A Venti Amount of Gratitude

I celebrated my birthday yesterday. It is always a fun day for me because it brings back so many memories of the great years behind me and makes me excited about what might be ahead.

I am so appreciative of my family connections. Mom was one of the first people to reach out. I played golf with my brother Kevin, and my older brother Jot had texted me before I finished the front nine. I spent most of the rest of my day with my daughter and wife, enjoying some beers and a tasty dinner, and I traded messages with my son.

From Friday afternoon, heading into my birthday weekend, until the moment I am typing this post, the birthday wishes have continued to flood in. Facebook posts, Instagram DMs, LinkedIn mentions, and even a few shout-outs on Twitter have all warmed my heart. My inbox filled with kind emails, and my text messages started early at 4:47 a.m. when my buddy Tom, who works at Starbucks, sent the first message of the day. He gave my morning a double shot of awesomeness before the sun even came up. Let’s just say I received a Venti-amount of love.

I have built my life on the philosophy of building relationships, solving problems, and having fun. It makes me proud to have so many amazing people in my tribe who quietly or intentionally live that same way. It is always cool to see how many people take an extra second to send a birthday wish. I try to do it every day for others because I know how much it means when someone takes that moment for me.

Each of us only gets one birthday a year, so it is special to show up in someone’s world and let them know you appreciate being part of their tribe. Whether you reached out to me or not does not matter.

You have read this far, so I will say this. I am thankful you are part of my tribe.

Make it a great day, a great week, and a great month. Let’s finish the year strong and get ready for a fresh start in the new one.

And when your next birthday rolls around, I will do my best to reach out, say hello, and thank you for being part of my tribe.