Have you ever looked back on a situation, an interaction, or a choice you have made and realized how blessed you are to be where you are at? If there was a word to sum up my past 7 days, I think it would be GRATITUDE. Looking at the word right now makes me think that I don't see it enough in my day to day, or apply it enough in my day to day activities. Frankly, there is an unfamiliarity with the word that upsets me.
So let me try to explain where I am coming from, and hopefully it will resonate with someone. Last week I had the chance to fly out to Seattle, Washington for a work conference. I had been looking forward to this conference for quite some time and was eager to get the week started. Luckily for me, I was able to use part of Monday to do a little sight-seeing. Seattle is a beautiful city (in my opinion) and very unique to any city I have traveled to before. Of course I went to the Fish Market, just to eat some pork dumplings. They were amazing! It was a busy few days with sessions, guest speakers, and networking. As I was wrapping up one of the nights I was able to reconnect with a few colleagues that I hadn't seen in quite some time. Initially, everything in my body was telling me to stay in my hotel room knowing that I needed to be up early to catch my flight. Great decision on my end to catch up with them! I honestly had forgotten how much I enjoyed the company of these folks. Was I tired? Absolutely. Did I still have a bit of work to do before I went to sleep? Yup! The few hours I spent with them, really just made me thankful that I hadn't listened to my head earlier in the day, and totally grateful for the time. Grateful, that they would take time out of their busy schedules to connect with me.
The conference alone would have been enough for me as I thought about all the experiences I was going to bring back to my job. I was simply grateful that I was one of the selected staff to be exposed to high-level career development and how it related to my field, and people who looked like me. A couple of days to talk about Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity can do wonders for someone looking to positively impact a community. Many people across this country don't have the chance to talk about things that truly impact them on an emotional, and social level. I didn't want to waste the time I had here, knowing there is someone out there wishing they had the opportunity I had.
Since I have been back, work has provided it's shares of struggles, sprinkled in with a bit of adversity. Despite that, I have tried to remain humble employ gratitude with every interaction, and conversation because I recognize that I am in a position that some would envy. Full-time job working for an organization I love; a beautiful wife, kids, and in-laws I get along with, a house in the Bay Area, and my health. Honestly, I can't complain about much. I moved from New England's erratic weather patterns to the Bay Area's mild temperature changes. That's a win-win for me.
So I will go on and TRY to not find reason to complain about something. If you find me complaining, let me know about it and hopefully I will be as gracious and understanding as I feel right now. #Gratitude #Bayarea #california #motivation
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