San Diego Flotilla

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Catamaran Resort, San Diego, California 

William

11:40 a.m.

Outside the window a flotilla begins to manifest itself. There are a plethora of different types of flotation water crafts, kayaks, paddle boards, little boats, and they are full of children. It seems that perhaps there is some type of summer camp taking place. They are squealing and shouting and laughing and it looks to be a generally good time. 

In the water there are some older kids that have been tasked with swimming around our boat, arms flailing, feet with flippers kicking, water diamonds skittering and glistening off of their tanned, brown skin, and sunny faces splashing in and out of the water trying to breathe and see, stroke after stroke after stroke. When they are done they run up and down the beach, carrying their flippers, water skittering and dancing all around and off of them and sand blasting up and out from their feet, everywhere. For a child, it seems the perfect summer day.

I turn back to the instructor at the front of the room, he is fully engaged in his lecture on data and data governance. He is an expert in his field, he is passionate about his conversation. I get it. It's good information, but the pull of the window is strong. I look back out.

I almost laugh.

The fleet of kayaks and paddle boards is moving further out into the bay together. It looks fantastic. It really looks like a flotilla of tiny water craft. Yellow, white, orange, green and life jackets and paddles all going in every direction, some more smoothly than others, but all going. I can hear distant howls, cries and laughingThe water sparkles like a mermaid's treasure trove, and I can't hear the cacophony of squawking, laughing children any longer, but there is no doubt that the event continues to be of great joy and excitement.

My ears turn my head back to the he front of the room and the speaker drones on. I mean I feel bad for the guy. It's day three of the data conference and people are starting to be distracted. We are in San Diego which is awesome because it's beautiful here and the weather is great, but no matter how much you love and believe in data it's still...data, and managing data, and governing data, and securing data. The ocean and the sunshine call us and indoors everyone looks like a zombie drooling at the windows. But, like good little adults, we mostly tear our eyes away from the windows and the splashing and the sunshine and we focus on the good gentleman who speaks to us passionately and emphatically about the importance of data.

And so it is that we work to improve our environments, to make something of our jobs, to improve upon what we come into, to learn and to grow...but it doesn't mean we lose the joy or the sunshine. It doesn't mean we should become dour and so hyper serious that we miss the happiness and light that can be found in the unexpected moments and in small upturned faces and crazy flotillas. 

Go out there, learn, work, pursue, but also live in ways that make you happy. Godspeed you joy and love and light.