Hello 39!

There are many times I have said, "wow how much has changed in a year" I tend to reflect back on everything that has happened over the course of the last year. These moments of reflection usually occur on significant dates; anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, etc.

I moved to Europe in 2001 and little did I know I would find the love of my life and get to experience cultures I never imagined while getting paid to do it. I remember I packed a suitcase and a carry-on and left everything I knew in Montgomery, Alabama for the unknown. Little did I know I was in for the start of what would be many adventures both through travel and the experience and maturation of life. I constantly tell myself to look ahead not behind. Try not to dwell on the bad things yet remember the good things and lessons learned along the way.

I haven't spent much time writing and reflecting as I used to and my goal is to change that. Writing has always been a way for me to express myself and to decompress if you will. Writing is John’s form of therapy for John.

With that being said I think 2016 will be the hardest or the one in which I matured the most as an individual. I realized that sometimes things that are not that important are the most important, and things I never seemed to need are the things I may need the most. These things a lot of times are the intangibles; friends, family, love, life. With that being said, I have spent more time meditating, cooking, and reflecting on the good, the bad, and the quite possibly the one thing we all avoid the most, the indifferent more than ever before.

One of my best friends Vimal was married, another best friend Travis and his wife Simone had a baby, a close confidant and mentor at work was diagnosed with ALS and my grandmother passed away. I took on roles at work that pushed my limits and challenged me in ways I have never imagined. Last but not least the love of my life and I decided after many grueling months/years of work that the biggest gift of love we could give each other was to let the other one go. I type this with a pit in my stomach because the wounds are still so fresh my emotions are reeling from the aftermath.

It takes two to tango and tango we did...such an intricate dance yet so beautiful and serene. The dance is not always perfect but after many lessons you either become one with your partner or choose to take a seat and watch and wait and learn from the mistakes you both made and realize just because your partner is no longer yours does not make them any less beautiful or you less of a person for realizing that that dance was still amazing but the music had faded. I never wanted to take those lessons and that dance is still the hardest of them all in my opinion but with all my close friends and family watching I took that chance I took that dance and realized it was the most incredible thing I never imagined...

As most of my friends have known this about me for a long time I have learned that I can't sit still. Regardless if things are calm and perfect or chaotic I am in constant motion. If there is no motion I will find a way to use the kinetic energy within me to find the road less traveled. I turned to mediation this year because I realize one of the draw backs of this air traffic controller is the inability to turn off my mind. Finding the center and staying grounded is something I work towards. Finding that work/life balance is something I desire yet struggle to find...I've come to realize my greatest gift (drive, passion, desire) could also be my nemesis.

There are many chapters in ones life and the next one for me is about to begin. I was in San Diego for ten years almost to the day. I will start that next chapter today with new beginnings in a new role (Operations Manager) in a new place (Honolulu Control Facility). I departed San Diego yesterday on my 39th birthday for possibly the greatest gift I could give myself, serenity, inner peace and some soul searching. Will this actually happen? Will I slow down? Will I find what makes John tick…we can all dream!

I love San Diego and while Texas will always be in my heart I'm more than comfortable saying that San Diego is my home. Some of my closest friends live there and while it took me ten years to find them I can truly say the people I call friends in San Diego are amazing and wonderful people. Some of the best mentors in my life are the ones I also call my closest friends. They have shared with me about the importance of unconditional love, showed me places I never would have traveled too, taught me and coached me in both work and life at different points helping me make sound decisions. Last but not least they made sure that I had fun along the way. I'm very fortunate to have surrounded myself with some of the best friends I could ever ask for in San Diego. I'm going to miss that place but I'll be back...that is my home.

I started 2016 on a one-day trip to Vegas for a retirement party for someone I was in the military with and while some may think it's crazy to go for just a few hours I think it's important to celebrate with someone that put in the dedication to retire before the age of 40! A couple weeks later I went back to Vegas and attended one of the most epic bachelor parties ever (racing Lamborghini, Ferrari's and other exotic cars, seeing shows, racing dune buggies through the desert, plane rides over the grand canyon, etc) no drugs or gambling needed in sin city! It was co-ed and proves bachelor parties can still be epic without the wild and crazy parties! Late January I hit up an island in the Caribbean I highly recommend as its one of my top three travel destinations of all time! If you want to know more or are intrigued reach out and ask me.

Early March went to Vimal's wedding in Milwaukee...congrats Vimal!! So happy for you and proud to call you my friend...we are cut from the same sheet of cloth and proud to share that special day with you. Truly an amazing celebration that intertwined two cultures (Indian and American) in some of the most incredible of ways you could imagine. Followed that up with a work trip to Palm Springs in April and an amazing trip to La Paz, Mexico in May (Thanks Maggie), which I highly recommend and is one of my top choices of places to go in Mexico. In addition I made numerous other quick trips across the border from Tijuana to Valle de Guadalupe and all spots in between with great family and friends.

After months of searching (sorry Mike) and with the advise of great friends (thanks Mark and Roy) and with the help of a kick ass realtor in Maui (thanks Mary K.) I paid tribute to my grandfather and purchased a condo in Maui in June. My goal is to one day have this available to friends and family that want a little get away in paradise, but for now it’s rented long term.

The rest of the summer and fall was a blur to me! I went on some trips for work and some trips for fun. From Washington D.C. to Kentucky to Texas to Oaxaca and back! The real take away for me in the past year was to savor the memories. Love the past but don’t live in it. Make new memories and continue to push forward and not look behind.

I sit here in Hawaii as I write this and look for a new start to center myself. We only live once and I will be damned if I am on my death bed wishing I would have done it differently. I read somewhere that if you change nothing, nothing will change and I think that is true to the core. I could care less about the materialistic things it’s the memories that I have and nobody can take them from me.

One of my goals is to write more and to blog more in the upcoming year. I don’t do social media and could not be happier about it! I had my melt down and mid life crisis and happy to be wiser and more mature because of it. The choices we make we live with and the choices others make they have to live with. I challenge anyone that is reading this to push their boundaries a little bit. I am not telling you to move or change jobs but take a chance and go with your gut sometimes. The reality is had I left San Diego sooner things may be different but you live and learn. I am happy and thankful for the life I was given and will enjoy one hell of a ride along the way!

Much love to all of you and peace into the new year!

John

ps Since I moved I have no forwarding address right now but hope to have something in January. I always loved sending and receiving Christmas cards but won’t have the chance to do that this year…know I am with you in spirit and you are with me!