Back on the Road: KalamazooX, Work, and StirTrek

I’m coming up on a very big week: I’m going back out on the road for eight days of conferences and work. It’s going to be quite the week of travel, work, and seeing lots of folks I’ve badly missed lately.

I’ll be speaking at KalamazooX Conference on Saturday, April 29th. Monday and Tuesday I’m doing some work for Pillar Technology teams in the Dearborn, MI area. Wednesday and Thursday I’ll be doing the same, but in Columbus. Friday, May 5th, I’ll be speaking at StirTrek, then enjoying Guardians of the Galaxy 2 with a crapload of other geeks.

This trip is a huge one for me. For the many of you out there who don’t know, my family was hit in January by a horrible tragedy. This is my first time back on the “work” circuit since then. It’s going to be odd trying to get back in the groove after such an upheaval, and after four months at home.

I know everyone in the community and my colleagues at work have my back and are there for any support needed. Y’all have made that crazy clear already. I don’t have any concerns along those lines at all. I know I’d be forgiven if I showed up to talk drunk, smoking a cigarette, and wearing nothing but a thong and a giant red cowboy hat. (You wanted that mental image burned in your brain. I know you did.)

I’m more concerned about whether I’ve got any connection to what made me good at speaking and coaching/team facilitation. My optimism and faith turned in to a field of ashes on January 10th. I’m no longer that guy, so I’m viewing this trip as an exploration for what guy I might become in the future.

Please feel free to look me up if you’re around any of those areas next week and are interested. I’m happy to chat about anything, including my family. I’m sure folks will understand if I vanish for periods of time to recover—I’ve always been an introvert, so this sort of stuff drained me even before January…

As always, I’m humbled by the outpouring of support we’ve had the last four months. I hope I get the chance to thank many of you in person at some point.