It's been almost 4 months now.... and to be honest- I've only sorta been trying. What I have been doing 110% is figuring my own shit out from the 30.000' level. As my previous blog post will demonstrate- I went and saw things, in Asia. I had a real experience outside of my own reality. I came back for the month of February sorted a few things out, started putting feelers out for the job market, was present for the birth of my new nephew Brayden Xavier, celebrated my own birthday, got certified for scuba diving and took off again.
Brayden Xavier Willet. Hungry, as usual.
During the month of March I flew standby to Washington D.C. and met up with my good friend Laura from Santa Barbara who was there for business- that meant free accommodation at a nice hotel and good company. We did touristy things and then after 3 nights we took a cheap bus (Check out Mega Bus for your bus travel needs around the U.S.A) to New York City. Summation Dance, my good friend Sumi Clements' modern dance company (along with Taryn Vander Hoop) was going to be performing their 2nd annual full length evening performance... I've not missed many of Sumi's shows since college and I was able to make this one also. The way these women move is just A-mazing. Make you think their limbs are all going to fall off, or better yet they sorta do fall off and the limbs keep doing the moves on their own. This was on a Saturday evening and that night was party time... especially since Erin Martinez and Kirstie Maryott were also there. Erin and I agreed that we would watch the sun rise from one of the Mahattan shores that day... well almost. We sorta watched it while we slept in a cab to Brooklyn to drop us off at our doorstep for that night.
Summation Dance with their extremities.
After New York came some much needed family time. I get it all the time in Anaheim, but its always the special occasion type of family time where everyone is somewhere for something special.. wedding, holiday, organized party as opposed to just hanging out. Granted this time it was for my cousin Edgar's graduation from Ohio State, but the subsequent week of hangout time was unplanned... it just happened. I went to Columbus, Ohio and it was great. All the guy cousins from my mom's side of the family (sans deux) got to hang out for the larger part of a week. Hikes, jogs, beers, meals, movies, t.v., lounging, chatting, scotch drinking... all of it. Like we were kids again at grama's house, but now with developed opinions, a bit of distance since they moved to Columbus, at times some b.o., and just pure good energy to pass time on. It was a house of brothers who just did whatever the day encouraged them to do. I hope that cousin time will happen more often as we continue to grow older. Our family has always celebrated and cherished time together (ALLLLLL of the Morenos... there are lots!) to the point where reasons to get together are made up... "Its the last day of the month!"
The Cousins. Everyone worked out that day.
Cousin time did not end there. We all took a roadtrip up to Cleveland to see where cousin Pedro was spending his time while a resident at Case Western University Hospital. Lovely town. Spread out. Very green at the time. Mikey, Pedro and I all decided to take off for Chicago after a few days in Cleveland. I already had a trip planned there as I was having a grad school reunion for all my classmates from Roehampton University in London. Everyone was all over the U.S. so Chicago was a good mid-way point. My spontaneous adventure never ceased to let me down. Chicago continued to prove a good time, except it was the only time the weather became inclement and by that I mean wet and colder than 65 degrees. Seeing all the MAISies (nickname for my masters cohort) was great. What surprised me a bit is that none of us are really doing anything related to the M.A. we studied which is International Service via service-learning curriculum. Not that its a bad thing, but just something that I noted- must have been that most of us returned to the U.S. right about when the economy went awry. After just over 3 weeks of bouncing around the east coast and mid west, I was ready to return home to Santa Barbara and find my feet on solid ground again... not to mention my own bed.
Reminiscing being on the tube and saying "cheers" in London.
After a couple weeks of being back home this idea of stepping in and out of my own reality is something that "flashed" before me. I escaped the fact that I was recently unemployed to Thailand, although much needed and very much appreciated. I came back and took off again. I scoped out some work, I visited cities that I may consider moving to in the future, but I am more than anything allowing myself to have a break and really have an opportunity to choose my own adventure. This adventure I am calling life. Many days in the last few months I have felt guilty. People will approach me and comment on seldom meeting an individual that is unemployed and in equally as bad a financial hardship as I am, but usually they are not loving life and wearing a smile. I am. I made that a conscious decision from the get go. I am not trying to screw anyone of anything, but this is my reality as it stands right now. Figure out what my assets are as a person, as a professional, as an individual on this earth, as a member of this community, as a friend, as a man and as every other label that I have going for me, because right now EVERYTHING is an asset.
I want the right job. One that I love and one that loves me back. I also want to be able to apply my training and degrees to whatever extent possible. All the while, I am looking to do a career shift into medicine. When it rains it pours and right now I am flooded, and I have not even started my 100% job hunt... but I have continued my 110% living life to the fullest. I frequently say that if I am to die tomorrow- I am good. I owe that to absolutely every person that I have come across because the way I see my life is through the relationships that I have built over the last nearly 30 years. It is through those that I will continue to thrive. So to anyone who reads this, thank you for the impact you've had on me and wherever I go next. For those that don't read this, well I hope I can express the same gratitude.
Cheers.
Showing some LOVE from the top of Figueroa Mountain
Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County
