Getting ready for Africa....

This morning as I was packing my bag and making my final preparations, I started to think about the path that led to me to this place - here, now... getting ready for this great adventure.

It was in the fall of 2005 that I met Blake Mycoskie thru my friend Tyler Barth. We had shared some laughs (and some beers) at several late night parties, poker tourneys, Viper Room concerts etc. My impression of Blake was probably the same as most-- nice smile, funny with good looks reminiscent of a young Val Kilmer paired with a mischievous and irreverent streak lurking just underneath. He was my kind of guy. At Tyler's annual holiday party we were drinking, dancing, taking pictures and just being silly (as anyone who has seen those pictures can attest). I left for Christmas holiday and when I got back in January I remember stumbling upon Blake's myspace page and reading his profile. He had a quote in his 'about me' profile that stuck me: "In the end, my life will not be measured by what I acquired but by what I gave away." I immediately emailed him asking to meet for coffee-- it was clear to me that this was a someone that I needed to get to know better -- certainly there was more to him than the guy vamping for my camera at the party.

He responded immediately... "i'd love to but tomorrow I am leaving for South America for three weeks - let's have coffee when I get back." So I just figured that eventually we'd catch and hang out... three months went by.

It was at the end of March of 2006 when I asked Tyler whatever happened to his friend Blake... it seemed as if he had fallen off the face of the earth. In fact, he said, he had just gotten back from Argentina that day and would be coming out to our big party we were throwing that night. Apparently, jet lag had got the best of him and Blake was a no-show at the party. I emailed to rib him about being a flake and he said "let's have breakfast Saturday morning at the Brickhouse in Venice" (*very good breakfast burrito btw).

Blake had mentioned something about a new project that he had just started working on and since I was knee deep in the movies, product placement and fashion he wanted to bend my ear.

So on April 1st last year I went to the Brickhouse in Venice, got a table on the patio and waited.... I had no idea about what I was about to get involved with-- but that moment is when I jumped down the rabbit hole of TOMS.....

Soul Purpose

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy

I woke and saw that life was service

I acted and behold, service was joy"

-Rabindranath Tagore

anticipation

every day i think about it. i get chills from it. i dream of it. i draw pictures of it. i visualize the children smiling, running, playing... it, is africa- a new land which i will travel and return from with a purpose emboldened--- give more shoes to more people and make the world a better place one inspired human at a time.

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." ~Confucius

=)