Author: Jason Cox

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Moore’s Optimism

“In order to survive and win in the ever-changing world, keep updating yourself.” – Gordon Moore 

Gordon was born during the Great Depression. His dad was the local sheriff. They lived in the small farming and ranching town of Pescadero, California. He was a quiet kid, but he was optimistic and hopeful. He loved the great outdoors and would often go fishing or play at the Pescadero Creekside Barn. He also love science. His parents bought him a chemistry set on Christmas one year which eventually inspired him to pursue a degree in Chemistry. He earned a Bachelor of Science at UC Berkeley and went on to receive his PhD at Caltech.

After college, Gordon joined fellow Caltech alumni and co-inventor of the transistor, William Shockley, at Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory. Unfortunately, things didn’t go well there. Shockley was controlling and erratic as a manager. Gordon and most of the other top scientists left after a year and joined Sherman Fairchild to start a new company. At Fairchild Semiconductor, Gordon and his friend, Robert Noyce, help devise a commercially viable process to miniaturize and combine transistors to form whole circuits on a sliver of silicon. This led to the creation of the first monolithic integrated circuit, the IC.

Gordon and Robert eventually left Fairchild and decided to form their own company. They would focus on integrated circuit development so they named their company, Integrated Electronics. They started making memory chips and focused the company on high speed innovation. The company did extremely well at first but also faced some difficult times that required significant changes. All the while, Gordon focused on pushing things forward and taking risks. They had to constantly reinvent themselves to survive. The company was later renamed to something that you might be familiar with, Intel.

Gordon believed that the key to their success was staying on the cutting edge. That led to the creation of the Intel 4004, the first general purpose programmable processor on the market. Gordon had observed that the number of transistors embedded on the chip seemed to double every year. He projected that trend line out into the future and made a prediction that the number of transistors would double at regular intervals for the foreseeable future. This exponential explosion that Gordon predicted would power the impact, scale and possibilities of computing for the world for years to come. Of course, you know that famous prediction. It was later named after him, “Moore’s Law”.

In 1971, the first Intel 4004 processor held 2,300 transistors. As of this year, the Intel Sapphire Rapids Xeon processor contains over 44 billion. The explosion of capability powered by science continues to accelerate the technology that enhances and amplifies our daily lives. This past Friday, Gordon Moore passed away at his home in Hawaii, but the inspiration, prediction and boundless technical optimism that he started continues to live on.

I know there is a lot going on right now. We are facing uncertainty and considerable change. It can create fear and apprehension. Technology is constantly being disrupted as well as its role, and our roles, in applying it to our businesses. While not comfortable, we need to embrace the change. Lean in and learn. We need to constantly find new ways to reinvent ourselves and what we do. Embrace the exponential possibility of the future! We can do this!

Moore’s Law – By Max Roser, Hannah Ritchie – https://ourworldindata.org/uploads/2020/11/Transistor-Count-over-time.png, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=98219918
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The Art of Removal

“The sculpture is already complete within the marble block before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” – Michelangelo

A tanker truck hauling 8,600 gallons of gasoline approached the MacArthur Maze, a large freeway interchange near the east end of the San Francisco, Oakland Bay Bridge in California. The driver, traveling faster than he should, lost control, hit the guardrail and overturned the load of highly flammable fuel. It spilled out on the interchange and exploded into a violent inferno, sending flames hundreds of feet into the air. The heat weakened the steel structure of the three-lane section of Interstate 580, causing the road to collapse onto Interstate 880 below. Thankfully, the driver survived and no other vehicles were involved in the accident. 

California Department of Transportation, Caltrans, rushed in to quickly assessed the damage of this crucial interchange which handles some 160,000 vehicles per day. It would take weeks to clear the debris and several months to repair. Initial cost projections reached $10 million with an impact cost of $90 million. Bidding for the job started immediately. Due to the urgency of restoring this vital link, the state offered an incentive of $200,000 per day bonus if the work was completed before the deadline.

Bidding started. C. C. Myers had been planning for this his whole life. While other contractors in the room were offering on-time proposals well over the $10 million estimate, C. C. Myers shocked the room. He would do the work for $878,075, promising to complete the work well ahead of schedule. This was not the first time C. C. Myers had taken on heroic work. His company had a proven track record of rebuilding damage freeways well ahead of schedule, including the Santa Monica Freeway after the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Needless to say, he won the bid.

