After working in San Francisco for almost three years I doubt I can ever enjoy working in the suburbs. The energy of the city keeps me so perky all the time. There is never a reason to be sullen. Even if there is one, a quiet walk to the Ferry building and a cup of Blue Bottle coffee can almost always fix that. Even though I spend almost three hours commuting every day back and forth from the city, I enjoy every bit of it. Earlier it used to be the Caltrain and now we have an awesome shuttle service offered by Salesforce. Either way it is actually pretty worth it to come all the way. If only to see the shimmering blue bay every single day.
Yesterday I went to office after two weeks of training and off site meetings and I realized how much I had missed the bay. Even though I don’t get to take a walk by the bay every day, just knowing that it is around me and is accessible is enough. I have had 1:1s, rant talks, performance reviews, some serious and some not so serious conversations while walking along the bay. An each time I am there, it is blissful.
The funny thing is that I was born and raised in north India. And most of the north does not even have a shoreline to boast of. So I don’t know when I fell in love with the ocean. Perhaps the dry and cold Rockies of Denver shoved me towards it. I don’t know the trajectory of this relationship but I know it is one that will last. If someone was to tell me that I only had a few hours to live and I get to make one wish before I die, it would be – take me to a shore.
Today I sneaked out a twenty minutes from my day and went for a short walk with a friend. It was a perfect day to be out. And as I saw the crowds on the street walking in and out of the Ferry building, and swarms of people clicking photos of the Bay bridge and other quirky San Francisco landmarks, I felt blessed to know that this place is home. After all I don’t have to travel so far to be somewhere I love being. Now that is something to be thankful for.
Amen!
Shivi 