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Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Home Again

Almost a month has passed since I arrived home from OZ and I am still processing the experience.  The people I crossed paths with along the way still occupy a piece of my heart and mind.  Welcoming and inclusive, the team at Firemonkeys made me feel right at home. Even now, a month later, I cannot believe that I was away for nearly eight months!  It might sound silly, but being apart from loved ones for that long was a big accomplishment.   As a child, my aunt once took me to Disney World.  I cannot remember if we went by plane or car, but I clearly recall throwing a tantrum less than 48 hours after arriving.  Why?  Simple, I did not like being away from my mother.   As such, our stay at Disney was much shorter than originally planned.  OZ had its own share of tantrums, albeit from an adult this time around, and I appreciate those who held my hand from thousands of miles away and helped me through the rough days.  One thing is certain though, and that is time really did go by quickly.  


Time is weird...  At first, it feels that time is creeping by ever so slowly.  Then, after looking back at everything that took place, it feels like time went by in a blink of an eye.   Every new experience in Australia was like starting a new chapter in my adventure, and with each new chapter came a new turning point or insight.  I learned more about “me” than I thought possible.  Two of my biggest accomplishments are learning to be comfortable with me as my only company, and being able to walk into a room full of strangers by myself.   My eyes opened to strangers, and in turn they opened their hearts to me.  

Look, my life is no more interesting or no less interesting than the rest of the world’s inhabitants.  We each have our own story and it is a story built on truths, falsehoods, experiences, beliefs, and faded memories that we weave together and believe as accurate.  Sometimes it is easy to forget that we are the author of our story.  Even worse, sometimes it is easy to forget that the story we are writing, like all others, will eventually end.  This may be one of my most important lessons.  So many different people demonstrated it repeatedly that it was impossible to ignore.  

Melbourne showed me that I am stronger than I thought and I can be apart from loved ones without fear of losing them.  The past seven months involved struggles, triumphs, politics, death, sickness, friendships, partnerships, love, loss, achievement, and growth to name just a few.  I realized things about myself that I never knew, and I broke habits that cursed my life for years.  Most importantly, I allowed myself to be vulnerable (at times) and in that vulnerability, I met new friends.  Its uncanny the way people came into my life at the exact time I needed them, and at times, when they needed me.  I learned that God would bring people into our lives when we need them the most, but it is up to us to be receptive to their gift of companionship.   

I was fortunate enough to encounter several of God’s messengers.  Whether they knew it or not, each of them came into my life when I needed them most.  Some people were right next to me all along but I never took the time to notice.  There are far too many people to mention, but a select few require acknowledgement.  

If not for the leadership team at Electronic Arts, I may have never realized this extraordinary adventure.   Denise Christie-Caputo and Joseph Marrello made this entire journey possible.  They believed in my ability to succeed and saw to it that I had the proper support to complete what I set out to accomplish.  Denise and her husband Joe went out of their way to make me feel at home and extend their friendship.  Carrie Fowler provided the gift of confidence and assurance that I required in order to accept this amazing opportunity.  Naturally, the entire staff of Firemonkeys made it possible to quickly acclimate and produce winning results.  Then there are the others…

The first to enter my life was Tanja.  She came into my life at a time when I needed the strength and courage to begin exploring my new surroundings.  We laughed together, cried together, and explored the city together for an entire day.  Two days later, it was time to say goodbye, but she left me with a newfound sense of freedom and took with her my fear.  If it was not for Tanja, I might have never met Cynthia or Frank.

Both Cynthia and Frank brought with them stories of love and loss.  I had the occasion to learn from them, as I did Tanja, the importance of love.  All three had unexpectedly suffered the loss of a loved one and they were dealing with that loss in their own unique way.  From all three I learned how important it is to give and accept love, and nothing is as painful as lost time.  My next three messengers would deliver their own lessons.

Each time I started to experience a bit of loneliness in OZ a new person would enter my life.  The only thing I had to do was allow them to appear, or take notice.  That is how I met Jonno Jones, Damian Grecco, and Belle Jean.  Oddly, all three were just passing through Melbourne when we met. The time we spent together was short, but it was still long enough to relieve the loneliness that I was experiencing.  Another lesson learned… Loneliness is most usually a matter of choice.  

Finally, after months of learning the same lesson repeatedly, I chose to open my eyes to those people around me that were reaching out to make a connection.  They were everywhere, and either I was too blind to see it or too concerned with my own stories about myself.  Some of the nicest, genuine, and most welcoming people were right in front of me all along-at the Blackman Hotel.  

The gang at the Blackman Hotel was incredible.  I would see them day in and out, so after a while they started to feel just like family.  The GM of the hotel’s two restaurants (Victor) even invited me to the reception for him and his new bride.  In the past, I would have politely declined, but I accepted the invite and met with the warmest welcome ever.  Natasha Boyden & Savhalla Óðr both worked with Victor, and I looked forward to their familiar smile and friendly conversation nearly each day.


My trip to OZ taught me that I can have anything in life that I want, but it may require a lot of hard work and sometimes sacrifice.  While in OZ I successfully kicked a thirty-year addiction to smokeless tobacco, achieved winning results at the studio, regained confidence, stepped outside of my comfort zone, and started running again.  This adventure provided me the opportunity to experience new and exciting people, experience a new freedom from social anxiety, a chance to empower myself and learn to rely on myself, conquer fears, and enjoy my own company.  Most importantly, this trip was a reminder of how many people love and believe in me.

Many people have asked, “Did you determine what the lessons were that you learned?”  Naturally, my answer is yes, but I wonder if others experienced their own insights while sharing my journey.  No, I don't intend to discuss my takeaways any further.  The only thing I can share is this:  I am a blessed man to have the world’s best job, partner, friends, and family.  Ironically enough it is at Christmastime when I finally realize that God has provided me the best gift of all, and that is the realization of love.   

This chapter ends with just one simple line, and it reads…

Farewell for now, God Bless, Merry Christmas, and until next time!


HERE is a link to my final video.  I hope you all enjoy it!  Please use passcode- 2011.