Reverb 11: Day 6, Unique

I'm taking a break between client calls to type this in and it's a welcome break. My voice is a little raspy today (my husband has a nasty cold so I'm fighting it off on my end). It's just such a relief sometimes to type instead of talk.

Today's Reverb is the word unique. What was it about 2011 that makes it a unique year for you? Were there any experiences or people you met that changed your life?

I meet literally hundreds of new people in a year. I travel to conferences and trade shows for work so I shake a lot of hands (back to those pesky germs...). I was flying out of Pittsburgh this October trying to get home to Boston during a snow storm. (Yes, I said October and snowstorm in the same sentence. Those of you that live in the Northeast know what I'm talking about). I met this older guy (he was in his late 80s). He was waiting for a plane to NY and was eventually flying on to India for his final trip of his life. He called it his "last Hurrah." It turns out he was a professor back in the day and was quite brilliant. He was reading the paper and offered it to me when he was finished. He had a lot to say about politics and universal health care.

It turns out he was staying with friends in India. The guy in India got quite wealthy from this man helping him get his start in a business many years ago. He loves India as it turns out, and he was very excited about his trip because he was staying there a whole month. I'm not sure why this was his last trip (although I can picture someone in their late 80s having a rough time with two days of travel to get there). Maybe he was dying although he seemed pretty robust when I met him. It was clear to me that the man was quite brilliant. He was waiting in the Boston flight's terminal because his NY flight was delayed and he was not sure if he was leaving Pittsburgh that night. I luckily made it home 2 hours late (and landed in the snow without a winter jacket--that was fun since we had to go down the steps like it was the 1960s or something).

This man (I never got his name) really made me think. I talk to a lot of random people in airports (shout out to the wine bar in the Philly airport) but to meet someone taking their LAST trip just gives me chills. He for some reason knew he did not have a lot of time left and he was going to see his friend for a final goodbye.

I'd love to hear about someone unique you met in 2011 or a unique experience that really left a mark on your soul.

Working out when you travel for work

I'm leaving tomorrow morning for a conference/trade show in Anaheim, CA. For those of you that have ever attended a trade show you know that it's long hours and lots of eating on the run. You get to eat dinner late quite often and you tend to just go completely nuts when you finally get a menu in front of you. The reason is it is your first 'real' meal of the day, it's paid for by work, and you're so excited to finally have REAL food. I'm not complaining. I actually love to travel for work. My face-to-face time with clients and prospects is one of my favorite parts of my job.

This time, I'm going about my work travel a bit different compared to the last 13 years or so. I got a workout DVD at Target for $8. I tried a few on Netflix on demand and decided which one to buy. This way, if I can't make it to the hotel 'gym' to work out (most hotel gyms are horrible) I can workout in my room. I chose Power Yoga since lots of hours on a plane, on your feet, and in heels can really do a number on your back. Oddly enough I choose that trainer from 'Biggest Loser'--Jillian--as the Yoga DVD. She's actually kind of cool when you get her out of the other training situations. On some business trips I've gotten a short-term pass at a gym near to my hotel. This worked out well in Kentucky ($11) but not so well in NYC ($50). I'm being strict in 2011 because travel in 2010 paired with huge meals and a departure from my normal routine led to some serious weight gain. I'll pack my gym stuff like I normally do but this time I will have a back-up plan to the hotel gym. No broken elliptical or dirty equipment is going to slow this girl down!