“If you’re going to San Francisco…”

I want to take the time to recap my work trip to California.  I didn't really have the time or mindset to talk about my trip last week given all my boy problems.  But now that my boy problems are over, at least for now, let me tell you all about my trip.

This is the second year that I've gone to California for my program's three-day planning retreat.  Like last year, the weather was nice, though much cooler than the 90 degree temperatures I left in D.C.  But, the scenery was divine.  The retreat site was a historic home in the wooded hills of Mill Valley.  The house was huge and beautiful and the grounds were amazing.  In the evening, my coworkers and I ventured through the wooded trails and on the fire road.  Oh, and the food was superb.  It was so hard to adjust to eating basic cereal, sandwiches and stir-fry after those marvelous meals.

You'd think that a relatively relaxing retreat (aside from the 3 to 4 -hour blocks of meetings) would help me calm down regarding my boy issues, but nope, the quiet time before bed and before dawn (I woke up both mornings at 5!) gave me much time to anxiously reflect…

A key highlight of the trip was talking to the other assistants who work in the California office.  They are both my age and also have guy issues.  We spent much of our free time discussing the pressures of being a 20-something—deciding on a career path and applying to school; feeling the pressures of marriage, babies, and settling down with/finding "the One."  It was good to hear that I wasn't alone in my anxiety about life—about the major decision I would have to make regarding Floyd, regarding my career, and regarding who I wanted to be.  As my fellow assistants noted, we should feel exhilarated to have so many options: We don't have to deal with an arranged marriage or a lack of opportunities for work or school.  Our mothers, grandmothers and beyond worked so hard to give us choices in life and in love. 

So, although the retreat didn't really allow me time to retreat from the realities of my life. It did help me find perspective for my own struggles and problems.  The key during this period of finding my true self is to be patient and to always follow my heart.