Sometimes You Just Gotta Take the Time ...

I live in San Diego.  But work in LA.  That means I commute weekly and regularly spend a couple nights in LA -- nights in which I jam, jam, jam on work when I am not out at dinner meetings or evening events. My typical rhythm on those nights is to hole myself up in my hotel and bang it out -- catching up on all of my correspondence of the day.  And, that means that I too rarely take the time to do anything else in those moments.

But, sometimes you just gotta take the time .... 

I am a runner.  Have been for years.  And, LA has some of the most picturesque running spots in the world.  The canyons -- and, of course, the ocean.  

My office is only a few miles from that beautiful ocean in Santa Monica.  So, one night a few days back, I put aside my work for a couple hours and made that few mile (but several driving minutes) trek to Santa Monica, strapped on my running shoes, insert my ear-buds, and just ran ... along the coast ... on the boardwalk ... watching others like me as I passed them by.

As the sun set on that beautiful night, I listened to M83’s epic song “Wait” over and over again -- dialed up to 11 (I suggest you try it -- trust me on this one -- it is the perfect soundtrack for these moments).  I finished my run.  Watched the sun set.  Captured this shot.  And vowed to do it more often.

Life is short.  It is easy -- too easy (particularly in the hyper-fast tech world) -- to stay heads down all the time.  God knows I do, especially when away from home.

But, just like I tell my kids, sometimes you just gotta “look up” -- and soak it in ...