2016 Gratitude

2016 wouldn’t have been a reality without a massive dose of gratitude

Hindsight is interesting — often, we wish for the benefit to impact an outcome. Trying, learning, failing, succeeding and iterating are all a part of how the world works. Sometimes it’s gentle and other times it’s really hard. Often, we just wish that we knew the right way from the beginning to maximize outcomes.

Think of what we’d miss in our life if everything was just perfect from the start. We’d miss the bloopers, the encouragement, the accidental and sometimes brilliant outcomes. We wouldn’t have Post It Notes, frosted light bulbs, teflon, potato chips, ice cream cones, microwaves not to mention any number of jobs, companies, partners, children, animals … you get the idea. Nothing is perfect from start to finish and everything can use an adjustment here or there. Sometimes there’s more zig-zag then point-A-to-point-B but that’s what makes life so wonderful.

There’s been too much change in the world for me to not contemplate the impact and the “why’s.” It would be easy for me to enter 2017 with HOPE by my side and the nagging “hope is not a strategy” ringing in my ears. I’ve put too many sleepless nights, manic thoughts and dark predictions into my thinking this year to just let it lie.

2016 wouldn’t have been a reality without a massive dose of gratitude for …

• my family for letting me be who I am.
• Tim Daley for putting up with my endless yearning to do more, grow our kids strong and play more tennis.
• Thomas (T3) Lawton for growing into such an amazing person, for sharing my past and his family roots with Erika Kruczkiewicz.
• Erika Kruczkiewicz for loving Thomas Lawton and for always exploring the edges;
• Nick Lawton for his own apartment and such an enthusiastic embrace of life — I love your friends and life.
• Thomas Lawton, Jr. for being an amazing dad to Thomas and Nicholas.
• Emma Daley for letting me help her get ready for college and sharing her world with me.
• Cole Daley for teaching me how to play Pokemon Go and going on random adventures — 2017 is going to be epic.
• Fred Krumeich for being a part of the family and fortaking such care with our house and dogs — I can’t wait to see what stars you shoot for.
• Barbara and Bill Daley for coming to hear me speak about my life and for being awesome in-laws.
• Ayah Bdeir for the magic of littleBits and for believing in people.
• Will Robinson, Mark Schulze, Tom James, Anthony Moschella for being mentors and advisors to the various people that I send your way — I’ve learned so much from you.
• Kyle Kuczun, Jacqueline Ros, Andrea Perdomo, Chris Herbert, Christian Smith and Mitch Debora for the privilege to be an advisor and mentor.
• Robert Steiner for always being there to listen and laugh with — you are an eternal BFF, the older brother I never had.
• Bre Pettis for teaching me about threema, the Cult of Done, sharing you heart and you life, the Aspen Institute, your compound, honey, Brooklyn, Nika, Kio Stark, Chuck Pettis and the beauty of the Hudson — there’s so much more to come. Eternally humbled.
• Frank Alfano for always being my sounding board, patiently plotting and scheming the road ahead and sharing in all the memories and for Leslie Alfano for sharing her man, her heart and the most authentic laugh ever. You are rocks in my life.
• Tomer Raviv and Vinny Mascaro for trusting me to help bring Craft260 back from the edge — I love what you are making with all of your heart and soul.
• Matt and Ozzie for tending the bar so artfully at Craft260.
• Rich Vicenzi for being there for friends and introducing the amazingly talented Allison Vicenzi, who is going to take us to the moon someday.
• Susan Daley for so graciously sharing her children and family and awesome times at Club Med — you are a superstar.
• Mark Sconyers for always being there to letting me be your big sister — I love you to the moon and back.
• Jacob Sconyers and Nikki Sconyers for bringing Duke for a visit and for the tender love that you have in your hearts.
• Jan Harrod and Bill Harrod for sharing our Thankgsiving and for the comfortable and lazy times we had after.
• Clara Harrod Ames and Logan Ames for sharing the “big day”, so heavily anticipated, with us. Your hearts are so full of love for each other and the god’s world.