C. C. Myers went to work. He had assembled a logistic transport team and forged agreements in Texas and other areas to expedite steel delivery to the interchange. He streamlined processes and cut away any distractions and superfluous procedures that didn’t directly contribute to safely delivering the roadway ahead of schedule. As an example, the typical inspection process requires steel workers to complete all their welds before scheduling government X-ray inspection. C. C. Myers convinced the government to embed X-ray technicians in his team and perform the test immediately after the weld was complete. This allowed the crew to get real-time feedback on any area that didn’t pass and fix it immediately before moving on. 

C. C. Myers’s efforts were successful. The monumental work was completed over a month ahead of schedule, right before a busy Memorial Day weekend. C. C. Myers earned a $5 million bonus for completing the work early. He quickly gave credit to his workers and their ability to deliver, but moving the mountain had required his artistry as well.

Like Michelangelo, C. C. Myers’s genius was his ability to stare into the mountain of “marble” and see what could be removed to reveal the ultimate outcome. Procedures and processes that didn’t directly deliver value were debris that had to be swept away. Every ounce of energy, every minute, and every movement was precious and deliberate. Everything that wasn’t part of the goal was chiseled away. 

What is the work and marble before you right now? What is the goal? What sculpture are you trying to reveal? What can you remove? As all you wonderful artists head into your work channel your inner Michelangelo. Chisel away the useless motion, process and procedures to reveal the incredible work of art buried in the marble.

Credit: A friend of mine, Paul Gaffney, spoke on this at the 2023 DevOps Enterprise Forum. His story was far more eloquent than my version. It motivated me to do more research on the incident. The result is this post. I’m indebted to Paul for his inspiration.

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The Joy of Snow

Snow!!! We were checking out the last few items at our recent Target shopping trip and chatting with the clerk about how cold and wet it has been with the rain. As we loaded up the bags into the cart, we could hear a steady rise in chatter. Voices could be heard coming from the front of the store. Kids were squealing with glee. A grown adult yelled across the store for his family to come and see. Something exciting was happening!

We made our way to the doors, frantically pushing past other customers who were still completing their purchases. Everyone stuck in the checkout lines were craning their necks in the direction of the loud crowd forming by the exit. We finally made it to the door. I tried not to push over any kids, but I might have knocked over a few display stands. We rounded the corner and beheld the wonder that was sending shockwaves through the multitude. It was snowing! The downpour had crystalized into floating magic.

Big fluffy flakes were in the air. Cars, concrete and customers were covered with snow. The winter storm had blanketed the landscape with a layer of white. Even the palm trees and succulents were frosted. Kids and adults alike were dancing with excitement and reaching for their phones to capture this unusual moment. Of course I did the same and immediately tried to send the pictures to the rest of my family. Cell service was down. Everyone in the valley was doing the same thing! Complete strangers, with huge smiles, were talking with each other. People were abandoning their shopping cards full of treasures just to touch the snow. Kids were building snowballs and snowmen. All of us were jumping through the snowy slush to get to our snow covered cars. It was delightful!

Now, for those of you from the Midwest or from the North who are laughing at us by now, I understand. It is true, we are going crazy at what would be a typical winter Tuesday in your hometown. But keep in mind, snow in SoCal is as rare as finding a person in Los Angeles who can actually drive in it. I found it amazing to observe how the shared experience brought us all together. If anyone was in a bad mood, it seemed to have been washed away with the snow. Smiles. Laughter. Fun.

Have you noticed how shared experiences like that create a higher level of happiness, wonder and excitement? The social dynamics of hearing and seeing others react to the event seems to amplify the moment. That is why I still love going to the theater to see a movie or watch a play. There is an invisible comradery that is formed with the audience.  A community emotion seems to dance over you like those fluffy white snowflakes.

Over the last several weeks, as more people return to office, I have had the opportunity to meet with many people I haven’t seen in person since the beginning of the pandemic. Be on the lookout for chances to interact. Take advantage of those shared experiences. Embrace them and celebrate the opportunities to amplify each other’s life-streams as we live life together. Don’t miss it. Slip away from your screens, cameras and cell phones. Look up. Reach out. Enjoy the journey together. And of course, when it snows, scream with excitement and rush outside to build a snowman.

