Admiral Jenn
I always thought my life was pretty random and directionless, and in thinking over the past 20+ years I realized that there is in fact a pretty obvious common theme here. Check this out: Upon graduating from college in 1992 I got a great internship with a think-tank in Washington D.C. When it came to an end in 6 months, they offered me a great job, with benefits and good pay. So I did what any normal person would do, I up and left. Flew to California with Mr. Right, a puppy, no money, no job and no place to live.
After four years of hard work, I was making a lot of money as a buyer in the semiconductor industry. I even got my CPM (certified purchasing manager) so they had to pay me even more money. In five years my 401K matching funds vested. I was living the American Dream – house, dog, man, money! So I did what any normal person would do, I up and left. I sold everything I owned and went and traveled the world- nothing but me and a backpack. Best. Time. Ever.
After about a year of that I really missed my new baby niece (that’s you, Kiyomi) so I decided to come back and move right in with her. I got to live with my sister and be super-nanny. I also got a pretty cool job doing marketing for a small computer server manufacturer (you need me to build you a website? Sure I can do that. Let me just figure out how…). Everything was really great and I was saving up some money again. So I did what any normal person would do… Packed everything I owned into a 1986 Toyota Camry and drove around the country with a Dutch guy. Afterall, I’d seen so much of the world, but not the Grand Canyon! It just seemed like the right thing to do.
I eventually ended up back in Santa Cruz. No money, no job and no place to live. Before long I had a great job at West Marine corporate as an Admin, which eventually turned into marketing manager in the Internet dept. I also started a nonprofit called TravelingEd to try to educate American children about other countries and cultures. That all went on and on for some time. I did a few interesting things in that time, like sail on a tall ship to Hawaii with the Indonesian Navy and paddle a dugout canoe through the Peruvian rainforest. TravelingEd never really got wildly successful but my work at West Marine was going great. So I did what any normal person would do, I cut down to part time at West Marine and spent more time on TravelingEd. Then I decided to quit West Marine altogether (who needed all that pesky income??) and start my own business. Luckily, my Professional Organizing business took off immediately and within 3 months I was able to support myself on that work alone. It was REALLY fun. My true calling, even. TravelingEd eventually had to be put down and I spent all my time organizing and helping individuals, rather than trying to change the world as a whole (it was so exhausting!).
I finally met the new Mr. Right and we busily worked away and built a strong little life in Santa Cruz. After a few years we decided that buying a sailboat and traveling around the world might be a good idea. So we spent the last 3 ½ years fixing up this boat and working really hard. Both our businesses were going great and very successful. And we LIKED our work and our clients very much. So, we did what any normal people would do…we up and left (Who else would do this with me?).
Here we are, with no money and no jobs, but hey, we have this awesome place to live. 360 degree ocean view and no mortgage!
I have NO idea what is going to happen next. But doesn’t it seem like I’ve been working up to this point for sometime now? Anytime I end up somewhere great and things are going well, I can easily just up and leave, in the comfort of my own home. I’m very much looking forward to leaving many, many wonderful places from now on J
Interview with the Captain…Maybe coming eventually?