I remember distinctly the moment it hit me — the magnitude of the changes my life had undergone over the past 12 months. I was in a taxi hurtling dangerously through the streets of New York on a crisp fall evening in September, having just flown in to support the launch of Nokia’s new Lumia 920 phone. And as the cab weaved and dodged through the smattering of hapless pedestrians on the Upper West Side, I took a moment to reflect on how crazy everything had become. Just days earlier, I’d been in a recording studio in Los Angeles to record the first few episodes of The Tobolowsky Files for Public Radio International. Now, on behalf of Microsoft, I was about to partake in an event with hundreds of the world’s top tech press. A year ago, these weren’t events I could have truly fathomed.
In fact, a year ago, things overall weren’t looking that good for me. I was temporarily living with my parents after a major job offer had fallen through, and I was about to graduate from Harvard into a pretty uncertain future. While I still don’t think my future is written quite yet, I cannot be more grateful for how the past year has unfolded.
Mostly, I’m just thankful for all of the unique experiences I’ve had. In the past six months alone, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so many amazing people in Seattle; of collaborating with a storied radio producer for Public Radio International; of working in the office next to one of the most talented PR people in the tech industry today; of being part of one of the world’s largest technology companies as it’s released some of the most important products in its 38-year history; of seeing my brother get married; of witnessing old bonds of friendship reaffirmed and new ones formed; of performing with Stephen Tobolowsky at the Moore Theatre to an audience of over a thousand people; of falling in love; of partying on Sarah Silverman’s rooftop deck; of seeing The Shins perform live as the sun set over the gorgeous mountains of Central Washington; of taking in the immense beauty of that place they call the Puget Sound. Even when times are tough, I cannot find it in me to complain with all of the blessings in my life.
It hasn’t all been easy and fun. In fact, a lot of it has been stressful, intense, painful. And looking towards the next 12 months, I can already predict there will be great difficulties ahead, professionally and personally. But even if my life went completely down the toilet right at this moment, I’d count myself lucky for everything that has happened. And I’d hope that somehow, somewhere along the way, I’d been able to pass at least a small smattering of that happiness to those who’ve crossed my path.
Happy Thanksgiving.