Adventures in San Francisco

I recently spent 4 epic weeks in the beautiful bay area of San Francisco. The adventures, memories with friends, lessons learned, and breathtaking scenery will soon be put into words (probably a series of blog posts). But until then, here are a couple pictures to give you a sneak peek. 🙂

Cliff House, Ocean Beach

Golden Gate Bridge from Fort Mason

Muir Woods

Best drip coffee. Ever. (aka Philz Coffee)

Boudin San Francisco Sourdough

Trail to Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park

From 36,000 feet. I seriously ❤ mountains. Especially snow capped mountains.

Pier 1 / Financial District, San Francisco

Craving Community

We are all designed for community, regardless of personality.

Photo credit http://www.photographybybritton.com

And I’m not just referring to the kind of community that resides in the same zip code. We were created to communicate with others. Friends, family, colleagues, classmates, and clients are all part of this network called community. And with today’s technology and social media, it is easier than ever to connect with hundreds and even thousands of people around the world.

How is it possible then, that I can be drowning in connections and still crave community? Where is the disconnect between being surrounded by people and actually having community?

Intentionality.

Community springs from authentic relationships that require effort to initiate and maintain. Facebook friends, Twitter followers, and LinkedIn connections, are merely an avenue to facilitate building relationships. Assuming a social media platform will magically be transformed into community is a catastrophic misconception. It requires individual hard work and persistence. But most importantly, community demands intentionality.

Communicate purposefully. Invest relationally. Create your own community.