My first Burning Man was a life-changing moment, even more so now that I look back eight years later.
I first heard about Burning Man in 2014 during lunchtime discussions at work. At the time, I thought it was a wild festival where hippies partied hard with blasting music. I wasn’t into that, so it didn’t interest me. But in 2016, when my friend Rahul asked if I wanted to go to Burning Man, I said let’s go.
I never liked running. I was always among the last in my class and didn’t want to see myself as not good at something I worked hard at. It was my dream to run a triathlon one day, but I was too scared of running to even try.
That changed when I went to cheer on my friends at the San Francisco marathon. The energy at the finish line and the support from everyone made me want to be a part of it.
I completed my first triathlon on Sunday, and the following Tuesday, I gave my fourth speech at the Everybody Speaks Toastmasters Club. I wrote a speech based on this experience and the insights gained from feeling the joy of dedicating myself to one thing for an extended period. The key takeaway was the importance of remaining kind to myself without getting buried in the pressure to outperform others or even myself.
If asked what I would do if money wasn’t a concern, my answer would have varied at different points in my life. At times, I might have said traveling the world, becoming an off-piste mountain guide, or being the DJ who can tear up the dance floor. Each dream reflects a unique phase of my life, and each one has been a burning passion for me.
However, pouring so much energy into one thing can cause other areas of life to be overlooked.
Peyman and I shared a room with two other guys. One of them, a guy from Germany, snored so loudly it sounded like thunder. For a moment, I thought a tank was passing by. I reached for my earplugs, but at the same time, Peyman got up and put his phone near the guy’s nose to record the sound. What a guy.
After a hearty breakfast and coffee, we set off.
We walked from the outskirts of the town to the center of Pamplona in the dawn and passed through the old city through the medieval walls watching the sunrise. The whole town was asleep except for the pilgrims.
City wall of Pamplona,a city built in 74 BC by the Roman military. The Basques calls it Iruña, meaning 'the city' As we walked out of the city, I saw a massive wheat field splashed with red poppies.
Backpacking in Europe for three months taught me the joy of living minimally, but it took a great toll on my back. I needed to restart my exercise routine. Facebook knew me well and recommended a fundraiser challenge to swim 20 miles in August. I swam 680 laps in 16 days. This is the story about how I started swimming and ended up here.
I have Multiple Hereditary Exostosis and many bony tumors throughout my body.
