my favorite coffee (that honor is tied between Ladro and Tony’s right now). (Fun fact: Tony’s was roasting Ladro’s beans until very recently). Yet I think highly of Starbucks, both in the coffee quality as well as the quality of the company. Several of my dearest friends came out of that experience.
Also, I went by Narrative Coffee’s space again, and saw Cafe Wylde. Both are places I want, well, need to try out. And I think I should write more about coffee here. Kinda fits a “Not Just Seattle” theme, don’t you think?
Care to recommend other coffee establishments for me to try? I’ll need to craft a list of my explorations to-date soon.
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Peter Dinklage, currently famous for his role as Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones spoke at Bennington College’s commencement in 2012. Here’s a nice highlight reel.
The basic theme: Don’t Wait. Don’t wait to pursue your dreams, to take risks, to be fully alive. I also appreciate his incorporation of Beckett: “Ever tried, ever failed. No matter, try again. Fail again, fail better.”
Now, this advice scares the crop out of me. But i know it’s true. Greatness is never achieved without facing fears, without taking risks, without facing failure. The only real failure in life is giving up, or it’s mirror image: never starting. So, don’t wait.
https://youtu.be/aCnB9lgaCd0
One of the privileges of my life: teaching at taekwondo. Today I worked with two young white belt girls. They were fierce, bold and assertive. They delighted me greatly. Louder than the boys in my group, energetic and solid kicks: I was massively proud.
Our culture spends too much energy holding girls back. Emphasis upon fitting in, on being unassuming. I love seeing these kids beat back stereotypes. I see great things for these fierce young woman.
There’s a very distinctive rattle that woodpeckers make. I find it pleasant for the most part. Except when coming from my roof in the early morning.
Bearing no malice, and actually feeling rather amused, I grabbed a handful of fir cones. Several throws later, I finally communicated my desire for it to find a tree to peck upon.
Hard to sleep with that racket. Plus, holes in my roofing are undesirable.
At my taekwondo school, many of us have adopted this slogan: “fight like a girl”. A couple of the women I train with are thinking the next iteration of this is pink t-shirts with this phrase.
Overhearing this I stated I would proudly wear one myself. And I want to be clear: truly, deeply, definitely I would.
I adore the fierce and talented women and girls in my life. The amazing and wonderful things they’re doing to make our world better…I’m privileged to be a part, to witness and, sometimes, even help out.
So, get the shirts and let me buy one. A humble little thing I can do.