We can change the world.
Getting familiar with the Wangjing area in Beijing, China - March 2012
It feels like many are simply tired, of the constant stimulus of the news and social media, of the negativity permeated by both. I’ve tried multiple times to strike a balance for myself personally, and have not yet been successful. There has got to be a way to remain informed while staying positive and upbeat about the future of our world. It’s up to us after all. I’ll keep searching for it, because I refuse to stop believing.
Admiring the Hawaiian perspective, Maui, January 2022
The times for rest can be so peaceful, when you’re ready to recharge. It’s in these moments I think about the world and what we’re doing as a species. For some reason, while at rest it’s easier to see and to wonder. What are we doing well? What can we do better? When we all take the time to reflect, we can make better choices that serve us all.
Passing under the sign this weekend
Nothing beats coming home to a soft warm bed. I love traveling and I enjoy going on trips with friends, but being home is where I belong. And we can all buy into that.
Snapping a shot of SJC before whizzing through security
Even the smaller trips can be exciting. I’ve never been to Reno, and even though I’m told it’s not the most glamorous destination, I’m still eager to experience it for the first time. And what’s better than exploring a new place with a group of friends? To visiting new places and making new memories, here we go.
Early morning bliss outside Sedona, Arizona - April 2022
I struggle to keep up with the news now. It seems pandemic exhaustion has caught up with me, and I’ve mostly focused on my smaller tribe in the past few months. Others have told me similar things. I believe doing right by our innermost tribes will mostly mean progress for our society and larger world, but it becomes difficult to guard against the all too easy “us vs. them” mentality. We are all in this together, on one small, but beautiful world. We can be focused on our smaller tribes, but we can also strive to keep awareness about the one larger tribe of which we all are a part. As we enter a new era out of Covid, let us continue to push for a united humanity. Because we can, together, change the world.
A panorama of the Patagonian scenery outside El Chaltén, March 2019
When I discuss it with friends, both near and far away, it seems we all struggle with, or at least seek, the same thing: balance.
Balance of work and family life, with earning money to provide for our tribe and pursuing a fulfilling life.
I remind myself that no one has it completely figured out, that no one has mastered life.
With this recognition, we can strive to discover it together.
Marveling at the sunset, Pebble Beach, January 2022
It’s incredible how fast life moves sometimes, how we struggle to simply keep up with it. And then how it can slow down to single moments, one after another. Part of what makes us conscious is our ability to recognize and discern these differences in pace. Moments of importance matter, and we best be ready for them when they come.
The interior of Salisbury Cathedral
Being back in the routine, even on a Monday with little sleep, can be refreshing. Hard work at one’s vocation, time spent with loved ones… what else can be asked of being home?
This is always where the real work begins. How quickly can we integrate with the utility, yet maintain the expanded perspective gained while gone? Because that’s the balance. It is in these conflagration of moments of readjustment that we resume our lives.
Strolling toward Tower Bridge this week along the Thames
The feeling of returning home after a long journey simply cannot be overstated. I come back after gaining more respect for Britain, its history and culture. It’s a fascinating place full of interesting people. I can’t wait to go back.
Walking on to Knightsbridge today
The days become so long on a trip. You’re not consistently plugged into your phone or the internet, so your time is spent experiencing the natural world in front of you, the reality that exists in the present moment. It’s refreshing, as we can so easily get caught in the aforementioned during our day to day. London has been an eye opening experience for me. I can’t wait to come back, to have the long days again. It’s been a journey, and I’ve relished it. To travel to see a glimpse of a different life… to live long days.
Gazing up at the White Tower yesterday
I just keep thinking today about how many people there are in the world. Visiting Buckingham Palace was crazy today; and yet, there were likely thousands of people at Times Square, the Grand Canyon, and the Golden Gate Bridge. The world is a lot smaller now, and more people can afford to travel. This is overall a good thing. Its reality today enabled us to see more typical, less touristy London. I noticed the subtle characteristics of Tube travel. We got to enjoy the park and see how Londoners enjoy their green space. The simple delights of the pub were of course indulged in. London is a massive place with millions of people and thousands of tourists. But it’s also a unique city with centuries of history and tons of character. I’m enjoying all that it is.
