To sleep or not to sleep?
Easy answer - keep going. To Atlanta airport 5:00 am Sunday, March 6. After a quick connection in L.A., arrived in San Francisco 2:00 pm. Noticed desks lining the walkway - exactly my type of place.
Captured a perfectly positioned desk, pulled out the laptop.
Accepted to participate in StartupBus quite close to departure date, I had been working nearly around the clock - frontloading work to create time for meetings in the Valley, #TheBus - the adventure to culminate with SxSW.
Started working, the next I looked up it was approaching 2:00 am. With a 6:00 am call (and no hotel booked anyway) it was an easy decision to knock out on a couple comfy chairs.
Fantastic early morning call (with John Bradberry - an entrepreneur's entrepreneur and the person to get to know for his power combo of caring kindness and serious competency) - off to a perfect start and exciting work to do.
The planned flight path - hit a gym, shower, change, and travel quickly to my first official Valley meeting with a newest hero ....
Time ticking fingers flying - no time to work out. A shower? 5 more emails, just 5 more emails. Ok. I will change in the airport.
Arriving just 10 minutes early to what I later learn is the hottest Starbucks in the Valley, I convince kind ladies in a boutique travel shop to let me stash my bags in their office while I walk into my meeting ... calm, composed, hoping my flurry of the past 24 is not obvious on my face.
One of the best meetings of my life, I am delightfully surprised by the gentleman's genuine human warmth, his empathy, his willingness to spark, one human to another, his invitation to enter his world. He is genius, cultured, clear and focused - he is nice. So much so I feel a sense of awe and excitement throughout.
His presence feels comforting. He is intuitive. He listens, he talks, he perceives. Then he acts. Makes phone calls, sends emails. Introduces me to the person he is meeting next - connects us. Guides the young entrepreneur to explore collaborating, and, yes, also, to give me a ride. A ride!!!
So off we go. I am in heaven in the passenger seat, soaking in the green hills as we nearly fly through the Valley. He shows me the Stanford area, University Ave., brings me to PlugandPlayTechCenter.com. Throughout I learn the places, the people, the deals, the excitement. The rhythm and flow.
I am in love. Is this what home feels like?
Decidedly, along with a milonga floor in Buenos Aires to dance tango or a ballet studio anywhere to practice Vagonova style...the Valley is amongst my favorite places in the world, I am home.
No comments:
Post a Comment