Last week I shared that I lost my job in late August, and was now, ~3 months later, moving to Spain. What I did not share was what unfolded during those in between months.
Once things had finalized with my company, I began organizing my professional materials to pursue my next gig. I interviewed with a few companies, but was not terribly excited by much of anything. To clear my head and give myself some space to think, I decided to make a trek out to Yellowstone. I camped, hiked, ran, biked, read and wrote. I visited old friends and made several new ones.
During the drive home, I realized that I had met more people in one week’s time than I had met over the last few years - work colleagues and clients excluded. This was enlightening as well as upsetting to me, as people are my favorite thing on this planet.
Once things had finalized with my company, I began organizing my professional materials to pursue my next gig. I interviewed with a few companies, but was not terribly excited by much of anything. To clear my head and give myself some space to think, I decided to make a trek out to Yellowstone. I camped, hiked, ran, biked, read and wrote. I visited old friends and made several new ones.
During the drive home, I realized that I had met more people in one week’s time than I had met over the last few years - work colleagues and clients excluded. This was enlightening as well as upsetting to me, as people are my favorite thing on this planet.
(You'll learn why if you read Ch.1, “The Circle,” of my upcoming book - “The 5 Investments.")
How could I have made more friends in a week than I had made over the last few years? Upsetting, but not a complete tragedy.
Here's why:
I am already surrounded by and blessed with a remarkable group of people. If we are getting the entire group together, we are 60+ easily - and that's excluding my parent’s friends, many of which have now become intimate with the circle we have built over the years. I had not continued to meet new people, as I already have a tremendous amount of friendships.
It remained an issue though because I love meeting new people and building new relationships.
So, I desired to get away - not to part from my family and friends - but to seek out other people, other cultures and extend the network elsewhere. And not because my group is not more than enough, but because with more of them we could learn more, do more and see more, as we grow and cultivate the lives we desire. I quickly began seeking opportunities to travel overseas.
Teaching would be wonderful, but time consuming, and I have a number of time-intensive projects underway. That's when I stumbled into the idea of being an au pair.
As an au pair, I would be able to live in another country, meet new people, study a foreign language, share of myself and my culture with another family, and continue to invest into the projects that interest and excite me most. Maybe not the coolest or most elegant method of living abroad for some, but an avenue that would give me the opportunity I desired and not exhaust me financially.
I could not have stumbled into a more perfect opportunity - and it is in complete thanks to the family here. You will learn about them and all of their talents, gifts and charms in an upcoming post - “La familia.”
Getting here was no small feat, and took investments of various resources from a number of different people. See upcoming post, “Acknowledgements,” for further details on this front.
We are just over 1 week into this excursion and the amount of experiences are too many to count. I will attempt to capture all that unfolded in the upcoming post, “The First Week,” but will allow the pictures to do the majority of explaining.
Wishing you all well back home and elsewhere!
Alex
$.50 PhilosophyIt remained an issue though because I love meeting new people and building new relationships.
So, I desired to get away - not to part from my family and friends - but to seek out other people, other cultures and extend the network elsewhere. And not because my group is not more than enough, but because with more of them we could learn more, do more and see more, as we grow and cultivate the lives we desire. I quickly began seeking opportunities to travel overseas.
Teaching would be wonderful, but time consuming, and I have a number of time-intensive projects underway. That's when I stumbled into the idea of being an au pair.
As an au pair, I would be able to live in another country, meet new people, study a foreign language, share of myself and my culture with another family, and continue to invest into the projects that interest and excite me most. Maybe not the coolest or most elegant method of living abroad for some, but an avenue that would give me the opportunity I desired and not exhaust me financially.
I could not have stumbled into a more perfect opportunity - and it is in complete thanks to the family here. You will learn about them and all of their talents, gifts and charms in an upcoming post - “La familia.”
Getting here was no small feat, and took investments of various resources from a number of different people. See upcoming post, “Acknowledgements,” for further details on this front.
We are just over 1 week into this excursion and the amount of experiences are too many to count. I will attempt to capture all that unfolded in the upcoming post, “The First Week,” but will allow the pictures to do the majority of explaining.
Wishing you all well back home and elsewhere!
Alex
Upcoming Posts:
"Future Wife"
"An Open Letter to a Dear Friend #2"
"La familia"
Thank you for sharing your Spain adventures with us. This will definitely be some of your most memorable times in your life and keeping a journal via this blog will provide you and all of us a wonderful record of all of this. Much love, my friend.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the post, John. This opportunity has offered far more than I dreamed it would. If you are feeling froggy, jump the Atlantic and pay us a visit - I promise an outstanding time! I love you very much.
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