In Conference

Flying home from the land of Mickey. It has been an interesting few days.

I’m not a big fan of trade shows. The floor is always too cold for my liking and you spend all day on your feet, smiling at everybody and talking about whatever product is you happened to be pushing. Every booth around you is doing the same, talking to the same audience. Go to enough of these things and you’ll see the same types of people. Actually, you’ll probably see the same people, as well. It’s a smallish community. Overstimulation is putting it kindly. 

I moved around a lot as a kid and learned to make friends quickly. The upshot is I can talk to almost anyone about almost anything. I usually can make them laugh and feel comfortable. For the past ten years, it has part of my job to varying degrees and I generally enjoy it. But it does take energy out of me. Surrendering to surface-level banter is fun, but it doesn’t fulfill me. I go back to my hotel room at night with people’s faces and snippets of conversation buzzing through my head, but feeling like I never got to know a single person. I wonder what they’re really like behind the name badge. What motivates and moves them. How they view and experience life. Sometimes when they smile I see a glimpse of the child they were for just a second and that intrigues me more than what new software they are interested in seeing. Unfortunately, the time nor the environment is suited for such conversations. Like butterflies, they flit away.

I know I will forget these people, as they will me. A little sad. A missed opportunity. So, I’ve decided that next time I will do more. I will not hide behind the sheet of glass that is my smile. I will not simply wonder at who they are. I may not say anything different than times before, but I will stay present with them. I will recognize who they are and what they have to share with me during our brief encounter. I will see them as human, alive and wonderful. Namaste.