Thursday, March 11, 2010

The Beginning

I am a double ivy league educated corporate lawyer who was recently laid off midway through my career from a very prestigious firm in the Northeast. After years of sleeping under my desk on bad nights, rolling home at 11:00pm on a good night and working through weekend after weekend to the point that I would go months without seeing a single friend, I have been forced to realize that I don't have much to show for my workaholic existence over the last several years. I have a precious few close friends, but no family, or even a girlfriend, because no well-adjusted woman would put up with my schedule. I have forgotten how to do everything that used to bring me pleasure, from cooking, to playing guitar, to taking care of someone else or even myself beyond just surviving every day. I do, however, have one thing in my life that I truly love, and when I say love, I mean weak in the knees, heart pounding through my chest, head spinning with endorphins, inexplicable electricity coursing through my veins love, my 2009 Porsche Cayman S (aka the "911 killer"). I remember when I bought it, the introductory pamphlet that came with it was replete with references to all the disastrous events that could transpire after a "sustained period of driving with gusto." I couldn't think of a more apt analogy for the state of my life now that I have finally hit that wall that brought me to my knees after years of living my life faster and harder (from the work that was my life to the partying in those brief moments when work allowed) than most normal people would ... or probably should. So, I'm getting in my car, the only thing in my life that makes me truly glad to be alive despite everything, and I am driving a three month lap around America with a different kind of gusto that is not about hitting the next hurdle or grabbing the next brass ring or partying through the night just for a moment of relief, but about experiencing and appreciating this beautiful country and the absolute privilege that it is to just be alive in it with my health and one of the most amazing cars ever built.

1 comment:

  1. Great adventure. Now's the time to do what you're doing before you really plant roots. This will open your eyes to tons of options and could be a life changing experience. Lots of luck. We'll all be watching and reading along with you.

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