• Virginia Herrick and Tim Herrick for getting to know you better over the Ames wedding weekend and looking forward to your visit to Connecticut.
• Ryan Luikens for teaching me how to write, for trusting me and for the most amazing sounding board — you inspire me, daily.
• Lisa Grant for being the most amazing grandmother and mother-of-the-bride and sharing your Jillian Lavoie and Carly with me.
• Brad Feld for being my friend and mentor and for being the instigator of so many of my life ventures — Interliant, MakerBot, littleBits and Techstars and all of the amazing people I’ve met through your introductions.
• Amy Batchelor for being a beacon of energy, love and thoughtfulness — I channel your voice in my head and love you dearly.
• Jerry Colonna for finally meeting you “for real” and finding out that you are as awesome in person as you were over the internet.
• Ali Schultz for your grounded wit, wry smile and wisdom and a horse that melts my heart.
• Deborah Stacy for always inquiring and never settling — I look forward to your daily thoughts on life and the world at large.
• Stacey Tollin for having a difference of opinion but staying friends — and for being the mother of Justin and Ethan who are amazing grown ups.
• David Brown and David Cohen for your patience, second engagement and believing in me — I feel like I’ve found my true home. You are amazing people.
• Defy Ventures for opening my eyes and sharing your amazing work — epic.
• Larry Doerr and Mark Blohowiak my soulmates from Minnesota — there’s long legs to our time together.
• Antonio Hernandez, Ben Schultz, Adriana Young, Logan Donovan, Alyson Shapero, Jeremy Johnstone, Nemanja Jovanovic, Vince Sanchez, Alicia Halloran, Anthony Wille, Krystal Persaud, Geof Lipman, Hirumi Jones, Joe Shouldice, Paul Rothman, Casey Koppelson for the wild ride at littleBits and for all the perspective you’ve each brought to me for life. I’m a better person for it.
• Kathleen Warner and Ken Warner for being life friends and sitting in the hot tub, bringing your family to the pool, going on adventures, sharing kids in college and always being there.
• Anna Kanner and Mark Danchak, like long-lost friends, to have lengthy discussions and debates with and to share tennis, fun and families with — the fun is just beginning.
• Justin Day for being the most amazingly balanced, calm, poised and thoughtful person — I think of your approach to solving problems and thinking often. Angela and Wyatt are a dream.
• Joey Neal, Pam Neal, Chloe and Beckham for the friendship and being kindred spirits — so amazing to watch everyone grow and reach for the stars.
• Joanne McKinney and Tim McKinney for being the people I’ve known in Connecticut the longest and for sharing the arc of life with — once neighbors, always neighbors.
• Jeni Howard and Scott Howard for being so open and loving and just honestly real.
• Janet Cameron for cheering me on and reading my writing.
• Katie Blankley for being my kindred spirit and Kathryn Moll Hopper for being a fierce survivor.
• Jeremy Shure for that first meeting in Pershing Square and finding someone that I’m just sympatico with.
• Len Fassler for an awesome breakfast that made me realize, again, how important mentors are in life — you are one of my touchstones.
• Jason Mendelson, Seth Levine, Ryan McIntyre for being there for so many iterations of my world — from Softbank to Mobius to Foundry to Techstars and all the in-betweens. I like to think of you as my professional uncles.
• Nicole Glaros, Sabrina Kelly, Daniel Feld, Amy Smith, Kevin Tapply, Sonya Caprio, Blake Yeager, Katie Derr, Brian Draves, Don Loeb, Jennifer Cabala, Cody Simms, Greg Rogers, David Brown, David Cohen, Cat Bode, Chelsea Rogers, Ali Smith and every person at Techstars for being such amazing people to work with. Such an amazing team.
• Every MD at Techstars, you take my breath away with your commitment to #givefirst.
• Jenny Fielding and Alex Iskold for working with you from the inside, now. How fun to see the other side of the magic that you make.
• Jules Dibiase for being my friend forever — if you thought I was old when I met you, I must be ancient now.
