54. Tim Almodovar [Questing]

Questing. Not a word often heard without the accompaniment of the word, "huzzah!" But today, we're talking about questing in terms of being present. Mindful. Trusting yourself. And finding out what happens along the way. Join us!

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Transcript

Joy Bork: 0:10

Welcome to Here We Are. The podcast where we celebrate the beauty of being a nerd by learning about nerdy things from fellow nerds. I'm your host, Joy Blue. Today's guest came to us from a moment of openness. My wife, Brie and I were checking in at a hotel and had an extraordinary experience with Tim. On the spot, I knew I had to interview him. In today's episode, you're going to learn all about being present, questing, curiosity, and so much more. So without further ado, here's Tim Almodovar to share with us about his journey questing through life.

Tim Almodovar: 0:50

My name is Tim. I grew up in Southern California. And played sports growing up throughout my life. Got a wrestling scholarship to pay for college. Cause my family didn't have the means send me. So I went and I tore my knee up. So that was the end of that. But I still wanted to go to college, I decided. So I joined the service, got the army college fund, GI bill that allowed me to do that. And was stationed in Europe during that time. So that was a bending moment in my life to be exposed to different thoughts, different ideas about living and how it's supposed to look. And once you're in one spot, it's easy to travel to other spots. So, that was a game changer. After that, came back to Southern California and went to San Diego state. Graduated with a degree in exercise nutritional sciences. That's where I started. And then I veered from there from that health field into mental health and behaviorial health. Mostly working with that risk youth and their families. And then transitioned into different areas of that, in-home service, wilderness therapy. Worked with seniors for a bit. And then later worked with young adults. Spent some years working with the homeless. So a background of social work. However I need a break from time to time for my wellbeing. So I veer off and take a break into hospitality. Still get to interact with people, but it's a lighter endeavor.

Joy Blue: 2:13

And that's where I met you. My wife and I were checking in

Tim Almodovar: 2:17

Yeah.

Joy Blue: 2:17

at a hotel in lake Tahoe and met you and knew right away, I just, I needed to talk to you. You were so interesting and you were so open. And willing to share about your experiences and I just got so excited and I'm really excited to be here talking to you today.

Tim Almodovar: 2:32

Yeah, it's a high volume of people that come through. So it's deeply satisfying when you make that connection. When you're able to do that from time to time. So, yeah, I was really glad that you ended up in front of me instead of one of the others.

Joy Blue: 2:46

Yeah, lucky me. So what do you want to nerd out about today?

Tim Almodovar: 2:50

Well, there could be a lot of things. And I like your phrasing of that, like nerd out or geek out. Like you mentioned how we have the ability to do that. And for me, it makes me think of Joseph Campbell, Follow your bliss." Just that simple statement, it can change your life. And Rumi said,"Be mindful of what moves you and gravitate towards that." And I think that's essentially what geeking out is, you know, and it's so informative. Like if that moves you, whatever that is that you geek out about or nerd out about, then gravitate towards that and discover.

Joy Blue: 3:28

are you basically saying that that's a different way of phrasing what do you geek out about?

Tim Almodovar: 3:32

I think so. I think it's the same thing.

Joy Blue: 3:34

is what does like what does your soul get excited about?

Tim Almodovar: 3:37

Right. Exactly. Exactly. That's so informative. And if you can move towards that, you begin to cultivate a life that is satisfying. Now that's not to say it's not gonna be a grind. That's what life is. But you do find that you're not following societal norms, so to speak, or what it's supposed to look like, what it's supposed to be. Your life is your decision. This is my decision. This is what moves me. I wanna hang out with this or this, yeah, it's a game changer. I think.

Joy Blue: 4:07

So, what has been moving your brain recently? What have you been excited to learn about?

