Familiar settings…
Sunday afternoon.
Long run.
Fowler Park.
Atlanta noon sun beating down.
Nevertheless, some good old runners on the trail. Met Lia, Lara and Mukil!
Also saw Joy but she did not recognize me.
Started at a good 9:50 min per mile pace. But by the time the sun was done with me, my average for the full run came down to 10:13
Having a drink with Garry Capers at an airport bar in Chicago!
That brings back too many memories. We were road warriors together – weekly trips to DC for a year – to build up a business that the company we worked in had bought. The weeks used to be exhausting. Integrating a fast growing innovative company to a hundred year plus staid culture company was not for the faint of the heart.
Sitting down every Thursday evening waiting for our much delayed flight at the Skyclub bar over a glass of wine was our “safety valve” session. Over those sessions, I had gotten to know Garry intimately. His incredible life journey how he grew up without his father and how that has made him deeply invested in his relationship with his daughters … his single minded determination to get himself a good education… the funny story about his first date (who he married and eventually Sharmila and I had the good fortune of getting to know Myla)…
Like I have always said and believed, building a successful business is never pretty from inside. In fact, growth is ugly when you go thru it. But seen later in rear view mirror, it is one of the most satisfying experiences you can think of in your professional life. And when you look back, as Michiko told me the other day – you rarely remember the numbers… you always remember the people.
Garry is one of those people I will always remember.
It was great having a drink together again at an airport with you, Garry!
May your tribe increase!
Inaugurated my new smoking gun. I am still learning the fine art of smoking drinks – so do not hold me to high standards. Used mesquite wood to smoke the Old Fashioned (used Maker’s Mark).
Next time I will do the smoking in a more open space. My nose is so filled with the rich aroma of the smoke that came our initially that I could hardly smell it in the Old Fashioned!! Plus there is the advantage that I would not kick in the fire alarms 🙂
A good adventure though and very excited about the new smoking gun. (Part of it has to be the fact that I love the name 🙂 )