February 25, 2023 – Valencia, California
Tiny “Flurries the Snowman” in SoCal
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A Tribute to Game Changers

Jerry had a new idea. The coin operated arcade game he had developed in his garage was cutting edge. Instead of using discrete logic hardware that typically drove video arcade games, Jerry decided to use a microprocessor. His microprocessor-driven arcade racing game, called Demolition Derby never made it past field testing to appear in the video arcade scene, but a year later, Gun Fight appeared as the first widely released microprocessor-based arcade video game. What Jerry had developed in his garage became a real game changer. But his biggest contribution was yet to come.

Jerry Lawson was born in New York City. His dad was a dock worker, a longshoreman, who was fascinated with science and along with his wife, always encouraged Jerry’s interest in scientific hobbies, including ham radio, chemistry and electronics. After college, Jerry moved to San Francisco and took a job in the sales division of Fairchild Semiconductor as an engineering consultant. It was there that his garage experiment became a reality. He was promoted to Chief Hardware Engineer and Director of Engineering and Marketing for Fairchild’s video game division. He also became one of the two sole black members of the Homebrew Computer Club, a group of early computer enthusiast that included well-known members, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

One of the problems with video games at the time was that they were hardcoded to just one game. Home game devices had been created but they were limited to the games you could store in hardware. Jerry knew that the home gaming market could be expanded if they were able to offer a way for consumers to change out the game in a convenient way. He set to work on a new idea. Based on the previous pioneering work he did in moving from complex discrete logic to a software microprocessor-driven design, Jerry knew there had to be a way to make that software portable. He moved the game code to ROM (read only memory) and packaged it into a highly portable cartridge that could be repeatably inserted and removed from the console without damage. This would allow users to purchase a library of games to enjoy, effectively creating a new business and revenue stream for console manufactures and game developers.

Jerry’s invention, the Channel F console (the “F” stood for Fun) included many pioneering features. It was the first home system to use a microprocessor, the first to include a detachable joystick, the first to give users a “pause” button and of course, the first to have swappable ROM cartridge-based games. Sadly, the console was not successful, but the invention changed the home gaming world forever. A year later, a gaming console came to market using Jerry’s revolutionary concepts, and took over the world, the Atari 2600. Many other game consoles followed with the explosion of games and options for the consumer.

Jerry changed the industry! Despite his two game changing products being market failures, his ideas lived on and created a new industry. He is now recognized, honored and celebrated as the “creator of the modern video game console”.

I don’t know about you, but Jerry and his story inspired me. I see brilliant minds all around us. They dream into the future and even implement pioneering work that changes the game. Sadly, many go unnoticed until they are gone. Jerry’s story reminds us that we should applaud these pioneers. They help nudge technology and our human experience forward. We should celebrate them, acknowledge them and honor them. I know some of you are pioneers too. Keep innovating, dreaming, creating, building and inspiring! We need the game changers!

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Leading Change

My dad always dreamed I would follow his footsteps and become a land surveyor and civil engineer. In my teens, I worked summers as a surveyor. It was hot, dusty and grueling work. I was fascinated at how you could use science, geometry, a transit and a level to convert a cow pasture into a residential or commercial subdivision, but I was enamored with computers more. I decided to pursue a computer science degree. After college, I started freelancing. I wrote business management software for retail and mail order companies. I installed networks, set up file servers, and developed control software for a local glass factory. I loved working with people and enjoyed seeing technology help solve business problems. I was having a blast! Ironically, my next client would help fulfill my dad’s dream.

My dad’s engineering firm needed to “computerize” to stay relevant in the market. Their manual design work, drafting and surveying was being displaced by modern firms using computer aided design. They needed help. I was hired to computerize the business. I purchased AutoCAD and began writing software to automate the tedious calculations for hydrology, earthworks, structural analysis and coordinate geometry. All the drawings were manual so I started working with the drafting team to convert them to digital. We were making great progress getting new projects into the computerize workflow. Then I hit a snag.

“Keep that @#$% computer away from my projects!” One of the founding engineers was less enthusiastic about all this new technology. His team was instructed to avoid me and stay the course on their manual processes. I was shocked! I hadn’t anticipated this reaction. Why wouldn’t everyone want this technological magic? I was faced with one of the great leadership lessons in life. People resist change. We are habitual. We avoid risk by default, especially if the change isn’t something we understand or control. I started this transformation expecting that the hardest job would be all the lines of code, integration of new software and systems, but I soon discovered that the biggest tasks was going to be onboarding my fellow humans. How should I respond? I could enlist the edict approach. After all, I happened to know the boss. But I knew that wouldn’t create the culture or environment that would lead to our long term success.

