On Saying Goodbye

Have you ever seen the sun rising from behind the snow capped mountains surrounding the edges of Los Angeles?

I have. Multiple times. It’s not the most beautiful sunrise I ever saw, but for me it was always comforting.

While living in Downtown LA, my morning ritual included getting out of bed (duh), making coffee and watching the sunrise. When you are living in a fast-paced city where helicopters fly around all night and police and firemen sirens echo from every street, that particular part of the day is one of the most beautiful memories I cherish about my life across the Atlantic. 

It really doesn’t matter who you are, what you are doing or who you wake up with: if you cannot enjoy simple moments like watching the stars at night, sunrises and sunsets, or just the sound of the wind passing through the trees, then probably you’re doing something wrong in life, and need to slow down a bit and be more aware of the path you are threading.

And why is this important, you may ask? We eat, sleep, work, love, hate, cry and sometimes things get lost in the way. Throughout life I’ve been trying to be consistent with myself, practicing what I preach. And now is one of those moments, to put the proverbial money where my mouth is.

I’m leaving Diamond by Bold (by Devoteam, I guess). 

Ever since the group got acquired and Collide was merged into something else, I simply stopped having fun. It all starts one day, then moves to becoming one week or two. Next thing you know, you kind of feel in the wrong place and things stop making sense.

And just like in so many break-ups, “it’s me, not you”. Companies change all the time, get acquired, merged, closed, etc. In that process people just either adapt or move. It wasn’t different with me I guess.

And although I have no regrets about making this decision, I know for sure that I will dearly miss my Collide team. During our journey together, we became more than just teammates: we became a family. And by that analogy, right now, I’m leaving home. “Will they be ok?” “How will things turn out for them?” are just some of the questions that come to mind.

Bear in mind that I am also a father to a lovely 9 year old girl (almost 10) who is one of the brightest people I’ve had the grace to share my life with. This makes me even more overprotective of those I love (you don’t wanna fuck around with us bro, otherwise you’ll get a new dental job done, for free).

Nevertheless, I know for sure they will be fine. There is no other way: they are one of the finest crew I’ve shared my path with. I must be the adult, get out of the way of their personal growth, and, at the same time, proceed with my own.

So yes, I’m leaving. If our lives ever crossed, dear reader-who-may-have-been-a-part-of-the-whole-corporate-collective, then thank you for the experience. If not… then maybe they will, in some other way. You can always find me somewhere, watching the sun rise, from my bedroom window, on top of a mountain, or lying on the sand at the beach.

Catch me if you can.