Shortly after this song was released in 2007, I dated this great guy on-and-off for about 7 months. For so many reasons, I will never forget our time together, including the fact that he let me borrow this CD after our 2nd date. To this day, every time I hear this song, I am reminded of him. This 6’5”, former college baseball player, recruited by the Yankees out of high school, approached me on a Saturday evening at the park where I used to do my triathlon training. I was done working out and it was a beautiful, early December, Florida day, so I had brought my kids’ exams to grade afterwards. There I was sitting at the picnic table grading and I took notice of this extremely good looking guy with incredible calf muscles (personal weakness) finishing up a mountain bike ride. He was making a phone call while sitting at the table about 30 feet from me. After hanging up, he calls over to me and inquires…”Are you grading papers?” He had my complete attention immediately.
The purpose for our paths crossing was made apparent in our first phone conversation the next evening. We spoke the entire time about the movie, “Into The Wild”, Sean Penn’s film based on the Jon Krakauer book of the same title. If you’re not familiar, it is the true story of a bright, young, college graduate who is completely disillusioned with the world. After commencement, he sells all of his belongings, gives away to charity his $24,000 in his savings account, and hitchhikes to Alaska to live off of the land.
Everything surrounding this film is beautifully intense & real, including the fact that it took Sean Penn 10 years working with the family to get the rights to make it. The soundtrack, completely original music by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, is, in my opinion, one of the most perfectly-suited-for-the-movie soundtracks ever done. Story has it that Vedder agreed to the project without knowing anything about it simply because it was Sean Penn asking. This film had obviously affected both of us profoundly and we were eager to discuss anything & everything about it with one another.
He and I both identified very strongly with the main character, despite the fact that we were a decade older than he was when awakening to the “realities” of the world. We were both within months away of making HUGE adjustments in our lives. Essentially, we were both preparing to leave the mainstream world at the same time and struggling with all of the pressures of making that decision. Both of us were sure we couldn’t play the game any longer, yet, of course, we had very little support from our family & friends to be taking the perceived “risks” we were taking. We both felt pretty confident that we were making the right decisions for our respective lives, yet neither one of us had the ability to validate what we felt for ourselves. We were both looking for someone else to make us feel like it was okay to do what we were doing. I am absolutely convinced that was the higher purpose for our meeting.
The most interesting discovery that he and I came to early on was the role our athletic backgrounds played in how our adult lives had turned out thus far. This part of the story will be told later. For the time being, suffice to say, that Division I athletics…no matter where you play…is very much a business. The purity of what we both had experienced in our high school programs was destroyed at the collegiate level. And it was no understatement to say that we discovered both of our experiences were tragic and quite damaging for each of us as young adults. It was a second, very powerful area of validation for us both. We were helping one another heal from some pretty intense, emotional issues resulting from life experiences not shared by many out in the population. This made our connection so much more valuable and relieving in many ways.
The apprehension that we both had for our near futures made it quite difficult to sync as any sort of couple, but we accepted our relationship as it played out. And it ended up as one of the most beautiful dating experiences of my life. We touch base once or twice a year and remind one another how perfect our time together was for each of us. Truly incredible to be able to experience a life-cycle, if you will, of a relationship where you choose to focus on the positive and not at all on why it didn’t work out. This was the most honest, real relationship I had ever had and interestingly, it was the easiest and richest experience. A definite indicator of my future.
An interesting note…this guy left the corporate world to become the head coach of a Division I baseball program. Awesome indeed!
The actual singing of “Bubbly” is dedicated to…
…the organization within Microsoft, in which I was employed for my first year in Seattle. You are some of the most incredible, talented, generous, kind-hearted, brilliant people I’ve ever met. I’ve never worked anywhere else where it was so evident that a high percentage of the employees truly enjoyed their work. The family feeling was genuine and very powerful. Before I arrived, I was told this organization was unique. However, I wasn’t prepared for how amazing & overwhelmingly positive the experience would be for me.
Your work environment came closer to “ideal” than anything else I’d ever been exposed to, including other corporate, non-profit, agricultural, and educational environments. Given that my most recent mainstream work prior to arriving had been as a middle-school teacher, I was particularly interested in the contrast of environments between this pinnacle of the corporate world & what I felt should have been one of the most inspiring places to work – our schools. I also knew I was on the fast track to pursuing my own personal entrepreneurial visions. As such, I was keenly aware of the significant learning opportunities surrounding me at this stop on my journey.
I observed everything. I took in every aspect of my experience every day. I had never, up until that point in my life, been so happy or lived so much in my present. It was brilliant. The perfect first year in one of the greatest cities in our country. Living had never been so intensely real. I had never been surrounded, on a daily basis, by so many other heady, intellectual types. That energy drives me, energizes me, and motivates me like nothing else. Despite the difference in the end goals of what I was pursuing and the corporate world, the energies required to achieve at high levels are all the same. There is no doubt about the role of these extremely high-achieving energies of you all. In no small way, you all fueled me. In fact, I am still running on your fuel 8 1/2 months later. Singing? I’ve never sung anywhere but in my own company. This is only my third, completely unprofessional, taping of singing EVER! And I’ve never felt more alive. This is truly just the beginning of creative expression I’ve been longing for for decades.
I still won’t be able to describe with words what it is I have been doing since leaving you all but rest assured…I couldn’t be doing any of it to this degree without having my time there in ECIT. Soon, what it is I am trying to exemplify with my life will be much clearer. For now, please accept my sincerest gratitude. This is just the initial stages of me discovering all I am capable of doing and being in this world. And right now, that means sharing, in every way possible, all of this love in my heart. I think of my time there, and many of you, and feel nothing but happiness & immense appreciation. My dream, since I was 6 years old, has been to change the world. And I’m doing it! I am absolutely doing it and whether or not I see any of you ever again, you will all forever be an amazing, beautiful part of my story. Thank you from the depths of my soul. I do hope to see many of you again … soon.
Thank you: Armando, Beau, Mechelle, Eric, Tapan, Tim, Peter, Charan, Tony P., Loc, Manoj, Todd, Carlos, David R, Ashok, Mike N, Martin, Brian, Ryan, Mauricio, Jateen, Anne, Bryn, Jessica, Nancy, Mike, Henry, Ned, Mark, Heidi (sorry for misspelling) Angie, Tony U., Dan, Kristy, Jim, Morgan, Justin, Ciara, Sarah, Keith, Jason, Michelle H, Erik, Scott Br.,Vic, Patrick, Kevin, Janice, Tom K, Tom L, Chris, Sue, David M, and Kathy. A special thank you to: Scott Ba., Renu, Bryan, James, Michael, Nav, Hanu, Gopi, Jesse, Melissa, Julie, Pauline, Robyn, Duke, Manuel, and Gunnar, and Sam R. An extra special thank you to: Rutu, Shae, Evana, Carey, Bill and Linda. And the biggest thanks: B.J., Ashley, Christine, Stacy, Sam S. and Sal. Sal, if not for you, none of this would have happened. You & your team will forever hold a special place in my heart. Thank you so very, very much! (Please forgive me for anyone I missed. So many more faces without any more names coming to my mind.)
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