First stop, San Francisco!

The Big Shared World journey began this week in San Francisco. The film I have been working with had three screenings scheduled in the area and it seemed the perfect way to start the journey.
My first interview came while waiting for the shared shuttle bus at the airport. I talked with a nice woman named Dodie, an artist from Minnesota heading to meet her friend and explore the coast for a couple weeks. The questions turned into a lovely conversation about the Big Shared World adventure I was embarking on. This became the trend throughout my interactions in SF. No matter where I encountered people, they all were more than happy to take the time to answer the questions, and usually all wanted to take additional time to expand on their views of life, where our world is headed, and what they hope will come. Several people actually thanked me for making them think about something other than work, or taking the time to make them reflect on what a good life means, often eliciting an introspective moment where they evaluated where they are in terms of actually having a good life, according to their definition.
From fellow uber passengers in the San Francisco carpool option, to my friend’s colleagues at Levi’s, to people at a public park, to a man on the steps of a church.. the interactions were all unplanned and spontaneous. As I go, I’d like to have more lined up now that I won’t have screenings to provide some structure to the days. While I didn’t feel like I was wandering, it did feel like a few people expecting me will be a nice addition to the randomness of candid conversation.
I’m sure the journey will be full of ups and downs, but the people who were a part of the first leg in San Francisco made it a perfect start and an encouraging beginning to the many destinations ahead!!

Above: A sampling of the wonderful people who made up the San Francisco BSW journey!
(Written from my friend’s house in Danville, CA)