The King of Cool.

It’s the small gestures that go a long way. I found myself sitting next to John Powers on my flight to Chicago, and from the moment I sat down he chatted away. Starting with Motorola, he then got into general consulting, and now is a fundraiser for a facility in California experimenting along side the FDA to experiment giving terminally ill cancer patients a cocktail of medications, with which he’s had success.

We spoke a bit about my FDNY shirt, some of the track days I did last year in Laguna, weather and taxi rates in NY, and his daughter going to Pace. Then it happened: departure corridors. We didn’t have, and sitting here now I still have no idea what they are and what influence they have, but it meant one thing: we sat on the LGA Tarmac for 20 minutes. The interesting fact above all: John and I had the same destination. On top of that, we had 1/2 hr between our connection. 20 minutes turned to 30, and then we were in the air. We were due to land at 5:30, and our connecting flight was due to take off at 6:15. Wheels touched Tarmac at 5:58- we were toast.

I’ve had a few of these happen and I’ve learned unless I’m flying in on the spot for a meeting or presentation, it’s best to roll with it. I’ve flown into wrong CITIES just to rent a car and drive to the right one. I’ve booked hotel rooms for 4 hours, a shower and a nap. John was quickly on the phone, calm toned and chatting away with American Airlines. I figured I’d wait until we got to the gate, speak to an attendant, and weigh my options. Worst case, I lost a night in my Cali hotel and need to book last minute in Chicago. Best case, there’s another flight. Then, the gesture.

I’m fumbling on one of my social medias and I hear John say on the phone “hey hang on a minute, let me pass the phone to the guy sitting next to me he’s in the same situation”. 4 minutes later I’m on the 8:25 LAX bound, just to finish off the trip where I’m typing this now- in the back of an Uber covering the 45 miles (which ironically, is only $10 more expensive than flat rate yellow cabs from JFK to Astoria). With little opportunities I slowly paid the favor back- lending a charging cable, portable battery, figure out a Google map search. But everytime we bumped into each other during the lay over, or got up for the bathroom, whatever the interaction- I couldn’t help but feel from him and his calm, cool smile: “let’s just get there”.

And after not the most particularly positive or pleasant work days and frustrations of travel, little events have a way of humbling you. You drop your guard, you let go of whatever suspicion you may have of a strangers intentions, and genuinely appreciate a good gesture. Maybe his air, his “roll with it”, his lack of flinch with his hand over the flame, those are things I need to and both want to be consciously good at. I’ve been weathering an internal obsession with Steve McQueen- aside from his extra marital shortcomings, all of the documentaries as well as actual films represents this: a stoic man that would move for anyone but absolutely resolute to his standards and the belief of right and wrong. The man that seemed to consistently blur the lines of living his life how he wanted, the imagined possibility of what like could be like if you lived it your way, and an absolute disregard for any standard set by anyone to him.

After a whole day of southern California, I see where it all comes from. I’ve seen oceans, I’ve been on the West Coast, but something about Laguna beach. Something about Corona del mar, it’s something about Newport Beach. It seems to be something in the air, and the funny part is that I don’t think it slows things down: I think it just stops the FF button from being jammed into place. Sure, some things less can be accomplished, but guess what — you’ve done enough today, be happy with it. It was intoxicating. It’s what made me request that we drive around with the windows down all day. The walk along the marina, the riding the ferry across to the peninsula. This can also be heavily influenced by the small but significant jet lag I’m dealing with, but today was a 12 hour day that felt like it took 24 hours to get through, but only 7 hours worth of effort to do so. This town, a lot of these people, the sunsets themselves, they all have something in common.

It’s incredible how easily diluted and simplified it can be, but it’s all summed up in one word: cool. Not trendy cool, not popular cool, not ahead of the curve cool.

No. That “who, me? Yea. I’m me: what’s it to you?” Cool. Timeless cool. That article “Frank Sinatra has a cold” cool. Angelli wearing his watch OVER his shirt cool. Your dad not being phased by any rebellious story he might overhear about you and your friends. Your grandfather dressing in a 3 piece every day.

Cool.