• Jill Lanfrey, Michael Errico, Frank Kerns, Anne DeWitt, Kathy Healey, Betsy Kosko, Michael Hubbard, Cindy Nardo, Sue Johnson, Clara Scarborough, Chris Ford, Carl Smith and so many more people from my grade school days who share memories with me on Facebook — it’s like yesterday.
• Carl Smith who I’ve known since second grade — I feel like we could spend hours just talking and debating. In 2017, we need to all get together.
• Lisa Freed, Caroline Brandenstein, Kate Freidl, Stephen Kozak, John Reilly, Robin Weiner, David Frantz, Andrea Greif, Betsy Modest Brand, Jen Small, Jared Weber, Bob Battaglia and many others from Union College — it’s been a long, strange trip.
• David Yuile, Brett Raynes, Bertier Luyt, Axel Hafner, Ed Roberto, Paal Smith Meyer, Christian Thor Larsen, Bruce Klein, Andrew Kleeman, Jane Hoffer, Jaclyn Mack, Diana Pincus, Larry White, Dave Veisz, Tony Buser, Carla Echevarria, Yuri Salnikoff, Nicole Victor, Jonathan Greene, Andrew Askedall, Portia Zwicker, Sara Shapiro, Lane Feuer, Matt Terry, Limor Fried, PT, Francis Bitonti, Mike Moceri for being a part of my world spanning years and jobs.
• SF Ali for liking my Medium posts — I may not have persevered without your green hearts.
• Denise Marcil for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to write more.
• Lorraine Costanzo for sharing Erika with us.
• Wendy Lea, Bernee Strom for two new, strong and interesting women in my world — you two bring a real WOW to my life.
• Arthur Lev for taking the time to share a lunch at an out-of-way diner and for your gentle guidance and mentoring.
• Judy Sconyers for being that cool aunt from the first time that I met you and forever — you make my heart sing.
• Jim Sconyers for being a surrogate dad when mine was gone and for being an inspiring and amazing person who loved our world and environment and nurtured my love of math — your sweet kindness and gentle ways will live on through Jake and Nikki and Max. The universe misses you.
• Dottie Sconyers and David Sconyers for being James Meredith’s friend, twirling your way to college and teaching me to be a life long learner — I am forever grateful.
• Donna Ventriss for being with my father on his journey through life and a kind second mother in my adult years.
• Haiku for the amazing mornings that I have as I construct my awakening thoughts.
• writing for clearing my head of clutter, sharing ideas with many and the gift of sharing with as many or as few people as care to be shared with.
• 3 months off to re-orient my life, reconnect with my family, dogs and home and to become a more aware and hopeful person.
• tennis to keep me agile and learning … and winning.
• #givefirst — the articulated theme of giving as a core life value. There’s so much power in learning to share and give freely with no expected return other than the gift of giving.
• Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon for the brilliance of SNL and some laughter in times when I’d rather forget.
• Kate McKinnon for her haunting rendition of Hallelujah that propels me through every tennis match and difficult times as if it’s a prayer.
• Serena, Scrambles and Sunny for their pure, unconditional love delivered in hugs, licks and snuggles every day.
• Hillary for bravely facing each day and climbing the highest mountains and giving so many of us hope.
• Donald Trump for reminding us that we have to be ever vigilant and that what you see is what you get.
• The Aspen Institute Leadership Seminar and the amazing people that I met … Caprice Young, Brian Jones, Carol Gluck, Carol Varney, Catherine Cuello-Fuente, Derrick Frazier, Devin Vodicka, Erica Mohr, Harry Knight, Jennifer Simpson, Jonathan Ladniak, Lisa Szenen, Maisie Chin, Martin Thiselton-Dyer, Megumi Taoka, Pamay Bassey, Tim Taylor
• Judy Mallett for bringing our landscape to life and for reconnecting.
• Holly Adam for being in the fiber of my world.
• Michele Johnson for surging ahead with real life and for sharing.
• My house — almost a birdhouse in the woods of Connecticut — that keeps my at peace with the world at large.
• Life — every minute is a treasure.
• Everyone that I meet and connect with — each person makes a difference.

Happy New Year to everyone — 2017 will be what you make it.