My recommendation is to seek out a roshi. I know there are several good Buddhist schools in the SF area (I don’t recall their names offhand, but it should be possible to find them easily enough). Buddhism, contrary to popular belief, is not a religion. Some religions incorporate Buddhist philosophy, but this is specifically because Buddhism is not itself a religion. The Gautama Buddha never made any claims to faith, and his philosophy is about this world and how to exist in it.
The main problem most people have today is a lack of stillness. We are assailed on all sides by tsunamis of information, by the constant clamoring of cellphones and televisions and advertising. Our attention spans are so ragged that we are incapable of practising the sort of stillness which is required to listen for the “still, small voice” of the spiritual path set before us.
There is a pattern fundamental to the Universe. When you are in sync with this pattern, life is effortless. The Taoists refer to this as “wei wu wei,” or, literally translated, “action no-action.” It’s sometimes translated incorrectly into English as “passivity,” but that’s not really what it means. Wu wei refers to the sort of inner stillness a dancer experiences when she has been dancing for many years and becomes one with the dance, no longer needing to think consciously about it. She is still within herself, able to observe herself passively while her body is extremely active, dancing effortlessly.
The first step a roshi (a Buddhist teacher) will attempt is to teach you stillness. Before anything else, before meditation or any kind of enlightenment is possible, first must come the stillness necessary to recognize the opportunities which present themselves when the Universe offers you a gift.