Joe-Less in Cleveland

Last night I watched television for the last time in my house amongst stacks of cardboard boxes. Joe has been in Denver since Friday after what sounded like a wonderful trek across the United States with my younger brother, Nathan. (Shout-out: Thanks Natey! You rock!)

Being in Cleveland feels weird now. Sort of like I don't belong anymore? All my stuff is getting put in a moving van as we speak. I've said goodbye to so many people already. We've been celebrating our last bout in Cleveland with too much food and booze for a long time at this point. So really what am I still doing here?

Well Nate is graduating for one thing and there is no way in hell I would miss my little bro graduating from college! I mean wow, what an accomplishment! But beyond that this time is sort of special to me. It will be the last time I will be alone (well Joe-less) with my mom and my little brother, Michael, like it was back in the day, just our little family unit (again shout-out to Natey, we miss you!) I would like to enjoy my family right up to the last second we are together, because why the hell not. I love these people. They have been through everything with me and I'm gonna miss them like crazy. So I am going to look at this continued limbo as a gift where I can go on Pizzazz dates with my Momma and do silly errands with my bro, like picking up corsages and buying fountain drinks at McDonalds before his (yes his) mani (for prom, lol).

I am finishing this blog post sitting at my mom's table after I have essentially moved back in with my mom for the very last time. I am feeling a little existential and maybe a little melancholy right now. So much is changing (I am moving to another state) and so much will still change even once I get there (I will start a new job eventually...I will get married...woah!) I just feel like I am existing right now on the cusp of life. It is one of those moments you hit and you know you will be vastly different on the other side. Like when you grow out of your first love, graduate from college, experience your first real job...get engaged. It just seems so epic you don't even know what you are feeling. Well anyway it is just too indescribable so I think I will spare you the gory details and leave you with a Ghandi quotation that I like.

“If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.” Ghandi

Who's Thirsty?

It is my belief that one of the scariest things in life is simply the unknown. Never truly knowing what the future holds can be intimidating, nerve-racking, and ofttimes downright terrifying. By knowing exactly what to expect, the majority of fear may be removed from any situation. Whether it be knowing what the weather will be like tomorrow or what work you've got waiting on your desk, just knowing things like that make the future considerably less scary. Yet, everyone has a tipping point at which they are compelled to hurl themselves straight into the vast unknown; a point at which people have decided they've had enough of their day-to-day life and it's time for a change. It is at this point in life, at this fulcrum of a moment, when hope is introduced into the unknown and it becomes not-so-threatening.

This is precisely where I am. I have come to the realization that you cannot (and should not) continue to do something that does not make you happy. Stir that realization in with the unknown and a dash of hope and you've got yourself one intoxicating concoction. And that's exactly what I've been sipping on these days.

"Imagine that, Joe making a drink reference in his first blog post."

Coincidentally, I must say that I believe it is that in life which makes us want to drink that may also be what pushes us into the unknown. In a bitter-sweet fashion I am happy for these things. After all, it's good to know not only what you want to do with your life, but also what you do not want to do. The latter is something that I've had less than a hard time figuring out thanks to five years in the industry I've chosen thus far and the people in it.

This introductory post may ring of themes found in Rachael's previous posts - she has her own motivations and her own story to tell, so I will let her tell it - but this is mine and this is my perspective. I offer it to anyone who cares to read it. This is a slight glimpse into my life, what I have been and will be doing, and what my motivation is. Like two columns holding up the same bridge, Rachael and I are bearing this load together. We may not know all the details of where that bridge leads, but I can assure you it is a sturdy bridge and I could not be more excited that we've made the decision to build it together.

So to my friends, my family, my wife-to-be, both liked and disliked co-workers, to Cleveland and our future home in Denver, I raise my glass. Here's to you and here's to everything in life that makes us all strive for greater happiness.

Cheers,
Joe