Sail away from the safe harbor!

The three weeks sit downs (San Jose, Thousand Oaks, and Tempe) were amazing! What was especially enjoyable about them was a few crew members, and myself rented a car and were able to really explore and see the sights. We went to Hearst Castle, which I highly recommend, rode up highway 1 which is gorgeous, hiked in Joshua tree national park, and toured the Reagan presidential library. Keep these places in mind when reading my Junto, they were part of that living life idea. We have also played Santa Barbara, Bakersfield, and Modesto (an amazing town, think taco trucks, with great locals). Yesterday we had a day off at a casino in Elko, NV that bested me, and today we are in Rock Spring, WY on our way to Pueblo and Greeley, CO.

Junto

Have you ever had one of those ideas that make you wonder how it took you x amount of years to realize it? I had one of those during my quarter life crisis, as my friend likes to jokingly refer to it. At my college, as I’m sure at most, one of the most frequent phrases heard during orientation is, “College is what you make of it.” I took this idea to heart, and had a great four years in college, making lasting friendships and taking part in numerous enriching organizations. So, what is this simple idea that I couldn’t believe took me twenty four years to realize?

            I have thankfully been blessed to have amazing jobs touring this great nation, and will be taking a vacation with my Dad in May to visit Hawaii, my 50^th state. While this job, and especially the travel involved are amazing, it can easily have all the stigmas of a “job” attached to it and lose its sense of wonder. A friend of mine was texting me a few weeks back, when she asked how tour was I gave her my usual answer, and she stated, “You better be careful or I am going to think that tour is boring.” As I thought about this concept, about how a job so amazing can get boring, it hit me; life is what you make of it. How the idea that life is what we make of it took me 24 years to formalize, I will never know. I think we as humans easily fall into ruts, and expect entertainment and fulfillment to be given to us through our jobs, when in reality we have to do those things. We have to go out and make life all it can be.

            I was watching a show about ER doctors and nurses on TV a few nights ago and they had a case where a mother almost died. It took numerous hours for the woman to be diagnosed and she came very close to death. When she was finally able to leave the hospital she took the time to thank the doctor for saving her life. The doctor stated on the program, “When you are doing the day to day you think of it as a job…” I share this story to demonstrate that life is what we make of it. If a doctor who literally works miracles every day to save peoples lives can fall into a rut and see his work as just a “job”, how easy is it for us? As mentioned in the where I have been section, taking time out to see the sites is part of how I am taking hold of life and making it what I want it to be.