Ten years ago I was blogging with a pen.
I was writing about my tragedy as a soccer player with two years left to prove otherwise. I’d let down a team that would eventually ask me to be their Captain, and I was unaware of the connection that I’d forge between writing and my emotions.
I was drinking underage, and I was putting off my commitment to an area of study.
The weather in Northern California still slayed me, avocado was a novel experience, and I bet I could have counted the number of times I’d eaten sushi on one hand. Maybe two.
My home then was California and my people there were becoming the kind that last forever. I thought I’d never leave the sunshine and the crisp intelligence that seemed to pour out of people’s ears. There were hills and mild winters and things like surfing and outdoor malls.
My first home there was called Branner Hall, and I named a puppy after it.
My last home there was called Touch of Grey; one of the local Dead Houses. I lived there for a week.
Soon my home became Chicago and my people here are the kind that have lasted forever. I thought I’d never stay and then I thought I’d never leave. I found a city my childhood had ignored, and in it I found a massive world of cultural confidence and Midwestern humility served neat with a squeeze of gritty zest.
There is family and there is friendship that feels just like family. I have both in Chicago, and I have it among the wonders of a city with an eye for the edge. Art, music, food, community, street festivals, and establishments that serve alcohol – they all push forward in this city and they do it because the people here demand it.
Next year I’ll be moving to Vancouver, British Columbia.
I’ll be having a conversation with tomorrow day in and day out, and looking out over the ten years ahead with a boatload of optimism. I’ll be on the front end of the memories I’ll have at the end of our next decade.
I’m starting a company called foodtree, with two incredibly talented and inspiring partners, in a city I’ve spent less than a week in, to date. It’s Vancouver, though; that’s a seriously cool name for a city, no?
Our company is going to make eating great food really easy.
We may also become Ninjas; our business plan is still being tweaked.
I’m going for it.
It’s scary and riveting and it’s a big glass of water that tastes like Life Happening.
You should try it.
What should you be going for right now?
Image by jmv.
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