Tim Almodovar: 4:12

Well, people always. Um, it's fascinating to me. Our world. I like to travel You know that the world can be so many different things to so many different people all at the same moment. It's fascinating. So that, within that, both I geek out about nature, cause I love nature. And for me that's a place to go and recalibrate so to speak. But I also love cities, and everything they offer. So it's a spectrum. I just feel fortunate to to be where I'm at now. And it's not gonna be long term because I bounce from place to place, but while I'm here, I'm in the moment and I've thoroughly enjoyed this stop. And you know, there's parts that are trying always because it's life, but I'm thankful for the experience.

Joy Blue: 4:58

So one thing I remember you talking about and you just hit on it a little bit was the nomadic nature of your life. To this point you've been going from place to place. What do you look for in a place? How do you know when your time is done? Like, how do you get my community in place after place? What does that look like for you?

Tim Almodovar: 5:19

So I've learned when I do venture out somewhere not to have expectation of what it's gonna be or what it's gonna look like or what. Just go in and take it moment by moment. And in the past, I would try to force something like I I'm gonna go there. I'm gonna do that. And if you force something it's it seems like some places really embrace you and some can shoo you away. So I don't force anymore. I just have ideas about things and I'll let those ideas unfold and roam. And then I'll reach out here and there and when something hits, I feel like, okay, let's do this, but again, there's no guarantee how something's gonna turn out. I don't wanna have any expectations cuz then that can lead to disappointment. So, I'm open ended on that part. And as far as leaving, I think it's the same thing. Just staying in the moment, and zooming in and not trying to be anywhere else, but I'm here now, so I'm fortunate to be here, let's make this what it can be. And then I begin to sense okay, I'm ready. And it's different for everyone, but I'm somewhat of a restless soul. I think I've been blessed or some may even say burdened with a curious nature where I want to check this out now. I want to check this out now. So that kind of leads to me bouncing from place to place.

Joy Blue: 6:36

So, one thing I love that you just said is talking about being here, now, in the present. What kind of things do you practice? How do you...cuz being here now being present is a practice. So what has your journey been with learning to be present? And what does that look like for you right now?

Tim Almodovar: 6:57

It looks different, but it comes down I guess, to a, I wanna incorporate a mindfulness to my days, even, the ordinary aspects of it, but it's still part of the day and it's still part of the experience. One of the things I do, and I think I mentioned when I met you that morning, I like to walk the beach and zoom in. And how I do that is beginning with the walk, I'll just focus on breathing and then I'll zoom in, on seeing, hearing, feeling. And just get those thoughts in my mind. Seeing, hearing, feeling. And that would be the sand. I'm seeing the sand, I'm seeing the shells, I'm seeing pine cones. I'm seeing the pine trees. I'm seeing the expanse of the lake. I'm seeing the Sierra Nevada. I'm seeing someone parasailing over here. Hearing the water lapping on the shore. Bird song. Feeling a cool breeze, the warmth of the sun. So now I'm zoomed into the moment. This is where I am, and I get to experience this. And then with that comes a gratitude. You're having this opportunity. Be mindful of it. Don't take it for granted. You're not gonna be here forever. It's more a short term stay. So, I guess those kind of things. Just to be awake, aware of where I am and what's happening.

Joy Blue: 8:19

What was a turning point in your life that helped you wake up?

Tim Almodovar: 8:23

I think it was a combination of things. But I would say the biggest instrument has been books, reading. They inspire. One of the tattoos I have is Don Quixote. This guy that he was inspired by books and he went out questing. And so there's some great novels about this, but there's also some obviously real life characters. So when I was reading about these people, I thought I want that, I want do that. I didn't know to what extent. I wanted to go out and venture and quest and explore. And in the novels, in real life, like I mentioned earlier, there's trials. That's definitely part of it. It's a grind. It's not all sunshine and smiles. But I feel like each leap I've made, I grow from. And I want that to be a part of my life. To continue to evolve and grow and increase my understanding of the human condition. And with that, especially in my work in social work, I've learned that if you can increase your understanding, with that comes an increase in empathy. And there's a connection that can be made then.

