Future Self to Me: Take the Job (and the Teepee)

I have big news, boys and girls. I’ve just accepted a position as Community Manager with a start-up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I’m moving to California on Sunday (!!!). But wait! There’s more. I’m also going to live in a teepee. The one pictured here, in fact. For reals. So, how did all this happen? Very suddenly.

First, it was a hard decision. Huge change = scary. But after not very much consideration and a short dialogue with my future self (she said, in no uncertain terms, to go for it, teepee and all), it seemed so easy and obvious that I wondered how I ever felt torn about leaving Portland. Talking to Future Me is a little trick I learned several years ago when I was facing another life-altering choice. Present Me was feeling very torn and confused and having a hard time seeing things clearly, so I imagined how Future Me would feel. Would she regret it? Would she be glad I took the plunge? Yes? (it turns out the answer is almost always yes) Let’s do it! This mental exercise has helped me through every major decision since, and I highly recommend it.

For the record, the teepee is only a short term thing. I’m moving down ahead of hubby to look for an apartment and scope things out while he packs up our old place (somehow I think I got the better end of this bargain). Thus for the next six weeks, I shall call this teepee home. If you happen to be in or around the Bay Area and want to meet up, don’t hesitate to tweet me or email me. I may be living in a teepee, but given that it’s in someone’s backyard, I promise I’ll still be showering regularly.

I absolutely intend to chronicle my teepee adventure here with thoughts, photos and hopefully some video. I’ll also continue to write about all the other stuff I usually write about. I’ve got some big changes in the works for this blog, too. So, if you’re in the Bay Area, get in touch. If you’re in Portland, stay in touch. And no matter where you are, stay tuned!