Saturday, April 26, 2008

100 Business Days Out: Day 15 - Virtual Candles

Day 15 out was my 46th birthday. I am going to be honest that when I woke up in the morning, I thought that for many a year, when my birthday was on a workday, that I looked forward to going to the office and hearing “Happy Birthday” a bunch of times. And there were years when there were cakes, surprises, etc. It was a nice thing, once a year, to have this happen. On this day, there would be no office and since I was out of town speaking in New Orleans, probably not a lot of recognitions. Wow, was I wrong. First, Patti had leaked to one of the attendees of the conference where I was speaking that it was my birthday, so I got a nice cake and a great rendition of Happy Birthday. But more amazing were the virtual birthday wishes that I received on Facebook. Either through writing on my wall or sending me messages, I got way more best wishes than I would have if it was just about being in the office. My birthday this year may have been the “biggest” since my 40th. What this tells me are a few things. First, I probably have a greater need for affiliation than I recognize or admit. Second, that I have lots of great friends. Third, that technology today continues to bring us closer and closer. While writing on someone’s Facebook wall is the not hardest thing to do and certainly is easier than a card or a call, it still takes effort and the fact that people who would have never done so prior, use Facebook to reach out and wish you the best on your birthday is one of those things that just makes the world go around better. For sure, my little bit of the world felt better for my special day. Thank you to all who remembered and reached out. You made my day.

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