With the city spread out before me, I couldn't help but appreciate why I was visiting San Francisco. My friend, Brad, has always had to work hard his whole life. His parents never had that much money and he started working at relatively early age. He worked his way through high school, delivering pizzas and working at the Gap.
To top it off, he was also a Varsity soccer player and played on the community tennis team. Somehow, he always managed to make straight A's. In college, it was the same story. All four years of his undergraduate degree saw him working two part-time jobs on top of his full class load. Brad is the type of guy who has an open heart and likes helping the less fortunate, even if that eats into his work or school schedule.
Appropriately enough, his major was social work. At the ripe old age of 22, he graduated with honors. I remember being flabbergasted by his drive and commitment. As the years went by, though, I could tell his job in social work was wearing him down.
Within a year of graduating, his sister fell ill with some serious medical complications. His parents were on a fixed pension and the bills were piling up. When he told me that he was going back to school to become a doctor, I was shocked. It's not that I didn't think he could pull it off, mind you. But medical school is a grueling decade of work.
But, that's Brad for you. He doesn't think in terms of hard or easy. He just does it. That's why this trip to San Francisco was so special -- because he just finished his first semester in medical school. There are people in our lives that remind us that it's never too late to take a risk -- make sure you make time to celebrate them. - 31515
To top it off, he was also a Varsity soccer player and played on the community tennis team. Somehow, he always managed to make straight A's. In college, it was the same story. All four years of his undergraduate degree saw him working two part-time jobs on top of his full class load. Brad is the type of guy who has an open heart and likes helping the less fortunate, even if that eats into his work or school schedule.
Appropriately enough, his major was social work. At the ripe old age of 22, he graduated with honors. I remember being flabbergasted by his drive and commitment. As the years went by, though, I could tell his job in social work was wearing him down.
Within a year of graduating, his sister fell ill with some serious medical complications. His parents were on a fixed pension and the bills were piling up. When he told me that he was going back to school to become a doctor, I was shocked. It's not that I didn't think he could pull it off, mind you. But medical school is a grueling decade of work.
But, that's Brad for you. He doesn't think in terms of hard or easy. He just does it. That's why this trip to San Francisco was so special -- because he just finished his first semester in medical school. There are people in our lives that remind us that it's never too late to take a risk -- make sure you make time to celebrate them. - 31515
About the Author:
If you find yourself in Fog City, you should have your pick of San Francisco hotels to choose from.
