Day 5 - Insights.
Feeling much better today. Amazing what happens when you double the amount of sleep you get!
Just in case you're curious, here's a quick tour of my Chicago crib:
Office
Closet
Bedroom
There you have it - a close-up look at where I spend almost none of my time.
. . .
I thought I had a celebrity sighting today... As I got on the elevator I caught the tail end of a convo by the people leaving - '... meeting Bill Gates... so awesome!!" I didn't think much of it at the time, but those words came flying back a few hours later when the door opened during a presentation and two men walked in - Bill Gates and his bodyguard!! No, not really... Just a total look-alike and his close buddy, a bigger guy in an all-black suit. I spent all lecture trying to decide if he was the real deal or not, right up until he raised his hand during the Q&A session and introduced himself as Norman.
I wanted to take a picture for proof of likeness, but I guess there's no way to turn off the shutter sound effect on the Blackberry Storm - something about invading personal privacy laws in Japan that prevent cameras that don't look like cameras from being silent. Weird. I thought about snapping a pic anyway, but poor old Norm was probably already wondering what's the deal with the quiet, wide-eyed kid in the corner that's been staring at him for the last half hour...
Awards Luncheon
They fed us at an Awards Luncheon today. I sat next to a man named Kenneth - surprisingly, his accent was even more British than his name! He and his wife are about to travel to Ethiopia to adopt 2 children. Too bad we work in different parts of the country - I think we would be good friends otherwise.
. . .
I boarded the Red Line again and headed north to meet Josh Mathews for dinner. We met at one of the more interesting restaurants I've been to in a long time - Kuma's Corner.
'Eat Meat.' Another sign read, 'Die, Emo, Die!!'
Bathroom Decor
The place is pretty widely known for their amazing variety of burgers, as well as playing insanely loud death metal music and having some of the most ink'd up host/hostesses you've ever seen! Josh and I both agreed the burgers were good, but not stellar. A little too dry - maybe go with medium instead of medium-well next time?? Still, a fun experience and off-the-walls enough to fit right in with the rest of the trip!
After dinner, we headed to Scooter's for some ice cream and a chance to be able to hear each other, which is crucial, because convo's with Josh always rock! Seriously, his ratio of wisdom shared / time spent together is through the roof! Tonight was no different in that respect - inner workings of the world's greatest CEO's, how mid-20's is actually starting to get up there in age, biographies of exemplary Christians throughout history, the importance of selflessness in preparation for marriage...
I think my favorite bit of insight came at the very end of the conversation. Just before parting ways, he asked, 'What do you want to be true of your life the next time we see each other, whether it's 2 weeks, 6 months, or a year or more?' The question had arisen from an astute observation he'd made - our talks always have been great, but they've also almost exclusively focused on the past. Talking about events in our lives since seeing each other, how they've affected us or pulling out connections between them.
It's generally in the beginning stages of a relationship that people talk about the future - when I'm first getting to know someone, I'll ask questions regarding their dream job, whether they want family, goals they want to accomplish, etc. Those types of questions seem to drop in frequency as the relationship goes on. But if we are to be men living intentional, purposeful lives, we must have long-term goals and next steps to take for getting us there. So why not be asking about the future once and awhile, challenging and being challenged by the people we hold dearest to keep each other focused and motivated??
. . .
I made it home without getting lost - the first time I've successfully made it there and back on a new route successfully! It's also the earliest I've been back so far - just after 10pm. And it's a good thing too - I have a lot of processing to do after spending a phenomenal evening with Josh!
To be continued...
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