Let’s buckle up and dig in this week.

I made my way to San Antonio for a job that required me (pre pandemic) to show up almost monthly, if not multiple times in the month for single day turnarounds. San Antonio is 2-2.5 hours from Houston, so while technically possible, being on the road for 5 hours to attend (at best) a 3 hour meeting and getting back to Houston to the workplace was a tedious process. The company’s logic was that the same process that was used in inner city Houston could be applied to the San Antonio market space. I struggled to balance work and life, and if I am honest, I don’t know that I was able to properly strike that balance in a way that served me.

Yet, I told myself that the behavior would curtail at some point or that I might be able to find something different. I didn’t believe that the corporate need would ever magically change, but I did at least hope for a reprieve; even if I normally did enjoy a good road trip every now and again.

After quite a few of these turnaround trips, I found myself trying to experience parts of the City which may be near my prescribed destinations to learn more about what is indeed beautiful and vibrant.

Cathedral de San Fernando is one of the locations that I made a priority. The location is tied directly to Texas’ Independence as William Travis was said to have stationed a soldier at the Cathedral’s bell tower (the tallest point in San Antonio at the time) ahead of the Battle at The Alamo to spot General Santa Ana’s troops.

Even now, this landmark carries significance to San Antonio’s Catholic Community. The Cathedral plays as a base to the Catholic Diocese of San Antonio as well as hosting services and sacraments.

The track this week is “Believe” by Mumford & Sons from a special Record Store day 45, although the track is also highlighted on their LP “Wilder Mind”.

I keep thinking of no longer knowing what to believe from an employer with whom showed little regard for the realities of it’s employees. And admittedly, am wary of anyone trying to sell me on a dream that is not instantly explainable. For now, I am just keeping perspective, as though I am at the top of the bell tower.