I see a text from my friends Nancy and Matt from Orange County that they’d like to drive down to San Diego to meet with me today. I’m excited to see them again after about 2.5 years. We had a lot of fun last time with some of the highlights being that they took to me to Disneyland and also to a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert. They’re some of the friendliest people I know.
Getting around in San Diego
I really like to be in this early day rhythm. Waking up between 3am and 4am allows me to take it easy and have a bigger window of shared time with people back home. I take a shower and make myself breakfast. Another guest of the house is awake to get to work, but he’s not very talkative. I look on the map and see that there is a Starbucks about a mile away that opens at 5AM. I love that about America too, that there are coffee places open early in the day. In The Netherlands most coffee places don’t open before 8AM.
Searching for an apartment
First thing on my todo list for today is to book an apartment. I’ve been looking at Airbnb and Booking the past few days, but still find it a bit challenging to make a final choice. San Diego is not super cheap, so it’s a matter of finding a right balance between comfort and affordability.
Relaxed vacation day
On my second day here in San Diego I wake up around 3am. That’s already half an hour later than yesterday, so I think I’ll slowly get adjusted here. I don’t mind waking up that early actually, because it allows me to finish quite some work before the sun gets up. I help some clients, answer e-mails and call with one of my designer friends about a work project. I am really thankful to have a profession that I like and can do everywhere in the world where there is internet.
First day in San Diego
One of the things I like about domestic flights in America is how fast it usually goes to land and get your luggage. No waiting for security or anything, just walking to the luggage belt, picking up your checked bags and you’re good to go. It’s even better when one of your friends is there to pick you up.
Back to the USA
No matter how often I have traveled or how far I have gone, the day before a new adventure always stays unnerving. This time it’s more stressful, because being able to travel depends on having a negative covid test. I have the test on Tuesday afternoon and it’s much easier than I thought it would be. I walk in, identify myself and a friendly guy gently sticks some kind of straw in my mouse and nose and it’s done. A few minutes later I walk outside again, wondering what the fuzz was all about. Compared to the painful self test I had done the day before this was really nice and easy. But now I’m already spending more time writing about it than it actually took in the first place, so back to the topic of travel stress.
Live every day like you’re in Disneyland
This morning on my way to work I was listening to the Disneyland Background Channel. They were playing beautiful classical music and I thought to myself ‘it would be nice to be in Disneyland now’. Then I looked around at the pretty buildings of my city and realised it could almost be like a ride in Disneyland. My grandma often points out how pretty my city is when I send pictures, while I can easily take it for granted. Not today.
Here and now
Here and now is the name of this blog and are two of the most important words for me personally. They got my attention again when I was searching for a new water bottle the other day and stumbled upon a brand with the same name. A nice reminder to be present and to live in the moment.
It’s been about four months since I wrote on this blog the last time. Somehow I didn’t have much inspiration. The desire to write was there from time to time, but I didn’t know what to write about, until I started thinking about the words Here and Now again.
Watching the sunrise
I’m walking in the park and as the sun rises I hear countless bird around me chirp. I stand on a bridge for a moment, watching the sunrise. An elderly lady walks by with her dog. I wish her a good day. She says that she hopes also the best will happen to me today. What a beautiful thing to say. I walk further and see some baby ducks walking with their parent ducks by the water side and it suddenly hits me again, the beauty of life. How wonderful it is to be part of this great adventure and to have the privilege of experiencing this all. How often do you stand still by the wonder that is your life? This beautiful journey, don’t let it pass by too quickly. Don’t get caught up all the time in the worries or things you have to do. Take a conscious breath and enjoy this moment for what it is. It’s all wonderful!
How to be happy during a pandemic
It’s been almost a year now since the world turned upside down and this situation brings different challenges to each of us. For some it’s loss of work, for others it’s being locked up in your home most of the day, and for many it has caused some level of anxiety for either our own health or that of loved ones. It’s doesn’t look like this situation is over any time soon, but life goes on anyway, so it’s important to make the best of this time as well. One of the main things I’ve learned from my parents is to enjoy life, so in this post I’ll share some of my methods to be happy during this strange time.