Fire Moments...Letters from the Ocean Blue

Being a Dog Runner means you have lots of time to not run dogs...which is nice sometimes.  You never know where you're going to find an adventure.  Below is a short tale from my time crossing the Pacific Ocean on a 38 foot Sailboat from Kauai, Hawaii to Sitka, Alaska.

"When I am old, and have had enough of these shenanigans, I'm going to write a book and call it "Fire Moments." 

  

Fire moments are when you experience something that isn't necessarily unusual, but is still fantastic. I have this feeling every time I am at a campfire outside under the stars. I think Fire moments are why cave people never thought of building a TV for 3.5 million years...because why would they? when they had things like Fire, Stars, Phosphorescence and other "Fire Moments." 

I have had a few more Fire Moments since I last wrote. The most amazing has been the Whales. The first whale sighting was just like the last time I saw a whale in a sailboat and almost hit it...I couldn't say anything...literally speechless untill I gulped "oh Shit".  We missed a sleeping Gray Whale by less than 40 feet, the length of our boat. 

I'm not sure how large this guy was, but he was at least a boatlength. And just the other day we had a whole "family" of these giants follow us for ten minutes, not more than 20 meters away, surfing down the waves behind us.  You can almost see them look at you, with their Inky Black globes for eyes. A true Fire Moment."

Money Comes and Goes, Time just Goes

This site is not about Jogs For Dogs. Except for that it kind of is.  You see, this blog is about everything I've learned and done because of Jogs For Dogs, but it is not about Jogs For Dogs itself. However, if you don't know me, or don't know what Jogs For Dogs is, then I'm not sure why you are reading this. But if you are still reading this, then let me explain.

I started JFD in March 2007. I had graduated from the University of Washington almost a year earlier and had spent the rest of 2006 traveling and catching up on other life duties.  In January of 2007 I started working at a Geotechincal Engineering Firm which was altogether awful.  On paper it was a great job...but such is life. I was so unhappy! If you are looking for more details as to why I quit, check out the first blog post.

My stint at that place was a positive experience though. Some people are lucky enough to know exactly what they want out of life. This unfortunately was not the case for me, I had to figure out all the things I didn't want to do in life.  It use to know though. I wanted to be an astronaut.  Then I wanted to be a Veterinarian.  Then I wanted to just be RICH.  Then I wanted to...go sailing.  Then I wanted it just to involve sunshine, warm water, and a sandy beach.  In other words, the older I got, the more lost I became.

When I was growing up I would tell my parents that I wanted to have a job where I made lots of money.  They would tell me what all good parents tell their children " you just need to enjoy what you are doing, money isn't the most important thing."  For some reason, as I approached graduation, this conversation seemed to be turned on its head.  I would say "I don't know what makes me happy, but I want to do that." And my parents would patiently reply that, "You really do need to get a job that can provide for you and make you some money."  Now money does not mean happiness, but I've come to realize (through great experimenting) that it does mean stability.  So I can't blame my parents for being "dream crushers," they are just more reasonable than I am.

So in late March of 2007 I hopped in bed with a note pad and a pen.  I wrote down the things I liked, and I drew lines between the ones I thought would fit together.  Then I though about if any of these combinations could make me enough money to live, and more importantly enough time to enjoy life.  Turns out Dogs and Running went together--and so Jogs For Dogs was born.

I blame my life on one simple quote I read when I was in eighth grade. 
"Our Fathers use to say 'Time is Money." That's not true, money comes and goes, time just goes"
-Unknown
...more on this later....

Why I'm writing PDR

A little more then 5 years ago I became pretty darn sick. I was in a job I didn't like. My creativity was being bottled up, and I was sick of my life. In any case, I got a staff infection from shaving and spent nine days in the hospital. The infection tracked down my neck and was headed towards my heart when they finally brewed up the right mix of antibiotics and pain killers.

The point is: shit happens that sometimes feels like such a bad deal, but ends up being just the right catalyst for changing your life, and starting over. My experience in 2007 was just what I needed. In fact, I remember thinking at the time, that it fealt just like growing up when I would get sick. Of course nobody likes to be sick, but sometimes not having to go take that spelling test, or give that presentation is just what you need. This was just what I needed.  

So after almost two weeks of being terribly sick and missing work, I walked into the office and told my boss I was done. My career as a dog runner would start on Monday.

This site is dedicated to what came next. I'm going to tell you about my adventures, both in the past, and the ones I'm doing right now. I'm going to tell you about what I learned. There are some funny things, there are some sad things. But it's all real, it's all Me, and it's all the Philosophies of a Dog Runner.