Today I enter a grinder. As most who know me are aware, I travel. A lot. It’s an occupational hazard of someone with a job like mine – I am frequently on the road, visiting customers, prospects and attending conferences. Add in the bonus of working for a company headquartered in Tel Aviv, and having much of my team located there, as well as a large swath of my colleagues, and I need to be there a fair amount. Probably more than I am.
When I was younger, I relished in the travel. Nowadays, it gets harder and harder. I hate to admit it, but I am getting older. I am also less fit than ever, the horrible by-product of my metabolism slowing at the same time I’m dealing with debilitating knee issues and the accompanying lack of exercise, and the bad food choices I tend to make when traveling. I also hate to be away from the FMG. For many years traveling was an escape from some of the realities of home. Now, I don’t want (or need) to escape. The cherry on the sundae right now is the difficulty of leaving Lula when she is going through her treatments. She’s doing better with it all than I am, I think.
I’m leaving tonight for Tel Aviv, a weeklong trip to welcome aboard and bootstrap three new members of my team – all of whom I have worked with before, all of whom I am really excited to have. I am really looking forward to the week to introduce them to the rest of the team, and dig into 2H 2017 planning, We’ll have a little fun too, visiting some of my favorite restaurants in Israel, and also taking them to experience Jerusalem and visit the Dead Sea, both of which are always amazing. None of them has been to Israel before.
I’ll be back in a week, and will spend 5 days at home before I pile back into the same plane (literally – it’s probably the same aircraft) and head back to Israel again for some management meetings. Normally, I’d have simply stayed, but I need to be in London the next week, so couldn’t rationalize three solid weeks away. And, I need to be here to help FMG with Lula (not to mention Ripley and Crazy Pants, I mean Scarlet). Once I get back from London, she’s then leaving for week or so up in Ohio. Love you darling, see you in June?
It tires me just to sit and type this, much less think about doing it all. It feels like I am literally going into a grinder. Then I think about my pretty dog, going through cancer surgery and radiation. I don’t know if it hurts, I don’t know how she feels, but she just plugs along, smiling and acting like herself. Which makes me think she’s doing OK.
Saturday, Ohio State had its annual Spring Football Game. It was highlighted (for many) by the last play, when the players decided to have a “friend” of the program, a 17-year old with Muscular Dystrophy who is bound to a wheelchair, come on the field and carry the ball for the last play. Read about it and watch it here:
I guarantee you that Jacob Jarvis would trade me right now for my high-paying job and suffer through a little bit of travel.
Yesterday, we spent Easter with family. Part of the day was spent at a fundraiser for a family whose 10-year old son is battling cancer.
I bet that young man (and his family) would gladly trade places with me and suffer through a couple weeks away.
I guess grinding isn’t so bad.
As always, your comments, shares and subscribes are appreciated.
G2