Day 260: Make Your Contacts Count

I apologize for all the book posts lately; life has been a little wild. In the past three weeks I've had four couchsurfers, I had my last day at my old job, and this week I'm doing training for the Seattle Architecture Foundation. If all goes well, soon I will be conducting architecture tours of downtown Seattle.

Both my parents are incredible role models of compassion and generosity. I didn't appreciate it as a kid but I do now. For awhile, I've felt some guilt for not volunteering my time to any organizations. I tried doing a Seattle Team Works project recently. You join a team to do one service project a month for four months. I felt like was just going through the motions of volunteering but my heart wasn't it in at all.

A couple of months ago I met a new friend at a bar. Tino and I share a love of cocktails so it's fitting that we met at Vessel. He is an amazing guy, full of love and he really looks out for his friends. If he tells me I might like something I always follow up. He has been doing tours for the Seattle Architecture Foundation for almost three years now and he thought I might enjoy the organization as well. I joined him at the volunteer party, had a fantastic time, and this weekend I am being trained to lead tours.

I'm really excited about this training. I've now experienced two of the tours and they are a lot of fun. Seattle has some gorgeous buildings from early this century and you learn to notice new details about buildings you've walked by a hundred times before. Today we took the Design Details tour (guided by Tino!) which culminated in the Chinese room of the Smith tower.

The previous tour I attended was the Architecture 101 tour but there are a lot of great options. Check 'em out next time you have visiting family in town, or because you just want to learn something new about our fair city. Either way, it's an enjoyable time.

Status: Dibbed