As my trip to Southern California winds it's way down, I'm simply not ready to leave. I could stay here for another two weeks. I don't look forward to the journey back home.
The past two weeks here have been quite enlightening and entertaining. I've visited family and friends, reconnected with old friends, resolved a few questions that have been lingering for the past three years, met a ton of new people, found new opportunities and generally got away from my troubles and tribulations.
Being away has lent some perspective. I've watched from afar as a team of baristas forge something truly new and exciting on the East Coast. I've read the reports, reviews and tweets about people's experiences and it's been very exciting. I've tasted new coffees that I'm sure will be winners when they hit our brew bar and we're going to bring some cool stuff to the people back home over the next several weeks.
The past five months have been difficult and challenging and it was good to be away. But as some things change, others stay the same and I'm not very excited about returning to things that remain the same. This trip has been a rediscovery of everything I enjoyed about traveling and being away. In turn, it's been a rediscovery finding myself again and who I want to be.
There's still more to explore and I cringe at the thought of stepping about that aircraft in a few hours for the journey home. Truth be told, I'd rather be away. In many ways, I feel that it's still too early to return. Two weeks were nice but four weeks would be better.
But even for myself, as with most people, responsibility beckons and one must put aside their personal desires in order to remain responsible and rejoin what I consider to be some of the greatest baristas on the planet today.
