Thursday I spent much of the day in wonder of so many little things that make up the composition of my world. Like background music that was playing during an incredible dinner date. The constant amazement of my life and how blessed I am was set on an endless playback loop.

On my way to work a song by U2 “Bad” shuffled up and I found myself once again, understanding new meanings in songs I heard a 1,000 times.  I was screaming the along with Bono as if I was 18 again, enthralled with life and uninhibited by opinions of others, free from fear and fiscal concerns. Cautiously living just in that moment. And so went my day.

Shadows in the snow on my evening run...a sight I might not have seen if my heart were not open to what's simple and important right now.

Architectural volumes through a windshield.

 ”Let it go…I’m wide awake…I’m wide awake…I’m wide awake…I’m not sleeping…oh no.”

-Bono

At one point I opted to create my own detour and ended up rolling past the Grand Rapids JW Marriott. Knowing there is a Starbuck’s just inside the front door I opted to treat myself for being so cleaver about avoiding further delay and pulled in for a “tall, dark & no room”.  The instant I walked in I noticed it was different then the other coffee shops in town.  Not so much the decor, the aroma’s or the product offering but the other patrons that were there.

Most of the them had a wheeled carry on in tow and a media phone in their hands.  Yet none of them were looking at them.  They all instead were looking at each other and me.  There was this unspoken language being shared: questions like where are you from? How long are you away from home? What are you doing here? Did you sleep like crap like I did?

I’m sure it’s just me projecting my own feeling into the situation but I first detected this phenomena 10 years or so ago (when air travel was actually a treat) sitting in airports waiting for connecting flights.  I saw a look in the eyes, a feeling on the faces of the other travelers.  I couldn’t help began to formulate this belief that probably 80% of those in my visual range did not want to be there.  They all looked exhausted, anxious and ready for the whole experience to be over.

The JW Marriott (right) and Amway Grand Plaza (left) on the Grand River in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

This awareness hit me again that morning at the JW.  This isn’t the case in other coffee shops around town, where the sence of community abounds.  You run into people you know and share greetings and abbreviated updates on your life, smile, shake hands and are off only to repeat the same thing on the next day.

In the hotel coffee shop I couldn’t help but wonder if those there were just killing time before their next engagement, wanting to obtain something that they are familiar with to somehow shorten the distance between them and home or just in need of a good coffee.

This is perhaps more reveling about me then it is a true insight worth blogging about but next time your in an airport, take a second and look deeply into the eyes of the other travelers…and see what they are really seeing.

Level P7...blood red.

Of course the parking garage is managed by Ellis Parking…a proverbial monopoly on parking in Grand Rapids. Since it’s a monopoly and it’s red maybe I shouldn’t take it as blood.  Rather I should interpret it to signify…say…Kentucky Avenue.

Steve Jobs 1955-2011 (photo credit the Apple company web site).

By now you have all heard that Steve Jobs has died from a rare form of pancreatic cancer called neuroendocrine tumor.  I want us all to take a second and think about the impact this one person has had on our global community, because of his ability to identify needs we didn’t know we had, articulate his vision and bring it to fruition.

Think of how Apple has changed what was once the frightful act of computing to one that is addictive.  Think of how Apple pushed it’s competitors to innovate.

Think of how mobile computing has changed every aspect of our lives. Speed of communication, the ability to photo document, accessibility, way finding, security, efficiency.

Think of work that Apple products have created… the designer of the stores, graphics, software, perphirals, accessories, communication companies like AT&T, Verizon and now Sprint.  Think of the store employee’s, the supply chains in China, Japan, U.S…. everywhere.  Think of the manufactures for the packing supplies, the cardboard, the ad campaigns, the work created by “Apple Week”.

As a friend said to me today “he was the Edison of our time”.  It’s said that to get better at tennis you need to play constantly with someone who is better then you. May his memory and legacy sustain the motivation he physical presence did.

I had two “you just missed him” scenarios where I almost met him during my business travels and collaborative efforts with consultants we both worked with in the bay area.  And one opportunity to work with the Apple design team on a collaborative advanced concept project for technology integration at a collegiate library in Southern California.  I never actually met the man but heard many, many stories of his persona and lifestyle.  If you want to be a success, suround yourself with successful people. The loss of Jobs equates to a loss for all of us.

This is a garden where one can remember that there is much to be learned from nature.  Lessons on patience, lessons of hope, lessons of faith.  It is a peaceful place.  It is a place where I have often sit and listened to my world, my head, my heart… and the words of those who are helping play over and over on a endless loop of a sound byte within my sole.

This is the Life Garden on the 3rd floor of the Lemmon-Holton Cancer Pavilion.  It’s one of those creations that you wish you could duplicate in your home.  There are days when I don’t want to be there at all, dumbfounded and consumed by a disbelief that it isn’t happening.  And there are days (more so then not lately) where I do in-fact see, feel and experience hope in this facility.

When I sit in the waiting area with my wife, holding my hand… I look around at the others there doing the same.  All of us fighting, living with and doing are best with God’s help to endure this bit of hell on earth. It sometimes scares me beyond a manageable level.  There are those that are worse off and those that have jumped the hurtle and are returned to the walk of life… yet having once been here, one can never escape it… like a very faint shadow that is there even in the dark of night.

I think of this scene every-time I see someone smoking, overweight or generally abusing their existence… and I want to grab them by the neck and shake them and make them see what I have… to think what I have been forced to think, to discuss with my wife what we never thought we would.

If you would like to help find a cure or help fund research for bone marrow cancer, please contact the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.  Thank You.