I set my target on being as successful as possible with the teams that were onboard with the transition. They were excited and enthusiastic about what we were doing. It was hard work and required some iterations, but finally all the calculations were being made by the computer. To be fair, for the first projects, it took a little longer than the manual path. Our skeptical engineer was quick to call that to our attention. We printed our results and submitted them for review at the city. A new requirement hit from the land owner and the city council. A complete design change was needed, an effort that would have taken months. The skeptical engineer laughed at first, but what happened next changed everything. Because it was digital, we only needed to edit the code and have the system recompute the models. In less than a week, we resubmitted and received approval. We moved on to construction.

“How on earth did you do that?!” the skeptical engineer was shocked. We patiently explained what it took. We were honest about some of the difficult bits and listened intently to any of the concerns or questions that were raised. The team that had been through the transformation was elated with the results and their enthusiasm was contagious. Soon, the once skeptical engineer, still being terse and grumpy, demanded, “How soon can you get all my projects in that @#% thing?”

The engineer who was skeptical not only acquiesced to using the new technology, but he and his team became the biggest users and supporters of the systems we built. They were delivering two times more projects than everyone else. He went from blocker to champion.

This taught me a valuable lesson that has stayed with me throughout my career. As technologists, we amplify the business by introducing new ways to deliver value. We automate. We code. We transform. We create faster ways to get things done. But in all of that, we can’t forget that the most important role we play is bringing our fellow humans along for the journey. Sometimes that even includes that fellow human looking back at us in the mirror. Change is hard. Change without people is impossible. With patience, empathy and determination, we can enlist the hearts and minds of our fellow human beings and help unlock the unlimited potential before us.

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Listening

“Dad, you weren’t listening! We told you already.” 

I’m a great listener. Well, at least that is what I originally thought. In reality, there are many times when I’m present in body, but absent in listening. The audio channel is working but my mind is tuning it out. In some conversations, I find my mind daydreaming, racing toward solutions, practical steps and action planning instead of hearing what is being said. Have you ever experienced that? Thankfully, I have three attentive daughters who make sure I know when that is happening.

Listening. It’s one of the core senses we have as humans, but do we use it well? In my conversations with businesses across the company and across the industry, they often cite that a key challenge working with “centralized shared services teams” is getting them to listen. I am often told things like, “They come to tell, but we wish they would come to listen.” When I probe that sentiment, it is very clear that the desire is to have the other party fully understand them. It isn’t just to recognize the words, concepts or thoughts, but to fully connect with their frame of reference. It is to intimately understand their challenges, their business needs, their priorities, passions, practices and people. By doing so, the help that the central team offers is more relevant, effective and wanted. In the end, they want to be heard and understood. Isn’t that what we all want? 

In a recent call with our CIO, she challenged us all to pick a “focus word” for 2023. For me, on both a personal and professional level, I picked the word “listen.” I want to improve my ability to hear with understanding. And I want to champion and expand my team’s ability to “listen” and help the businesses we support.

We know there are challenges ahead. I anticipate a great deal of flux with new demands across the globe, new opportunities, new adventures and new perspectives. The ability and focus on intentional “listening” will be a superpower to help us all succeed. And, yes, my daughters will be happier too.

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The Present under the Tree

My step dad was a great storyteller. In one of the last conversations I had with him, he wanted to talk about Christmas. But first, he had to lie down. His body was riddled with cancer. His strength was gone and he needed to rest. He closed his eyes and begin to reminisce about his childhood. He loved Christmas. He told me how his dad would buy a tree and set it up in their living room a week before Christmas. You could smell the fresh cut pine throughout the house. His mother would wrap up the presents and put them under the tree. He recalled how he and his brother would sneak in to inspect and shake the presents. They would try to imagine what was inside. Maybe it was some socks or a new coat. Or better yet, maybe it was that new toy you always wanted! It could be anything. The colorful paper and neat bows only added to the mystery and intrigue. He couldn’t wait for Christmas morning! The days and hours would stretch on for what seemed like eternity, but then Christmas Eve would finally arrive! They could barely sleep. At first light on Christmas morning, they would rush to the tree and tear open their treasures. It was magnificent!  

