Happy Fathers’ Day

“So I cried when I lost my shoes until I saw a man who had no feet.”

A friend of mine at the office shared with me this quote his father would tell him, when he was growing up; a reminder for me to be so appreciative of everything that I have. It hit home on this Father’s Day this morning, when I think about my dad; as he is a major reason for all the good things that have happened to me and all the good things I have in my life. When I was on the plane last week from Abu Dhabi back to Los Angeles, the second leg of my three-leg journey back home, I thought of my dad, and specifically that first flight that I ever made from India (Delhi) to the States almost forty years ago. My mom was already across the pond, waiting for us at JFK in New York City. We were just little boys, my brothers five and two years old only. Sitting in the middle seats of the plane, I had never seen anything so big; everything would seem big and would be new for a long time before I got used to it. In looking back, I am in utter admiration of my dad, his vision, his conviction, and his strength. He had already made the decision that education would be his and his kids’ steps to a bright future, to escape the poverty of his youth. Having earned his PhD from Leeds, England just a couple years prior, he had decided with my mom that America would be our future. His decision took us from the east coast to Indiana; and later, took me to Chicago and ultimately to the west coast. And with that decision, he changed my life as well as that of my brothers and my sister. And because I truly feel that we are very much connected and that we have a profound effect on the lives of those around us, I believe with his decision, he affected the lives of so much more than his immediate family. Because of what I do for a living, the lives of millions and millions of people.

A year ago last month, I made the difficult decision to leave a company (CareerBuilder) that I loved, leave a city (Chicago) that I loved and lived in for twenty years and, most importantly, leave both family & friends that I loved dearly, embarking on a 2800 mile soul searching road trip across country with my dog Taylor that had me stay with dear friends in Kansas City, Boulder, and Reno as well as camping under the super moon in Moab, UT. Earlier this month, while I was in the land of my birth (India), I celebrated my one year anniversary working at a company that I love (Glassdoor) that continually raises the bar as a “best places to work” company, a town that I love (Sausalito) outside a city that I love (San Francisco) meeting new friends and rekindling old friendships on the west coast.

On that road trip, among so many other things, one of my most prevailing thoughts were that of my parents- my dad who flew across the world with three little kids to meet my mom again, and to start a new life. And that’s what I was doing last year at this time – starting a new life. My journey is extremely small compared to his, my decision not nearly as epic as his. But in some small way, I carried both of my parents in my heart as I drove out west, thinking probably many of the same thoughts they did when they first came to America.

Last week, we celebrated our sixth year anniversary at our new office location in Marin. And in the short year I’ve been there, I have seen so many great things, as the company continues to grow with every great new hire. Our CEO gave an inspirational speech of when he started the company and where it is now and where it will be tomorrow. Our future’s bright, and we continue to wear shades. And I thought back to that drive I made a year ago, hoping then and knowing now, that all will be and all is good.

So much has changed in just a year, but moving out west was the best decision I could have ever made. I am closer to my destiny than I have ever been!

I woke up again at 4:30 AM; my sleep patterns since coming back from India have been challenging at best. I watched the sun rise, which is always a beautiful thing from my balcony in Sausalito.
As I write this a hummingbird flies into my balcony and hums a few bars to one of my flowers.

Happy Fathers Day, Dad!

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