Pursuit eighty three: Learning From the Pursuit of Another ~ Thomas Robinson

First of all I want to say thanks to Price for inviting me to share my insights/words/pursuits with her and her readers. Second, I want to apologize in advance for my crazy style of writing/photography/video posting. I just can't help it.


It feels like a big responsibility to share your pursuits with others, especially an audience that you might not be familiar with. But as I thought about this task, I realized that life is about sharing your pursuits with those around you, both known and unknown. This sharing happens all the time.


When I think about the word pursuit, it makes me think of a combination of what I'm doing, where I'm going, and what I'm trying to become. I guess the best pursuits are those that all work in concert, so that what you do and where you go are all part of what you are becoming. So, here’s what mine are all about.


The Pursuit of Happiness

Cudi says he’ll be fine once he gets it, but it is all about the journey.

For me, the best pursuits are those that benefit more than just me. I find that I get great joy by being a part of a team and by helping others. So, I guess where I try to go and what I try to become are the same and that is being a better person that makes things around him better.

The good legit life

Fortunately I have made a couple of choices that have allowed me a lot of opportunity to work on these pursuits every day. Every day I leave a house and a family (1 lady friend, 2 dogs) that I want to come home to everyday. Having a crew like that makes me want to be a better person, both for them and for those around us. For me it is key to have solid people around me (friends and family) that serve as reminders about why we are here. It helps to also have some people that can put up with my mild insanity and insistence on using words like “legit” and “jibberjabber” all the time.



The Pursuit of a Better Memphis



When I go to work at MIFA* in downtown Memphis, every day I get to work for the betterment of the community by serving people that face true need in their lives, something that I have never really faced. I get to be a part of a team that is dedicated to pushing each other to be better, both at what we do and in who we are. It is a pretty awesome experience to look around the table in a meeting and know that everyone may have different specific reasons for being there, but that they are all there to give back in some way.



The Pursuit of Better Food



One of my great hobbies is the blog that I write in my spare time. Eat Local Memphis is my little spot on the internet that allows me to put my mouth where my money is and talk up the people and places that make Memphis a food community that I love. I started this little blog after my lady friend, Kat, started her fantastic business, Muddy's Bake Shop. I watched/listened/experienced (and maybe helped a little) as Muddy's went from a wild idea to a wild reality. In the process of seeing all the work and effort that goes into making a place that values their product, values their employees, values their customers, values their community, I began to realize that most of us normal folks don't value restaurants and their people the way we should. Creating meals and experiences takes the same kind of dedication to excellence that it takes to succeed at anything.


-Thomas




*Just wanted to point out that Price spent a good part of her summer a couple years ago volunteering as an intern in my department at MIFA. That she would give of herself like that shows someone that really cares about giving back.