Who’s that Guy?

Allow me to introduce…Me. 

You have made it to my very first post and I am so glad about it.  Welcome!  

          I am known simply as B.  Affectionately called B-smooth or B-smoove, by some, depending on your vernacular.  I am absolutely fine with either!  This first post is just a bit about the guy behind Hesgonegrapes.com.  If you’ve read the ‘About me’ page entitled ‘B’s Story’ then you might be thinking, ‘Do I really want to know more about this guy?”, but yes.  Yes you do! Why, you ask?  Connection.  You see, my purpose is to inspire others.  I believe that connection is one of the best conduits in order to inspire others.  So hopefully you will read this and find something you can connect with.

          Where do I start?  When I think about myself, it just seems so simple, but like everyone on this earth, there’s so many small parts which make the whole.  I am reminded of the movie Shrek, when he talked with Donkey.  He was trying to explain why he did some things the way he did them and he said to Donkey, “Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. You get it?  We both have layers.”, as he was peeling an onion.  I am Shrek, Shrek is me.  No, I’m not big and green.  Though I can be a bit of an ogre in the morning.  I just mean that I have layers.  And as my family and few close friends would say, “That’s a complicated man!”.  Onions have layers.  This onion only stinks after a good workout though, which is not something I’m fond of.  

          So, with those layers, there are many, many reasons I started this blog.  One of the biggest being divine intervention.  I heard from God, rather, was shown that it was time for something new.  That is a layer of me that is very important. I had to listen closer to a small, still voice from within.

          As I stated in B’s Story, I was fired over a year ago.  I was working at a job that I loved in a career that I loved even more and just knew was meant for me.  As an educator and child care provider, there is something so fulfilling and rich about the work that you do.  At the risk of using a cliché, ‘teaching is a work of heart’.  It was something I had certainly put my heart into since day one.  Even when I took a break from it, that was ultimately to rebuild myself to see if I still had the heart for it.  This most recent two year stint was different because I was working solely in early child care education with six week old infants up to five year olds.  Also, I was the director of that preschool.  I was devastated when I was let go.  Many more of my layers developed during this time.  I loved working with my kiddos and my staff.  It was heartbreaking because I wasn’t allowed to even say goodbye or answer any questions from staff and/or parents.  It was as if I had done something criminal.  That is how the situation was handled, stoically and fairly dismissive.  The only reason given was, “We’d just like to go in a different direction.”.  No other explanation offered or answered.  I know you’re probably thinking, “I hope you took action to at least get some answers!”.  I wanted to, but I did a lot of praying.  And crying.  But the answer came to me that I had done what I was purposed to do in all my years of education and child care in many different settings.  Oh but trust me, I grieved. 

          By now you’re wondering, what does it all have to do with this blog?  Well, I asked and I received.  “What can I do to get paid but be in control of my own career completely?”, I queried.  In addition,  “What is it that I love to do?”.  The answer was ‘travel’.  It was something I had not gotten to do because I had worked year round for the last six or so years and there just wasn’t time, or money.  More accurately, I didn’t make the time to travel.  I knew it was what I wanted and needed to do.  I honestly learn so much about myself when I travel and I get the itch to do it so often.  But I was like, “How in the world do people get paid to travel?!”.  I thought that I would need to work for a company and have to take business trips.  But that didn’t vibe with the answers to my questions of how to get paid and be my own boss.  So I headed over to good ol’ Google.  With much research, travel blogging was my ‘aha’ moment.  I had found my niche.  Or so I thought!  I still needed a niche within the niche.  That was kind of frustrating because I thought travel blogging was just that.  But it is very broad.  I mean, there’s food travel, unique destinations, theme park travel, even travel for specific times/events.  So, while sipping a glass of red wine and watching “World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals” I heard one of the hosts mention something like, “this would be good for wine travel”.  I perked up and said, out loud, “I love wine!  And I love to travel!”.  So I did more research.  This was it.  I recalled going to a winery a year or so prior to this in TN.  I thought about the experience I had there.  I remembered how warm the staff and owners were.  I remembered the beauty of the location, the friend that I was with.  This narrowed my niche down even more.  

          Experiencing wineries was something I knew how to talk about.  I had told of my experiences at some wineries to family and friends many times before.  Some of those family and friends had eventually gone along with me.  Some of them aren’t even drinkers of wine or alcohol at all.  Oh, but the experience!  We still recall it with fondness even now.  

          So, here we are.  A multi-layered guy and his wine/winery travel blog.  I just wanted to tell people about how relaxing and interesting it could be to spend time at a winery.  Many of them offer other drinks as well as snacks, charcuterie trays and such.  It is such a slow-down moment in life, whether alone or with friends.  If you are into wines or want to try them, I can tell you that I haven’t been to a winery yet that doesn’t offer some sort of tasting or flight.  That experience in itself is different and crazy good.  Just learning the nuances of wine and seeing how your palate reacts is fun.  But have a glass, or a bottle if you so choose, and sit.  Read a book or work on that book you’re writing.  Bring some earbuds and listen to those songs you love or chit chat with loved ones.  Also, I have met some of the most interesting and fun people at wineries, staff and visitors alike.   A winery can be a great place to experience life in a mindful and meaningful way.  

          Outside of sharing my experiences at different wineries across the country, and the world someday very soon, I am here to inspire you.  I want to encourage you to try those things that interest you.  Dig deeper into who you truly are.  Because that makes you a genuinely happy person.  And happy people spread happiness.  It becomes contagious.  Now let me be real and transparent here.  I am not a person who has a great day every day.  In fact, a lot of my days are heavy with thoughts of existentialism.  It has been that way for as long as I can remember.  But this new chapter and this journey has taught me how to look for the beauty in this life.  It has shown me that I can be intrinsically happy no matter what goes on in my life.  Because of that, I have better days and I feel like I am better to my friends and family for it.  I can be there for them when they need me.  I can show up with a light and open heart.  

          So, go ahead and add hesgonegrapes.com to your saves and check back.  I’ll be posting on different wineries that I have been to, some multiple times.  I’ll post about wineries that I would like to visit as well.  I may even post about a few distilleries, their histories are so interesting. There will be other gems and tidbits that I post about as well as photos in my gallery as.   I look forward to sharing my experiences with you and inspiring you to your next level.  Also, be sure to follow the Instagram page for updates.  

          Wander to wonderful wineries with me!

-B.Long