Jimmy slipped off his sandals to bask his feet in the morning sunlight.
“Dude, check out this video on my Insta feed,” Jimmy said, holding up his phone. “It’s some dude playing ping pong with his cat.”
“No offense, Jimmy, but how about we just talk,” Mark said with a smile, adding, “I’m kind of sick of screens.”
“Oh, okay…sure.” Jimmy slipped the phone into his jacket pocket.
The morning air was crisp, and the sun warmed them both. Not many people were in the plaza, and a kind of stillness filled the air. Mark took a bite of his pastry and Jimmy sipped his latte.
“So, I have some news,” Mark said.
“I quit working for Awaken.ai and I’m leaving California,” Mark said softly.
“Are you shitting me? Awaken is like the primo startup, and you and I grew up here in California. What’s going on, Mark? What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking about reinvention, Jimmy. I want to dive into photography full-time. I want a life, not just a paycheck. And I’m sort of sick of technology. I feel like it gets in the way too much. It distracts from real life. It just keeps growing until we forget who we are.”
“I thought your photography and the weddings you shoot were a side hustle? Mark, you can make way more money at Awaken. Don’t get me wrong, you’re an awesome photographer, but money matters, dude. It’s security. And don’t you want to be at the forefront of the AI revolution? It’s the future.”
“Yeah, Jimmy, I know. It scares me a little, to walk away. Artificial intelligence is the biggest thing in the industry right now. But it’s…artificial. It’s not real. Sure, it could change the world, but it’s not what I want my life to be about.”
“What did your boss say?” Jimmy asked.
“My boss thinks I lost my shit. She said to take some time and think about it. But I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. I mean, look around, Jimmy. Everywhere we go, people have their heads lost in their devices. Including me. If I’m not checking emails, I’m scrolling through feeds. I want to spend more time with my head up, looking at the real world, not a bunch of artificial bullshit. I mean, ninety percent of the crap online is a waste of time.”
As a full-stack developer, Jimmy could relate. “Yeah, there are days I want to shoot my laptop and live a simpler life,” Jimmy said.
Mark slipped out a notebook wrapped in a soft leather cover.
“Uh-oh, here comes the notebook,” Jimmy said, knowing that Mark was a consummate reader and life-long journaler.
Mark began flipping through pages of dense notes, and then put his finger on a specific paragraph. He looked up at Jimmy with a grin.
“I sense words of wisdom are about to commence,” Jimmy said, taking another sip of his latte.