Passing by a brick mural outside a tube station on the South Bank
It’s been a treat to stay with local friends in both the countryside and London. It really does make all the difference in the world, to have delicious home cooked meals, insider recommendations, and just a comfortable base to both rest and catch up with dear friends. We’re here only a week, but I feel we’ve received a brief glimpse into what English life is really like. They’re alright, the Brits. People have been friendly and polite, and they respect and understand their history without being elitist about it. I look forward to what the next few days will bring.
Looking up at the big guy this afternoon
I was arrested by Big Ben and Parliament today. Perhaps because they are simply iconic, but I found them striking while seeing them across the Thames and crossing Westminster Bridge. Sure there were tourists like myself scurrying every which where; but the top sights are the top sights for a reason. Walking around Central London today was exhilarating because it felt like we were exploring hallowed ground, a place that has been traversed and lived in for a thousand years. And people are still living there today, going about their daily business. Days like today I think about how fun it is to visit other cultures. It’s an education, and the more all of us can do it, the more we’ll understand each other and build a better world.
Checking out Portchester Castle with the crew in Portsmouth today
Visiting other places opens up your world. I don’t think there’s a single thing that’s universal across every country in the world: the power outlets are different, the driving is different, and the language can be different. When you visit someplace new, you have to adapt. It can be stressful in the worst of times and fun in the best of them. But I take it back: there is one thing that’s universal. Humans. There are good people everywhere and they all laugh smile sing dance and cry for the same reasons. It sure is one big beautiful amazing world.
Witnessing the mystery and power of Stonehenge this morning
There’s nothing like being welcomed into a foreign land by friends. You can see and shoot it all, but the true feeling of a country, a region, a city, a neighborhood, is personal. It’s the everyday interaction that imbibes a sense of understanding. Perhaps we should all keep making friends.
Walking through Windsor this afternoon
They call Brits and Americans across-the-pond cousins. We share the same language and lineage, they say. Culturally we are more similar than different, apparently. In the most respectful and positive way, I disagree. It’s another world over here, and I’m so grateful to experience it. I successfully drove an electric car on the opposite side of the road today, sleep deprived and all. We visited the largest and longest continuously inhabited palace in Europe today; America has nothing like that. The local accents remained charming all afternoon. The UK is a fascinating country, for a myriad of reasons I have yet to understand. I’m so excited to see, hear, smell, and feel more. Onward.
Enjoying the wait to board at SJC
I feel fulfilled when writing at the airport, about to embark on an adventure. I urge best friends and strangers alike to travel as much as they can. It’s an incredibly vast and beautiful planet, and one can learn and experience so much by exploring it. Here’s to an exploration of London and the south of England: I’m excited to learn, to feel, and to experience. Cheers.
The Great Pyramids of Giza, January 2023
You know, I think this is the happiest I can be at this point. I’m heading to my parents’ house for dinner and drinks with my wife, going to see my doggy, the day before embarking on a trip. The simple things, the things I enjoy: food, alcohol, my dog, travel, and my tribe. Life is good. I am so fortunate to enjoy these things, and should be eternally grateful for experiencing them in my life. I feel one with the universe. Thank you God, however you are.
Empty land, so to speak. In Paris, Texas - December 2020
Helping out the tribe can seem so easy sometimes. Because just showing up and doing what you can truly matters for others. Doesn’t it matter for you? As I continue to progress through, I grasp this simple reality more and more. We’re all in this together—literally. What will we make of this universe?
Looking to the horizon from the coast of the Pacific Ocean last weekend - Santa Cruz, California
I want to see the world. There are so many places I still haven’t been; so many trips I have yet to consider. It’s like the more you travel the more you want to; they call it “the bug.”
However, whenever I return from a journey, whether 5,000 miles or 50, I always am grateful for the place I grew up, the place I still call home: the Bay Area. Full of opportunities and close to diverse geography, it’s a special, diverse place that has much to offer.
We can be grateful for all we have and enjoy, while still embracing the wonder. It’s called being human.