As he lay in his bed, struggling with some pain, a broad smile formed across his face. His eyes opened. They were beaming with a misty, joyous radiance. He looked directly at me. “Jason, I feel like Christmas is coming. Eternity is wrapped up in a beautiful package waiting for me under the tree. I can’t wait to open it. It’s like I’m holding it right now and wondering what’s inside. I keep shaking it and wondering how wonderful it will be. What is on the other side of this mortal life? What will heaven be like? Christmas morning is coming for me and I’m ready to open it.”

Not many days later, my dad opened that present. He breathed out his last terrestrial breath and drank in the brilliant glory of eternity. While his life was ending here on earth, his joy never did. With a tearful smile and a heavy heart, I sent my last wish to him as he departed, “Merry Christmas, Dad.”

I recognize this is a heavy and personal story to start off the new year, but I think it is an important one. For me, it is profoundly grounding. There are controllable and uncontrollable events on our horizon. What matters and what is in our control is how we prepare and respond to those. How we look at things shapes our destiny. It can limit us or propel us forward. Wrapped up under the tree are packages with our names on them. What will they be? What will we find inside? How will we respond? What new adventure awaits? What will we discover?

As the new year is born, we don’t know where it will take us. We will face new experiences and say farewell to others. New memories will be made and old ones will visit us. Like the stars in the heavens, they will illuminate our journey, orient us and encourage us. We will embrace the unknown and keep going. Every encounter, precious. Every person, infinitely valuable. Every day, a gift. 

The future is before us, full of potential, new adventures and new memories to enjoy. Like a present under the tree, it could be anything. It’s time to start unwrapping! 

Happy New Year!

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Money Shot

“Are you ready to see the money shot?”

Every year, at Thanksgiving we start our “prep list” for our annual holiday party at our home. It’s a highlight of the year for us and an opportunity to spend an evening with some of our work family, their families, kiddos and other friends. We just hosted that event his past Saturday. It was so fun! We had food, holiday treats, gifts, music, and laughs! Of course, I even provided a few tours to see my garage collection of tech hacks, projects, Powerwalls and gadgets.

For any of you who host parties, you know they can be a lot of work. Your prep list is full of food and drinks to buy, cooking, arranging, planning and of course, cleaning. That last bit can vary quite a bit. Even if you have a regular schedule of keeping things maintained, there are still those items you postpone, like the deep cleaning part, until there is a good motivation. Well, hosting a party is a good motivation. One of the things we identified this year that needed some special treatment was our area rugs. We have tile floor throughout the house but we have large area rugs in the living rooms. They can get dirty. Very dirty! We needed to either replace or clean them. My wife found a professional cleaner that would be able to accommodate our schedule. 

The carpet cleaner showed up with special chemicals and equipment. After he treated the rug, he pulled in this large hose and vacuum tool and said, “Are you ready to see the money shot?” We looked at the rug and it already looked better. The colors that had faded were already showing again. But then it happened. He turned on the machine and began pulling the vacuum head across one side of the rug. It was mind blowing! The white border of the rug exploded with colorful and vibrant brilliance. The rest of the rug we thought was clean suddenly looked dingy, gray and soiled in comparison to the strip he had just cleaned. We were stunned! He laughed. He then told us that people love to see that. In fact, he informed us, you can spend hours on social media watching people clean their rugs this same way. I couldn’t believe it so I checked it out for myself. There are tens of thousands of hours of rug cleaning videos out there! I kid you not! And I must admit, they are addictive, soothing and somehow satisfying. 

Why is that? It turns out that there is a lot of research on this type of thing. We find a sense of optimism, peace, clarity and control when we watch things go from dirty to clean, chaos to order. In reflection, I find the same with my own efforts around cleaning. In preparation for our party, we declutter, wash, arrange and decorate. I confess that the ramp to begin that process isn’t easy and my procrastination skills kick into overdrive, but once I’m past that the effort is oddly satisfying, refreshing and enjoyable. Now, don’t get me wrong, my garage is still 100% chaos and needs some treatment, but containerizing and treating chaos in an agile fashion is a topic for another email. 

