It feels as though just yesterday I was nervously and anxiously sitting outside Rachael's office, waiting to share with her my willingness to explore my dream by taking that first step towards a life that I could imagine with more angst and determination than even I knew–I had within me, by submitting my resignation and making public all that had been kept secret for so long. Four months later and I've almost reached the pinnacle of closing out one chapter in my life, as I have only one week remaining of work at HDNet, from today. I still remember the shock that swirled through the office with the news that I was not only leaving the company, but what I was planning to do. I know that many coworkers always saw me as being a so-called lifer here, especially after almost 12 years, but little did they know that I was willing to leave behind potential comforts and securities to pursue what I consider a better quality of life, by beginning a new chapter in my life.
Since I've committed to realizing this dream I cannot tell you how many wonderful people I have met that otherwise I might not have, as doors continue to open and I have the opportunity to experience the kindness of absolute strangers: Jeff Power owner of Pangeo Coffee from Broomfield, Colorado has inspired me by all of his humanitarian efforts and words of advice, David Dotson a MMA instructor with Colorado Krav Maga for providing free private lessons that I truly believe will be life-saving self defense techniques and I pray that I will never have to use them, Brad Boyle owner of Walkabout Travel Gear in Healdsburg, California for donating $50 worth of free gear from his company and shipping it to me for free, Jeff Schenker for all of his assistance and wisdom after more than 7 years of global travel and how living out a dream of this magnitude is possible, Mike Vlad for all of our conversations and mentoring he has provided, Alex Lewin in her willingness and patience to take on the role of la profesora and providing me with free Spanish lessons, and the list continues to grow and I hope to continue to meet wonderful people such as these and give back as much as I'm able in the process and I look forward to sharing with everyone these unnamed individuals and stories as well.