In the morning I’m thinking about what I’ll do the coming weeks and how I have absolutely no desire to go back to my little shared house in Utrecht. Worrying about all this stuff makes me a bit restless. I decide to sit down, close my eyes and breath in and breath out. I come back to this moment, to today. The past is gone and the future is anything but certain. You don’t know how the future will unfold. So better just live now. Enjoy this day you were given, enjoy the gift of the present.
Tag: San Diego
Rainy days are for bookstores
It’s still a bit gray and rainy this morning, but I don’t mind it. I’m really thankful to be here in San Diego. During breakfast I see on my phone that the place I’m renting now will be available again in a few weeks and I decide to book it again for then. I’m instantly super happy that I will stay here again soon.
After breakfast and finishing a few more pieces of the Christmas puzzle I walk to Starbucks to update the blog and send out some e-mails.
Running by the ocean
At sunrise I go outside to try out my new running shoes. There is not much sunshine to see though, because it’s still cloudy. I don’t let that stop the fun for me and head to the beach. Already at the first steps I realise that these are some of the best running shoes I’ve had so far. They’re very cushioned and every landing on the sidewalk is really soft. The run is a bit challenging in the beginning, because I don’t run so often lately. After a while it gets easier again. I usually say that the first five kilometers are the hardest.
Cheerful birds
Having birds in your house is a great help to stay present. Every time I’m on my phone, they start chirping and forcing my attention on them again. It’s also nice to have them as company if you have a house for yourself. I was on my phone looking for the next place to stay after this, which is a bit challenging. This place is so nice that I’d rather stay here the rest of my vacation, but unfortunately it’s almost fully booked for the coming weeks. I decide to let the search for the next place rest again and solve a few pieces of the Christmas puzzle before I go outside.
Relaxed Christmas day
I start the day with packing my bags, because I’m moving to a different apartment today. I’m excited about it, because it looks very nice on the pictures and it’s close to the beach.
Hot chocolate weather
My grandparents from the Netherlands are visiting me. We’re having a fun day of walking around town. They’ve rented a big hotel room themselves where we go to at the end of the day. As I walk into the room I see a lot of old stuff like a record for a record player. I thank my grandparents for the fun day and tell my grandma how happy I am that they’re still here. Especially since I remember my grandpa laying in the hospital years ago. Then she looks me in the eye and I know it… It’s just a dream. I wake up in a hotel room and turn on the lights a bit. I’m thinking I should call my mom and tell her of this really nice dream. I lay down for another moment and wake up again, this time for real in the small apartment room I’m renting here.
Discovering the neighborhood
This morning I feel a bit tired for the first time since I’m here. I decide to take it slow, do some laundry and then head to my coffice (coffee place office). It’s nice to to go the same place every morning, because I see familiar people which makes me feel more at home. The weather is beautiful again today, so I don’t stay too long inside and go for a walk through the neighbourhood.
Bike riding in San Diego
Every day here in San Diego has been filled with new experiences so far. This morning I call with my family and tell them that I’ll keep writing daily as long as there is something to write about. And today I’m in for a fun trip again. Around 10 o’clock in the morning Brittany is at my house with two mountainbikes on the back of her car.
Friends surprise visit
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.