I’ve been lucky enough to collaborate professionally with a bunch of incredible people in my career. And I’ve been even more fortunate to count some of those collaborators as friends, long after our professional paths diverged.
Over time we’ve become scattered far and wide. Northern & Southern California, Boston, Chicago, New York, Canada, North & South Germany, London, New Zealand, Seattle.
So, as you might imagine, I don’t see nearly as many of those friends nearly as often as I’d like.
I’m in Seattle for work as I write this. And because there weren’t enough days last week to do everything I came to do, the trip spanned the weekend.
I got to visit my sister, brother in law and nieces, and to see my parents. And that’s (always) fantastic, and (always) goes in the jar first.
I also reached out to some Seattle-area friends I hadn’t seen in a while.
Sometimes a long while.
I was honored and grateful at their willingness to make time to reconnect. Meeting on short notice for coffee. Making the trek into the city for dinner. Getting off a cross country flight and coming to meet me for a drink.
Each meeting was a chance to exchange updates about life, to laugh, to commiserate. And each, for me, was a welcome change from the business of the trip.
And each parting was a sharp reminder of just how much I miss these good people.
If you’re reading this, and recognize yourself in this missive, thank you.
For the time. For the comradeship. For including me in your journey.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to attend to friendships suffering from unintended neglect.
And if you’re reading this and we haven’t managed to be in the same place for a while, I’m sorry for that, and hope to see you soon.