The Barbershop

I’m one of those guys who loves going to the barber. I love the smell, the sounds, the camaraderie. I love getting my beard trimmed, getting my hair cut close — I love straight blade shaves with warm shaving cream — and whatever tonic or balm happens to be on the shelf — Stephan’s Island Lime — or Pinaud’s Eau de Portugal.

This weekend I stopped in to my local barbershop — a small place just around the corner — to get my beard cleaned up. A great Saturday afternoon tradition.

All was the usual — the stories — the people — the smell — but at the end of the cut, as I stood up and reached for my wallet — my barber smiled and said “this one is on me.”

I can tell you — he knows I love the place. He knows I won’t go anywhere else — and that I’ll be back through that door next Saturday afternoon like clockwork. But he still did me a solid — and it makes me love the place even more.

In today’s world — where everything can feel outsized — impersonal — even frightening — personal generosity and giving someone the feeling of community and connection can make all the difference.

If you can — try to make someone today feel that soulful connection to their community and the town that they live in — it will be the greatest thing you do all week.

Workman

A cold box brought

To life and filled with warmth of

Propane fire.  And the warmth in soul

Of work, done well.  Plane on wood.

The smell of incense.  Of hot coffee.

Of maple, pine and oak.

Of work. Of memories.

Crafting on a cold January day.

Craftsmen of Commerce

Pitney Bowes introduced its new Craftsmen of Commerce advertising campaign yesterday.  

I was emotional as I watched the ads for the first time.

Business conversations today are filled with discussion about authenticity - and being an authentic leader.  How rare is it to be part of a company that so authentically captures its ethos, its values, its esprit de corps in its advertising?

I am energized by these ads.  They are authentic to who we are at Pitney Bowes.

We are passionate about building solutions clients love.  And working with clients to ensure the solutions fit.  That is the reward of a craftsman.

I love new ideas. And I love finishing a job well done. I love the work in between.  That is the practice of a craftsman.

I am a craftsman, working to help clients drive commerce in an increasingly connected and borderless world.

My team and I craft solutions - Ecommerce technology, Shipping software technology, and great user experiences.  We know the tools of our trade - SaaS, Mobile, API Management, Big Data, IoT - we apply technology to innovate.

I've had an opportunity to work across a huge variety of projects, across industries, with a large array of technologies, in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math.  

STEAM, not STEM.  As Steve Jobs said, "technology alone is not enough—it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our heart sing."

I aspire to be a renaissance technologist in our global world.  A craftsman.

We are a team of craftsmen at Pitney Bowes, focused on creating value, and delivering great client experiences in the modern world of commerce.  I am proud to be a member of that guild.

I love what I do.

Late night's ride home...

Traveling home after

Days spent traveling away

So good for the soul to see familiar sites

Lights and faces when you walk through the door

Home is where you heal

And restore, and prepare

For yet another trip away.

White Gull

A white gull in February
Soaring above the ice, and foraging for shell fish.

A white gull in July
Soaring above the parking lot, scouring for dropped burgers and fries.

What makes the white gull in February beautiful?
And the gull in July so plain?

I've come to the conclusion today, that it has
Nothing to do with the gull.

JAF 

#gratitude Days 1, 2 and 3

So, it was about a year ago that I thought of trying to post #gratitude every day for a year.   My lovely wife day moore joined me in the challenge.  Here we are about a year later - and I fell well off the wagon - stopping after a few months, and feeling overtaxed by the events of every day at work.  But Day continued on, making it happen and living it through.  So Day, I am grateful for you, and your tenacity.

Love you so.

And so it goes...

#grateful
day 1 - for time with family over the holidays.... it was wonderful
day 2 - for a safe (but long) journey home
day 3 - for all days with day