Category Archives: #iamgrateful #iamthankful

A picture is worth 1,000 words. #Iamgrateful. #Iamthankful.

In honor of Nik Modi: I remember when…this was a dream…now it’s reality. How many people can say that?

People dream every day about waking up and going to bed being the certified, absolute, validated best at what they do. But only one person can actually be it. That’s you.

I still tell perseverance stories about you to folks I work with. It’s not just about working hard and finding internal motivation. It’s about picking your spots. Sometimes knowing your limitations in the short term (what promotions to take and what not to take because of timing.) And then…just being the most charismatic and hardest working person in the room.

Today, Dikki, this is what I am grateful for. This is what I am thankful for. That you got (one of) your dream(s). Nobody deserves it more. #Iamgrateful. #Iamthankful.

This story is…every day. I will never know what it feels like to be a black man (or woman) in America. The only thing I know is that at best, I can sympathize. But never–ok, rarely–empathize. Like when I have a beard and people call me “Saddam” or “Osama”…or tell me while crossing the streets of Manhattan that this isn’t my country. Those things hurt. But they don’t happen every day.

I view them as exceptional circumstances driven by idiocy, ignorance, or a delusion (sometimes borne of never having traveled beyond one’s own comfort zone geographically.) But … this isn’t every day. There are moments in time when I forget my skin has color. Even when authority figures are nearby.

Sometimes I need a mirror, in the form of glass or ignorance, to remind me that I am a minority. But as a black man or woman in America, are there ever moments you aren’t acutely aware of your skin? With this example, shouldn’t you always be aware so you can then diffuse and manage wearing a quilted hat as if it is a life and death situation? Because it is? Holy f*cl I can’t believe it is.

But it is.

Today, for this humble story to serve as a reminder of the work we have to do as a populace, I take note. And I am grateful it was shared. I am thankful I read it. And I am sorry, Professor. I’d have stuck around and granted you a hug too. Thanks for sharing Sam DeBrule. #Iamgrateful. #Iamthankful. I got to read this and be reminded…

In 1992, Goose Island chose to take a rather ordinary if not unremarkable beer and age it in bourbon barrels. Elijah Craig. Jameson. Pappy.

They could not have known the impact they were going to have on food me drink. From shelves of barrel aged beers these days to my most recent condiment purchase, bourbon barrel aged siracha. Goose Island started a movement that transforms the traditional flavors of one item by immersing and absorbing those of another and making use of the most American remnant of remnants: the once used bourbon barrel. Yet for all the competition and look a likes out there,

The Bourbon County Brand Stout is the greatest. It is second to no other beverage…or food item.

It is my favorite consumable physical item in the world that isn’t required for life. I am sad I didn’t get the rare. But I am so happy some friends made sure I got my share. #Iamgrateful. #Iamthankful. Life is simple for me.

(NOTE: This post is where I took the next step and wanted to differentiate the posts; giving them a “title” as much as FB would allow. The all caps was that step. There are two more evolutions here, one on the placement of the hashtags and next on the evolution of the title allowing for some point/counterpoint.)

For Millennials, #Iamgrateful. #Iamthankful. Millennial bashing is sad. “They” are, first and foremost, incapable of being singularly defined. Doing so makes us lazy. There are more people aged 24 in the US right now than any other age. “They” are diverse. Dramatically more diverse than any other generation. Age. Race. And I love how older generations get jealous of how “they” don’t stand for the sh*t we sat there and took at their age. I believe we are jealous we didn’t take their stance when we had the chance. “They” aren’t entitled.

But in the few areas they are, their entitlements came from guilt stricken X’ers compensating for their own failed childhoods as ignored latch key kids. This new generation dreams about a better world. Less racism. More equality. Daily meaning. Intrinsic over extrinsic motivation. They have to deal with their own future challenges driven by our consumption economy (you think the sharing economy came out of nowhere? It came from creating a business model that maximizes utility!) “They” have also flipped the model from enslaved employee to employer accountability and responsibility–and when we don’t respond, they leave.

When they leave, as a 40 yo man and manager, believe you me–it is our failure not “their” fickle nature. I find myself inspired by the younger generation I get to work with. We can learn from them and should. I am saddened by how bitter my generation is. Have we become this lazy in our arguments?

Today I sit here drinking a Zinfandel. As a universally accepted beer fan amongst my friends and family, the transition to wine was not easy.

But it was made possible by Club W.

After a simple set of questions about my overall taste profile, Club W proceeded to send me 6 bottles of wine for me to try (all at about $15/bottle.) I’m now 4 bottles in and I’ve loved every single one. Not liked. Loved. (And I’m not ashamed to say that 3:4 have been Zinfandels.) I’m happy I’ve developed an appreciation for wine.

I am grateful. I am thankful. The further democratization of wine is astounding and only made possible by all of the things that make our connected world so powerful. #Iamgrateful. #Iamthankful.

Today is the first full day my little brother, Sohum Bhatt, spends as an engaged man. I reflected back on my proposal to Priya KC Bhatt and some of the things that went through my mind when I was in his shoes. Notably, the reason for the idea of engagement vs marriage in the first place.

Why do you need a stutter step? When you are engaged, aren’t you effectively married as it is?

But my research into the subject 5 years ago only highlighted my own ignorance.

1) An engagement isn’t marriage, it is a promise to marry. As a man, it is the first (and the penultimate) of promises we make, leading to the ultimate delivery on that promise…marriage.

2) Your engaged is your fiancée, but what the hell does that even mean? Well, fiancée derives from the both Latin and French words for “to trust.” Which works beautifully with the idea of promises doesn’t it?

When you bring together points 1) & 2), meaning when you propose and one accepts, literally, when you are “engaged to your fiancée,” you have found the most powerful bond between two human beings: an individual who trusts the promises you make. Today, I am proud that Sohum made a promise to someone (@VS) who trusts his word. #Iamgrateful. #Iamthankful.

(NOTE: These were the first posts I made in the spirit of “#iamgrateful #iamthankful”. I didn’t use hashtags until the following post but it came on the heels of some challenging news at work. At which point I took a deep breath, and decided to neither bow out nor sell out, and rather, work out, with an emphasis on being grateful and thankful as a reframe. The attitude and focus carried me through some very tough work, helping me make some powerful things happen without losing myself and while treating others with dignity. I then said farewell and moved on. This, is the beginning of that reframe.)

Defined not by blood but feeling, emotion, and a sense of responsibility. Here is a family tree with forks in all directions and at all life stages. All making our most precious feel most precious. #iamgrateful #iamthankful

HOOK: Today I am thankful for my below the rim game still translating. With a game winning hook shot from about 8 feet over my little bro. #iamgrateful. #iamthankful. #and1