and the chapters in between
August 31, 2015 Leave a comment
Design in My Favorite Things: Reclaimed wood from wine barrels
Architecture and Java: Like Blue Bottle Coffee
June 29, 2015 Leave a comment
Time to Take Flight in the Second Half of 2015 (in Lolo Cevicheria in the Mission)
I used to write often, but now other things have taken precedence, for instance, self-improvement and catching up financially after the Great Recession. But it doesn’t mean I’m not fulfilling my purpose in my life. I’m where I’m supposed to be, and for a change, it feels good. It feels right. Often connecting to this energy takes plenty of effort. However, there are moments when it’s easy-peasy, when I’m in the right place at the right time.
I went to an art show early this month for the nonprofit Swords to Plowshares and bumped into my old boss, its executive
director. Meeting him after a few years was meaningful in a way I didn’t expect in the sense that I could and should perhaps think about giving some of my time to a good cause. I’m not sure what that is just yet, however, I imagine there are a slew of them needing my skills and experience gratis.
So this is the mindset coming out of a moment that saw the Golden State Warriors pull out Game 4 in the NBA Finals and eventually win the title after 40 years. As I separate from the first half of the year, new and interesting avenues are opening up for me to explore and once again move forward.
February 20, 2015 Leave a comment
Since I passed my year anniversary at work last month, it’s time to focus on things that make me feel more like myself and organize my life around necessity and passion. Lo and behold, my favorite local grocery, Canyon Market, had wine-tastings featuring some of my beloved winemakers, like Donkey & Goat and Crew Wines.
Wine broker Chris Scanlan and D&G winemaker Jared Brandt (right)
Donkey & Goat among others were characterized in a 2013 New York Times article by Eric Asimov as “a new wave of energetic winemakers” who “have been shaped by the same worldwide diversity of wines their audience,” looking “to the traditions of northeastern Italy, and the Jura, of Galicia and Sicily, of the Rhone Valley, Slovenia and many other lesser-known regions that make this moment so exciting for wine lovers.”
Matchbook wines come from Yolo County near Sacramento in Zamora, Calif.
I’m drawn to them perhaps because they speak to me as someone with a myriad of experiences, who hasn’t had a linear path to reach this point as things are coming together–“the hourglass point between energy and matter,” to which self-help author Gary Zukav refers, “that is the seat of the soul.” Here’s to life. Cheers!
September 30, 2014 Leave a comment
Moments of clarity have given way to moments of truth, and it is only fitting that the last quarter of the year should bring it. Most of the year was spent adjusting to a new job and even the possibility of romance, but the overarching theme really is the spiritual angle, which has more than insinuated itself in my midlife.June 29, 2014 2 Comments
I told myself once when I am properly ensconced in the right job that I would take steps to do more of the things I love. But I realize nothing was really stopping me (with the exception of my finances), and I just needed to be in the right frame of mind.
Journalist Oliver Burkeman brought this front and center in his book “The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking” (excerpts of which could also be found in http://time.com).
It also reminded me of the 1995 movie “French Kiss,” in which Meg Ryan’s character managed to overcome her fear of flying with the help of the incorrigible Kevin Kline, to finally confront her scoundrel fiance (Timothy Hutton) and his hottie on a beach in Cannes:
“Well… Charlie, I’m going through some sort of transitional thing. See, after you called, I decided to get on a plane to Paris and get you back.
But there was no way everything I’d been building toward would be destroyed because some pouty little–this is before I knew you personally–bitch, wanted to steal a husband.
I bought the ticket, got on the plane and somehow made it over the ocean. Then an extraordinary thing happened.
Everything went wrong.
So I was wandering the streets of Paris, penniless, without a hope in the world. And, let me tell you, you can do a lot of soul-searching in a time like that. I realized that I’ve spent most of my adult life trying to protect myself from exactly this situation.
And you can’t do it. There’s no home safe enough, no relationship secure enough. You’re setting yourself up for an even bigger fall and having an incredibly boring time in the process. Sorry, Charlie.”
Check the movie out for yourself:
December 29, 2013 2 Comments
Yes, it is sitting on a wooden wine box.
A year ago it was so difficult to allow myself to find joy around this time of year, but I look around and see it so much more clearly now. As another song goes, love is all around.
I removed from storage a framed collage of photos of my Paris trip long ago and set it prominently on my shelf as a reminder of happy days–they are here again. The pop songs never seem to end.
But I suppose what I’m trying to convey, at least to myself, is to keep things simple and light. I know it’s easier said than done. But when I push through a hardship, it’s important to focus on what is so good about being alive.
And then an interesting thing happened to me at the end of this year: I landed a new job. It was the Christmas gift I was waiting and hoping for. In another moment of reflection, I remember a friend telling me to be sure I am running toward something as opposed to running away from a situation. I’m happy to report it is the former. Right now it does feel like Paris In December.
November 4, 2013 1 Comment
Sometimes I am so focused on the minutiae of my life that I don’t see the forest from the trees. But now I am beginning to see where I had come and where I am going. Perhaps driving this a-ha moment is a new month whose arrival assuredly signals the ending of another year, or gaining an extra hour in the day gives the impression of having more time.
Whatever the case may be, it has been a long, strange journey at times marked by more sleepless nights that I could remember. During one of them, I was surfing on the net and came across Conan O’Brien’s commencement speech to Dartmouth University’s class of 2011. In closing, he said, “Work hard, be kind and amazing things will happen.”
I’ve certainly put in lots of effort to return to some kind of equilibrium and distributed enough good will and faith to those I’ve met. I guess the amazing thing is surviving and the relief of getting through situations relatively unscathed. As I get older, I appreciate these moments so much more–even more than words can say.
