It’s been one week since I said farewell to the city of San Francisco. My second time living in the Bay was even better than the first, blessed by our house in the Inner Sunset, a Giants World Series championship that was incredibly fun to be around, and a handful of people that make the City great. The drive through Los Angeles led our team to San Diego; the shortest stint of our tour. I can’t get over the beaches here in San Diego. In San Francisco, we were just a short walk away from the beach, but it was rare to see it without the clouds of fog above pushing a light mist. Temperatures in SoCal have been above 70 each day, with a sunny and 90 Sunday that made our Coronado Beach trip magical. San Diego has been a wonderful blessing. Only working at one school has been a lot of fun, connecting with students and leadership at San Diego State University is something I look forward to each day. We’re amping up our promotions and trying to create the most fun finale that these guys have ever seen.
Scott Peterson, a friend of mine and chaplain at Mount Vernon Nazarene University once told me that he doesn’t work out to lose weight; he works out so that he can eat what he wants. And that’s exactly my story during my three-week stay in San Diego. In a matter of days, I’ve eaten more Mexican-influenced food than the last 3 months combined. Every social outing has involved at least two meals or a dessert, and if it weren’t for the daily runs that have become a nice rhythm to each day, I’d probably be up a few pants sizes. We found a great food truck meetup in Normal Heights and I encountered some delicious foods, from Korean BBQ burritos to a Shrimp BLT.
The NorCal tour, while no longer appropriately named, is maintaining the same work ethic and fun that I love being a part of each day. This job is a daily reminder to do what you love, but to fight through the things that may not be quite as elegant or fashionable as others may think. I’ve never had a cooler answer to the “what do you do?” question that I get now, although anytime someone says, “so where do you live?” it creates the longest explanation imaginable. Am I exhausted more consistently than ever before? Absolutely. But in the end, I get to hear the stories of thousands of students and bring a dream opportunity to life. I am owning that opportunity and allowing the blessings to flow.
“Something happens when you feel ownership. You no longer act like a spectator or consumer, because you’re an owner. Faith is at its best when it’s that way too. It’s best lived when it’s owned.”