I just returned from a three night trip to San Francisco for work. I returned to a house with no power from the strong winds and a grouchy family. I feel like anything over two nights away ends rough. Almost always, on the night I return, Samantha has a hysterical meltdown over something small and it is clear she needs some extra love and attention from mom. I do love my job and being away is liberating in many ways but there is always the guilt after I see how it affects the girls.
I was in San Francisco for an industry conference that I attended many times with my previous job. Since the last time I attended, my colleague at Return Path and friend, JD Falk, passed away from cancer. JD was a funky, brilliant, quiet, kind and generous man. He was also a leader within the organization that runs the conference, working to make the internet safe and to fight spam. They had a very nice memorial service/party to honor JD but I was struck throughout my time at the conference at the intensity of his absence. I kept thinking I saw him or wondering where he was and expecting to run into him. There is a fitting quote from Oscar Wilde that I read that says “It is an odd thing, but anyone who disappears is said to be seen at San Francisco. It must be a delightful city, and possess all the attractions of the next world.” Perhaps it was the opposite of JD’s absence but rather he was everywhere I turned and on my mind all week.
On a brighter note, I was able to visit a number of babies that I had not yet met in the San Francisco area. I visited our college friend John and his son Rowan (Carina’s future boyfriend). I saw our dear friend Carina and her new baby Quinn and two year old daughter Bailey and I got to catch up with my fun and sassy friend Jess who I worked with ages ago and met her sweet baby Caleb. If you know me, you know how much I love babies and it was fun to get in my fill on the trip.
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