So, I’ve been living in San Francisco for nearly two months now, and it’s been an amazing experience so far. Each day, I wake up feeling blessed – whether it’s my living situation, job, or ability to get around. I’ve had the chance to explore different parts of the city, and I feel like I’m not even close to experiencing all the things to do and places to see. This will be a quick update on what’s been going on since early September, as well as any thoughts that occur to me as I write.
The hardest adjustment to working life is the mental exhaustion that accompanies me after a straight day of meetings, staring at computer screens, projects, and more meetings. I can finally understand why so many people watch hours and hours of TV after work. There’s just no willpower or energy to do more work. I’ve been trying to fight this off by exercising and meeting up with friends some days of the week, and it’s been both helpful and unhelpful – some days I’ll feel rejuvenated after swimming laps or grabbing food with friends, and other days I’ll end up even more exhausted.
Speaking of tiredness, I’m trying to sleep earlier, because it’s been increasingly harder to wake up early in the morning. I’m currently sleeping around 1 AM and waking up around 8 AM, which is a respectable 7 hours of sleep. In college, that would have been considered a solid rest, but now I’m feeling sluggish in the morning. Didn’t think I’d start feeling old so soon! Now I can understand why adults sleep so early in the evening, because it’s a necessity. You can oversleep and skip lectures, but work is a whole different story. I’m aiming for midnight, so hopefully that’ll work out fine.
Another tough adjustment is a very natural one, which I like to refer to as a “new season” of life. I’ve noticed that in life, we’re in a continuous cycle of building our reputation, connections, and friendships up to a high point, only to start again from square one after the current season passes. Examples I can think of include transitions from middle school to high school, high school to college, and college to work. So now, I’m once again at the bottom of the totem pole, patiently working my way back up. It’s humbling, and I realized that there’s so much I really don’t know, contrary to what I would’ve thought as little as several months ago. So I make it my goal to be receptive to my co-workers, managers, and peers. New seasons may be difficult, but they’re also the most interesting because there are so many new possibilities – plus a clean slate is free from drama and politics. It’s the purest time to be learning and growing, and I’m hoping to make the most effective use of it.
One of the best things about work is the other half – life. Gone are worries about homework, reports, or exams. When Friday rolls around and I’m done with work, I know that I can fully enjoy the weekend – my weekend. The past several weekends have been amazing. Up for some exploring? Head out with some friends for a day in the city, checking out food trucks, restaurants, museums, parks, bars, and more. Need some time to recharge and it’s rainy? Spend the day at home wrapped comfortably in blankets, watching Shawshank Redemption and cooking spaghetti with roommates. With work taking up most of the week, weekends are the best time to try out new things or relax. It’s so awesome and I can’t wait for upcoming weekends (hint: music, more exploring, FOOD, and flying).
Another nice bonus to full-time work is getting paid. Making money is liberating and scary at the same time. It allows me to enjoy lots of fun activities around the city, whether it’s nicer restaurants or happy hours or food trucks. It also allows me to buy things that in theory make my life more comfortable. But at the same time, it’s a new frontier, and I’m still learning the ropes on how to spend wisely, especially differentiating between the essentials and nice-to-haves. I feel like I’m leaning more towards the latter, so hopefully I’ll be able to gradually shift that to more of the essentials. It’s a work in progress.
Even though I’ve been enjoying living in SF, I’m still strongly connected to Berkeley, my home away from home for the past four years. I find myself going back quite often (almost once a week since work started!) for various reasons. But underlying all those reasons is the fact that I love the city of Berkeley, all the great memories I have of it, and most importantly the people. I heard about the explosion on campus earlier today, and my heart goes out to the community – I know students have been doing an amazing job encouraging and checking-in with each other, and it makes me proud to be a Cal Bear. So Godspeed to those hurt by the explosions, and stay safe, everyone! Go Bears!
Golden at www.RandomTidbitsofThought.com.
