It has been far too long and I am back again, hopefully back to posting at least once a week.  As I thought about my resolutions for the coming year, I reflected on what I most wanted out of my life.  I will spare you the entirety of my resolutions, but the major one is relatively simple: to enjoy my life, something (no matter how small) every day.

It’s easy to get bogged down in the stress of daily/weekly life; to focus only on the negative.  I should know because at times I am an All-Pro at this.  For me it can start with something as simple as enjoying a day like today, in which I had nothing that I had to do.  I just took a shower at 4:30 PST after sleeping in this morning, having a wonderful omelet brunch, and watching playoff football.  Even when I am having a day like today, when I actually get to do what I want to do, I have trouble not getting restless and wondering if there is something I should be doing.  That should be another resolution for me- eliminate the word “should” and focus instead on what I am doing or can do.

I hope you’re starting the year of right, which means starting it out the way you want to, and I will leave you with a link to truly uplifting and wonderful video.  It really puts life into perspective and you can’t help wanting to make the most of what you have.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=9xwCG0Ey2Mg

Back to more football!

I was sitting outside, sipping on a cappuccino at one of my two new favorite cafes in San Francisco, with book in hand, enjoying the fact that I wasn’t in the sweltering Washington DC heat and humidity typical of the summer months there.  I was taking a bit of a break from my all encompassing job search, which as positive as I have tried to keep myself, has definitely been a struggle at times.  Across from me was the cafe’s garbage bin, and as I glanced up from my book, a homeless man walked up to the bin, rummaged through it for about ten seconds and then pulled out a partially eaten pastry, and ate the rest of it.

Many of us have been told at some point by parents, grandparents, and friends to appreciate what we have, and not to focus on what we don’t have.  I certainly fail at doing this way too much.  But this was one of those instances that I did appreciate what I have in my life: an incredible girlfriend, a loving family, and great friends, along with a place to sleep at night and food to eat throughout the day.  I was made to realize once again that things are usually not as bad as we sometimes might think they are.

It was the first full day on the Strip for my girlfriend and I, and we had just finished getting some gelato at the Bellagio. We were seeing a show that night and our hotel, the Luxor, was on the opposite end of the Strip. Tired from walking around all day, and running late, we decided to cab it back to our hotel, knowing full well that it would be quite an expensive 10 minute ride.

We got into the cab line at the Bellagio, and were soon on our way. It was our cab driver’s first ride of the night. As I have a tendency to do, I struck up a conversation, and soon we were learning quite a bit about his life.

He works 6 days a week, from 5:00 PM to 3:00 AM, though by the time he gets home it ends up closer to 3:30 AM. He works the night shift, at about a 60 hour-per-week clip, with one full day off each week. He lives outside the Strip, with his wife and children, and had moved to Vegas from Los Angeles two years earlier. And before that he had lived in Korea.

Our cab driver was extremely friendly, and throughout our conversation with him, it became readily apparent that he was a very good-natured and kind person. He asked where we were visiting from, and upon hearing that we were headed to San Francisco, he exclaimed that he had always wanted to live there as well. We were nearing the end of our drive, and as we were getting out I mentioned that were he to decide that he wanted to join us the next day on our way to San Francisco, we would have room in our car for one more!

Here was a man at the very beginning of a long night shift. A 10 hour night ahead of him. Could you blame him if he wasn’t in the best of moods? If perhaps he wasn’t all too friendly? If he chose to remain silent, instead of sharing some personal details about his life? I wouldn’t be able to blame him. Not at all.

Instead, he had a positive outlook, and he seemed to sense that in his 60 hour weeks there was a strong purpose. The purpose of supporting his family.

As we stepped out of the cab, my girlfriend and I looked at each other and smiled. I made some remark about our driver being such a nice guy. But it went beyond that for me. Not only was he a nice guy, but he provided me with some perspective that I sometimes lack. There have been (and I am sure there will continue to be) days in which I have had a negative/pessimistic attitude as a result of much smaller “problems”. His example is one I need to try and emulate, and if successful, I will surely experience life for the better. A nice lesson to learn from a 10 minute ride!