For today, as we parade into this holiday season, I’m reminded of the joy of cleaning. We all need a bit of housekeeping from time to time. Life is dusty. Spider webs settle in the crevices of our hearts, our minds and our homes. Seeing the “money shot” of things in your life go from dirty to clean is an enjoyable experience, healthy and encouraging. Pull out the special cleaner, scrubber and brush and go to work. Trust me, it is true! Try it. Go clean something and report back. I’ll wait. 

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Holiday Hugs

“I like warm hugs.” — Olaf, Frozen

I love getting holiday greeting cards! Our first cards started showing up last week. Most of the time, I dread going through the mail. You can probably relate. Mail these days is littered with extended home warranties, credit card offers and advertisements. But this time of year, envelopes of love wrapped up in memories, reflections and joy arrive nearly on a daily basis. Friends, family and dear acquaintances from long ago reconnect across time and space with a card, an address and a stamp. Those tiny bundles of care soared across oceans, over lands, across snow-capped mountains, rivers and valleys, finally arriving at our home like a warm hug. You all know me by now. I get nostalgic and emotional about all these wonderful tiny human touches. They remind us that we are all related, connected, remembered and loved. They are small things but they mean so much.

At this point, we send out so many Christmas cards that we have to pick up postage by the hundreds. But every card is special. I love spending time with each card, each envelope, thinking about each person and family that will receive it. Memories fold into every envelope. Concern, love and hopeful wishes accompany every stamp placed. Off they go, on their journey to the objects of our fondness and the precious hearts of our human kin.

This time of year can be busy. The lists are non-stop. Shopping, planning, mailing, volunteering, cleaning, hanging, cooking, and traveling… all those activities spin up in our lives and can even overwhelm us. I have to remind myself to add to that list, pausing, resting, remembering, reflecting and loving. We are surrounded by so much beauty, so many precious connections with people, moments of joy and instants of delight. But they are fleeting. Don’t let them soar away without your attention. Snuggle up next to them. Wrap your mind around their splendor. Soak in every connection, every person you encounter and every moment you experience. We won’t walk this way again. Tomorrow is coming and it will be glorious, but don’t miss the chance to savor today. Treasure your loved ones and every moment you have with them now and throughout this holiday season.

May this season bring you love, joy, peace and warm holiday hugs!

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Thanksgiving

I could see my breath. The curling wisps of vapor waved and disappeared before me in the cool crisp morning air. I looked up and saw that my neighbor’s roof was white with frost. The emerald green grass on my yard sparkled as the sun poked out over the horizon. The chill of the morning pulled back just a little as the trees along our street burst into flame. Their brilliant red, yellow and orange hues sprung to life as the sun’s vibrant rays backlit their leaves. Notes of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves seemed to be everywhere… Well, maybe it was just my coffee. But, it was glorious! Fall is in full swing.

In the US we are on the glidepath to Thanksgiving. Next week, there will be family, friends and feasts. Preparations will slip into sleepy afternoon naps and awaken to Black Friday holiday shopping chaos. I can’t wait! I love this time of year. Sure, the festive foods, cheerful tunes and colorful lights all decorate the season with delight, but another treat for me is the time of remembering. I begin to reflect back and meditate on the days gone by. I confess, I’m nostalgic. I love to relive history, cherish those moments with friends, family and fellow travelers. It makes me smile. Visions and feelings from the past arrive like Christmas cards from dear friends. Smells, pictures, traditions and sounds trigger remembrances and moments of joy. Gratefulness rises like those butter covered rolls in the oven. Our adventures, discoveries, setbacks and successes are all part of the grand journal of our lives.

What are you thankful for? As you dream into next week and the holiday season, what pops into your mind? Make sure you take time to pause during this busy holiday season. Breathe in the moment, exhale the worries and focus on the blessings. You are surrounded. Like a feast, there are so many great things to sample and remember. There is even a song in the air! Quiet now. Can you hear it? The melody of our life is accompanied by the enduring rhythm of our own hearts. Stop and listen. That song has journeyed with us all of our days, keeping us alive and marking every moment as a gift, a soothing and sacred reminder that we matter and our days are worth living.

Listen, I know what you are thinking… There will be some challenges and difficulties before us. But we can get through it. You are all brilliant and powerfully unique. The journey ahead is preposterous. It’s full of unexpected surprises, possibilities, challenges and delights. As we feast on the memories of the past, don’t forget to drink in the intoxicating hope of the future. The best is yet to come!

Happy Thanksgiving!