Joy Blue: 9:28

Yeah, that's beautiful. And I, I love the difficult simplicity of what I'm hearing you say. Because it is so difficult to stay extremely present when you're doing something as beautiful, and as simple, and yet as complex as walking along a beach. And choosing where your focus is going to be and choosing to be present, like it is such a choice. I can tell this has been a practice for you over your years of being a quester, as I heard you say. And you do strike me as such a grounded presence. And I think that's one of the things I saw when I met you the first time was like, oh, this dude knows what's up. Like you're present. You're here. You were both with us at the desk and with the task that you needed to do. And I felt seen and understood by you. Even in that smallness of the interaction and that speaks to how much work you've done. Which is frankly beautiful. So thank you for sharing that with us. What have been some of your notable quests?

Tim Almodovar: 10:37

So, I guess a big one was I needed a break. I just wanted to go somewhere and veg out. So I just bought a ticket to Costa Rica and I was gonna be there three months. And I was just gonna surf and do some hiking, but just chill. So a week in, I meet somebody who had been there a few times before, a fellow surfer and he said, let's go to the Caribbean side. And I was like, yeah. Okay. So we did that. He said there's this great spot, Boca Del Toro in Panama right here, let's go over there. And I was like, OK, yeah, I can go to Panama. And then there, I met a group of surfers who had a lot more means than I did. So they were gonna go across central America and along the way, you know, stop here and get scuba certified. Stop here. And they were like, yeah, come with us. And I, I could not afford they were doing. But the interaction clicked off something. And I thought that sounds amazing, you know, Do consider that instead of just chilling out here for a few months, how about just taking off and questing? So I decided to do it solo and I didn't have a guidebook. I didn't really speak the language. I had a very basic knowledge grasp of Spanish. And so I did through central Americans, three months later, I came out on the border of San Diego. I have a brother there, so I just called and said, I just got back in the country. I'm headed your way. And when I got on the trolley, head that direction. That was, I think the most deeply satisfying. Like there was like dancing in my chest. Like what you just did is gonna change everything moving forward, because I wasn't prepared. Leap and the net will appear It was the grind again, but I had help from generous souls along the way. And it informed me in part what I was capable of. That changed everything.

Joy Blue: 12:43

I think what I'm hearing you say is that on that journey of taking a leap to adventure into ways that you hadn't before, you learned to trust yourself in a new way, did I hear that right?

Tim Almodovar: 12:56

Yeah. And then trust that I was capable, and it can work out. And yes, it's dangerous when you're doing something like that. There was that risk. But again, not speaking the language, not having a guide book, not just winging it and, it took meeting people and acquiring information. so

Joy Blue: 13:13

Yeah. Didn't Joseph Campbell write The Hero's Journey as well?

Tim Almodovar: 13:16

Yes,

Joy Blue: 13:16

So that comes back to the hero's journey. It sounds like in the quest you found in yourself what you needed to be able to take the next step.

Tim Almodovar: 13:24

Yes, absolutely. And he, he writes to, I forgot where, which book, but he writes that we get the adventure we're ready for, so there's a part where you have to take those steps towards it, into that unknown.

Joy Blue: 13:41

So along the path of that quest of the unknown, what were some of the gems? What did you discover?

Tim Almodovar: 13:47

The generosity of people. Yeah. There was one stretch where I was taking local transportation throughout the way. And I hadn't seen a westerner for a couple of days and I ended up, jumping on the wrong bus and I didn't know where I was. To where, I got dropped off and I was wandering the streets and a woman and her two sons, two small sons, she saw me and I guess she could see like this guy doesn't know where he is at or what's happened. And she can sense that. And with the language barrier, she came up and like put her hand on my shoulder and I knew, to ask for a bus station. I knew that. She was like, yeah, she took me and I don't know if I would've ever found it. it was crazy. Went through this, like this bizarre, this market. And then it opens up into this dirt lot, which is the bus. And then she takes me in there and explains where I needed to go. So it was almost like a, an angel. So I don't know if that person, like, in that situation, if somebody else was walking by, I don't know. But that put me back on course. Cause I was off course. And there was some anxiety with that because I was on my own, and because no one knew where I was, you know, back home.

