Twisting by the pool

Feeling reflective
Orlando, FL
February 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A funny thing happens to people when you tell them you're in Florida: Almost without exception, they assume you're on vacation.

I wish. Most days here start with a walk in the dark to the conference venue, long hours of non-stop action, then another walk back to the hotel late in the evening. I'm working on 3-4 hours of sleep per night, because there just aren't enough hours to get it all done. I don't say that to complain, as I love what I do, the people I do it with, and the feeling we all get from pursuing a mission that matters, but simply to reinforce the reality of weeks like this: They're marathons.

And yet, in the middle of it all, I find myself stealing minutes here and there in between being on-stage, wrangling updated PowerPoint decks from the brilliant analysts presenting here, working with the A/V crew, and ensuring I don't starve alone the way. Like the moment in the sun yesterday that I managed to snag as I worked with our social media director on a day-2-roundup video for our LinkedIn followers.

We shot the video using my smartphone, a tripod, my laptop, a couple of lounge chairs, and a wooden box we've jerry-rigged to ensure everything's at eye-level. We got a lot of stares from women in bathing suits who probably thought we were shooting an Access Hollywood expose. It was great fun.

When we were done, we had a few minutes to take the scene in as we waited for the phone to upload the video to the cloud. It struck me as surreal that, despite the fact that we were working flat-out, we were still sitting poolside on a warm, sunny, breezy day.

Sometimes you just have to hit pause so you can count your blessings. The moment may be brief, but preciousness and duration are never directly linked, anyway.

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