Iran

Ok so I was going to make a joke about the title of this post being I-ran as in I ran somewhere this morning. But we all know that didn't happen so I won't make the joke. Ever had someone tell you they won't say something and they say it anyway?

My driver this morning was with a gentleman from Iran. I don't want to give his name because he may not want me to. He was one of the most genuine and gentle souls I've ever encountered. He has lived in Seattle for quite some time and is married with a couple of kids. He was familiar with SC because he had done his training at the military installation in Fayetteville, NC. He had worked as a contractor for the military in the Middle East for quite some time as a translator and culture consultant. We talked about how he was the first person off the helicopter, that he was outfitted like a soldier, and he told me a story of watching an Afghan child die that he was trying to help. We talked extensively about the experiences of war and how difficult it is on humans. He said in 2015(I believe) that 240 service members lost their lives in the Middle East and that same year 276 died stateside because of suicide. "We all have feelings and emotions," he said. I couldn't agree more.

We talked about my job and the world in general with all of the technology we have. I told him that every moment I have a choice to be present with who I am with, in this case a fantastic human in an Uber, and not respond to the dinging phone at my side(which was rill(yes rill) dinging). I told him of my struggles to feel like I must tend to everything that happens in my career AT THAT MOMENT. Truthfully I've run myself ragged at times when I didn't need to because of that faulty belief. Don't get me wrong, there's a time and a place for work and there's a time and a place for relaxing. I'm thankful to be doing the later in the Great "Pacific" Northwest!

Top photo is from Burien(my Airbnb neighborhood)