The world lost two statesmen in a week’s time – John McCain and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Both of them were leaders first, and politicians second. They both led exemplary lives with a strong mission and acute focus on bipartisan leadership.  The world was unfair to both, and yet, in their leadership, we found inspiration. May their souls rest in peace.

In other news, Tara got her first “real” bike this weekend. An within moments of getting it, she had her first “real” fall. Yep! Irresponsible parents were so busy celebrating, and recording a video of her first bike ride, that we could not tell her to stop before she took a tumble on a “bed of thorns”, in Agam’s words, and “a shrub by the side walk”, as I prefer to explain it. Note the dramatic tone in a father’s description. I wonder if he would have used the same phrase if we had a son. Sigh! Tara got her first bike at 3. I got mine at 30. She is already ahead of the curve 😉

Last Friday I fell in love with Google, all over again. The day started on a rough note. I was finding it hard to be an adult. Super hard. The air quality in Bay Area has been terrible last week, and I am very sensitive to the day to day variations. [Yes, I lived in Delhi. No you may not laugh].

The combined effect of the air quality and my state of mind, was just too hard to manage. I pinged a friend, and asked for help.

Me – “I need therapy.”

He – “I am available.”

Me – “I am walking over.”

He – “See you in a few.”

50 minutes later I was not only feeling better, I had a plan, and I was refreshed. I went back to work, super charged. I really value these friendships and cherish this camaraderie that encourages me to seek help (something that is super hard for me to do), without any fear of being judged. I am so thankful for the help I was given, and the friendly advice and a listening ear that was offered. 😀

It did not stop there.  I had two more such engaging sessions through the rest of the day. A sad Friday ended up being a very satisfying Friday. All thanks to the three Googlers who helped me turn my day around.

It is important to have a support system as you progress in your life. It makes it easier to fight the battles you have to, and you build strong relationships along the way.

Lastly, I’ve finished ‘Discover your true north’. I am now on to ‘Build an A Team’, by Whitney Johnson. I picked this book for no other reason but Clayton Christensen’s words at the back – “Management, when practiced well, is a noble profession.” I concur.