30th January 2009

Thank the LORD it is Friday Evening

Shit - I just realized I need to call another client - it’s 7:30 and I’m ready to retire for the night.  Sigh.  Friday night excitement here on another 3 degree night.  It’s supposed to get near zero, thus we’re not going anywhere.   Tomorrow will get up to 28 degrees - and Sunday - a whopping 35 degrees if we’re lucky. 

We survived our intense week of teleconferences, presentations, status meetings, diaper changes, spit-ups, shots at the doc’s office, emails and working sessions. 

Breastfeeding seems almost natural and par for the course at this stage.  10 weeks - who would have thought that I could go this long and struggle through the feeding challenges, but now, it seems like it’s all working for now. 

On a more somber note - a search marketing colleague of ours died in a plane crash this week - I didn’t know him well - but saw him in the circle of friends at the Search Engine Strategies conferences - he died, at the age of 24-something.  He had done so much.  You can see his last Tweets at www.twitter.com/martin and his Flickr photos at www.flickr.com/people/hellomartin - what an impressive person - although you wouldn’t really know much about Martin if you weren’t partying with him at the conferences.  It turns out though, after reading his blog, seeing his photos, and hearing what my colleagues had to say about him - that he lived life to the extreme fullest.  His last few Tweets were entertaining to say the least - and you could see he was fun.  That thrill seeking part of him is likely what got him killed, or contributed to his fate.  But even those of us who seek something a little more on the edge, are often lucky, and escape death throughout the years.  Martin was not so lucky.  WebmasterWorld has posted a thread on the young man.  One of his Tweets on Twitter?  “End of the year stats: 93721 miles flown, 13 countries, 72 flight segments, an OK year travelwise 3:07 AM Dec 25th, 2008 from web”

A young man in his early 20’s and yet so many knew him. What was wierd was to see his death unfold on Twitter.com. First a colleague of mine, Joe Morin (www.twitter.com/josephmorin) announced his apparent death, then Danny Sullivan -(www.twitter.com/dannysullivan) meanwhile Joe asked me via Twitter if I knew the guy. I couldn’t put a face with the name. I meet so many people at the conferences, thousands, over the years. It’s hard to remember everyone.

How bizarre to have people Twittering about your apparent death, before even the news publicly confirmed it.  As I read Martin’s Tweets on Twitter, checked out his Flickr photos in hopes of seeing his face to see if I knew (had met) the guy before, and his blog - I found myself amused by his Tweets and zest for life, impressed by his photos on Flickr, and significantly mesmerized by his blog.  It did not seem like Martin spent many days on his couch pondering what he should do with his life. 

He seized the day, experienced dreams by living them out, and travelled the world.  His brain was not only in overdrive but he made money with it.  He networked, and he succeeded, but he also had fun, perhaps a little too much fun.

I wonder how the last few moments of his life happened - what was the reason for the plane crash - was it pilot instructor or passenger error?  Looking at the plane that Martin was learning to fly - it was obvious he didn’t start simply with his desire to learn to fly - figures he’d go with something Italian and racy.  In any event, it the plane, and it’s ending, albeit tragic, seems oddly fitting for a man who lived his short life to the extra-ordinary.

I wondered if I were to be taken, what would my last 20 Tweets on Twitter look like to someone who did not know me well, but was learning more about me in death than in life; what would my blog read like as my last few entries, and what would my friends say about me (worried less about this).

Would my Tweets bring a smile to someone’s face, offer introspect, and guidance - would there be a legacy? 

Honestly, my blog and Tweets - my blog has been written into my will and testament - as to keep alive for my daughter - she should know my thoughts during my pregnancy - and along the years.  She should also know about my professional life prior to her conception and arrival.  I would want her to be proud of me.  I would want her to “know” me even in my absence.

I’m glad to see that Martin’s last Tweets showed some real humor - his blog entries - some intellect and passion - and his Flickr photos - not only a talent for taking a good photo - but obviously his subject matter was not himself - it was other people and places.  He knew a lot and he journaled it through social media.

If you didn’t know Martin, as I really didn’t, just his face at a conference pub session, or late night bar session with friends of mine, you can know a little more about the passion and the fervour with which he lived his life by checking out his online properties at www.twitter.com/martin and www.flickr.com/people/hellomartin, or his blog www.hellomartin.com

So tonight, as I re-type this blog ending since it somehow got deleted with a touch of the mousepad - I listen to my daughter sigh in her sleep, and I thank the Lord, I am home, safe, and out of the fast-lane.  I thank God I’ve lived 40 years to the fullest in my definition - and that it has the ability to include 12 years of business, many countries visited, and a daughter to add to my reality.  I am truly so very thankful for my life, and what it means today.  I am thankful for her - to God - for giving me her.  She is such a gift, and requires that my life slow down quite a bit. 

I am thankful to Twitter.com, to Facebook.com, and to my desire to learn these forms of communication so that I’m still in the loop, meanwhile I run my business and take care of my first child.  I have the luxury of taking care of us, meanwhile taking care of the business.  I am lucky to have lived and to have taken advantage of such amazing opportunities - but for now, I can say I am no longer making much sense because I am so tired.  Tired from running my biz all week, having phone calls, and taking care of M. 

Life is sweet - and as one said today - a close colleague of mine who I’ve met through the conferences mentioned above - live and learn, or in this case, this young man died and learned - tragic - as his brain is truly wasted in death for it was not wasted in life.

Do not waste your brain, your energy, your passion - live out your dreams now - because you don’t know when your ticket is called and your time is up.

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