Joy Blue: 14:58

Yeah.

Tim Almodovar: 14:59

So it could have went very wrong there. and

Joy Blue: 15:03

You found another human that was present. And in her ability to present, she saw you in the state that you were in

Tim Almodovar: 15:10

.Yeah. So even when we are adventuring solo, we're not alone necessarily. yeah. There's some generous souls out there that are awake and are mindful. She was one of'em. She was able to pick up on what was happening and offered to help.

Joy Blue: 15:25

That is beautiful.

Tim Almodovar: 15:26

for her.

Joy Blue: 15:27

For listeners who are interested in practicing mindfulness, what would you say would be a good start? What would be a good practice to, to begin with?

Tim Almodovar: 15:38

Just taking a look at the day, for instance, like when you woke up, what did you do? What was the first thing? And then what did you do throughout the day? This happened, how did you feel? What was the situation? Just zooming in on those ordinary moments, they don't have to be extraordinary and just the ordinary and that's informative. Not just of what took place that day, but who picture of who you are. Because if you're looking at how you're feeling about certain things and what took place, and what was that about then you're understanding more about you, who you are currently. When I worked with the youth, often, we would be working on them because of property destruction, violence because based on what they were feeling at a certain time, so we would try to communicate clearly whatever you're feeling, there's nothing wrong with that. That's absolutely fine. There's nothing wrong with that. We have to work on how you express that, how it's manifested, but the feeling itself, there's nothing wrong with just informing you of who you are.

Joy Blue: 16:45

Mm-hmm Hmm. So what I'm hearing you say is what you found helpful in your practice is to have an experience of being zoomed in. For you, nature is really important. So that's the experience of your morning zoom in walk, and also at the end of the day to do a review

Tim Almodovar: 17:05

and sometimes in the moment. If I'm moved in a moment, and if I have an opportunity, a pause there, I can take a look at that. And you know, why'd you feel that, what was that about? And sometimes I can identify and other times like, okay, well you need to work that a little bit. I just reread a book, The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen, and it's a thoughtful book. There's a lot going on. But there's a theme. He's tracking in Himalayas. But there's a theme with his counterparts, the Sherpas and the porters. And he gives emphasis sprinkled throughout the book of these situations that were like, Ugh. But they would just laugh because they had this level of acceptance of whatever's gonna come their way. And he wrote at one point it shamed me. Because you know how he would've reacted or us Westerners in general. So I'm hanging, I've been hanging out with that, like reaching a place of acceptance of whatever's gonna come my way rather than the opposite of what we're accustomed to doing.

Joy Blue: 18:06

That is beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing your time and sharing your experience. I'm really grateful for you.

Tim Almodovar: 18:14

Likewise, Joy, thank you so much. I'm glad our paths crossed.

Joy Blue: 18:18

So here we are. Wow. There is so much to process from that interview. Being mindful: seeing, hearing, and feeling. Being present and accepting of what is in the here and now. Being open to the quest in front of us. And knowing that we've already got what we need to take the next step. What a gift this interview is. Thank you so much, Tim, for your graciousness and sharing with us. If you've got a flavor of nerd that you want me to celebrate, I would love to hear all about it. So go ahead and email me at herewearethepodcast@gmail.com and tell me everything. And I mean it. I love taking time to sit and make space for nerd to be celebrated. If you really liked this podcast and want to financially support what I'm doing, head on over to patreon.com, search for Here We Are the Podcast and sign up for one of the beautifully and sassily written support tiers that I'm very proud of. So until next time, don't forget that curiosity wins and the world needs more nerds. Bye