I’ve heard this type of weather, mid 80s and no humidity, is rare for Memphis in August. I love it, but it also makes me feel even worse about not taking full advantage of it. I get outside, but I feel like I should get even more outside – as if that’s a thing. Gorgeous weather feels like it should be spent in and shared with the company of other people, or spent in nature. Sitting on my balcony looking for jobs and hitting the refresh button on Upwork feels like a criminal misuse of time and climate. It feels even worse when that time does not yield results.
Last night I went out with one of my friends to an outdoor bar that had a pretty bad cover band. We didn’t really go for the band, per se, but it was down the street from where we met up and music is usually better than no music. We sat at a table with two other people (not quite six feet apart but apart). The one guy, Terry, seemed pretty cool, we talked about eastern spirituality and he talked about his Nordic tattoos. My friend took a picture of one of them.
She usually tells me about the different guys she’s talking to and who she thinks is cute and who is or isn’t being flirty. I usually show he a picture of the sunset from one of the many nights I go out and catch the sunset – that’s pretty much the extent of my dating life. I told her I set my profile out to the Seattle area and that I’ve been talking with one woman for the last few days. I showed her pictures she agreed that she’s really cute. I’d have to land the job, and then we’d have to meet, and actually like each other… which is a lot of ifs. But, a new job and a potential friend wouldn’t be the worst start to a new geography. I have offers from a few different people to grab coffee or a drink if I find myself landing in Seattle. I just don’t know if I’ll find myself landing in Seattle.
Yesterday I applied to two more jobs. One is as the CEO of an anti-poverty agency in Colorado Springs and the other is a CEO position with a United Way in central PA – about an hour away from State College. My very first real business trip for my very first adult, real job, I went out to Colorado Springs for a conference. I loved it out there. It’s a very walkable town. At the time it had a fair number of brew pubs. It sits at the base of the Rocky Mountains where the plains meet the mountains. just outside of town between the town and the mountains is a park called Garden of the Gods – it’s a beautiful park with towering red rocks that jut up out of the ground. I’ve always wanted to get back to Colorado Springs.
My new friend in Seattle gave me credit for being able to roll with whatever comes my way. she said she’d want to know where she was going and what she was doing. I want to know those things too, but I have little control over what happens next.
I’m still nagging myself about wanting to be more outside than I am (I’m on the balcony writing). I think I’ll hit publish and go catch the sunset by the river. I hope I can get back to writing deeper posts.