My House By the Sea

Last week I received an email from a recruiter looking to staff a Ruby on Rails development shop in Warren, RI. The job is 20 minutes away from Roger Williams Zoo (my wife’s future employer), and was in a quite, cheaper suburb right in the Bristol bay areas. The first house my wife showed me we mapped out directions for on Google, and the commute time was 25 seconds! This is a smaller salary, but I was weighing the trade-offs of salary, with quality of life. I would drastically reduce my commute, get to take my dogs into work, and work on projects that I feel I would be a better match for. For every reason to go, I could find an equally compelling reason not to go. I went in for an interview, and got a job offer. Inside of a week, I talked to my wife, my best friend, my parents, and myself. I wore myself down with little sleep. What I did get was restless, and the thought of switching consumed my every waking thought. Some folks at work lived in the area where this new employer was, and over the course of a few meals, I learned enough past experiences from them that I become convinced that this was where I wanted to be. I took confidence in someone from work who I consider very wise, and he took humor in the fact that this was such a struggle for me. I simply couldn’t see the forest through the trees. After assuring me that I would indeed take the job, and that I would love it, I went home that night on the train. From the time I got on the train, until the Taxi ride to my front door step, I noticed that my health had taken a turn for the worst. I had a heavy cough, I was sore, and I was freezing cold. After an unsatisfying dinner, I went into a sick, restless sleep. In the dreams I had (no doubt fueled by various crossings of medications) I saw my life staying at my current job, and my life at my new employer. I slept for what felt like days. When I woke up, backed with confidence by my wife and my co-worker confidant, I knew what the right decision was. I had just experienced a spiritual journey!

For those of you that are my current co-workers, I will genuinely miss you. It has been a hell of a good time at Beacon, and I feel lucky to have worked with such a great team. I hope that I got to share some of my Southernisms in your lives, as much as you have given me a perspective on the customs of New England. I will remember the lunches that I stuffed myself over, the great Android/iPhone debates, the pool games that I miserably lost, the new terms like ‘Ghabo‘ that are drilled into my vocabulary, new nautical terms learned navigating the Charles River, and tossing around the old pig skin. In the end, the commute, and the type of work was just too much for me to bare. I made it almost a full year, but it is time for me to move on and find my personal happiness. You are all invited down to the new house (wherever it may be). I know Kyle and Louis are in since its their old stomping ground. Fisher, and Josh are always up for a good time. Hoydis loves sailing, which Newport has plenty of. And lo and behold, an On The Border exists in Warwick, so I know Jeremy, the wife and kids are in. I wish I had more resolve to stay, but I know when its time to fold and go get my house by the sea.

Until we meet again!