Power Lost, Gratitude Found

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What’s the most memorable conversation you’ve had lately while being out and about? I’m talking about talking to strangers - in a world filled with constant digital noise.

I’ve spent my career glued to screens, toggling devices, tuning out to tune in. Like many working people (especially in tech), I’m rushing, juggling and often behind schedule on something!

My region, the Pacific Northwest, USA, recently experienced a bomb cyclone - a once-in-a-decade weather event that knocked out electricity to almost a million people. In less than 24 hours, the one coffee shop with electricity in my neighborhood filled up as people jostled for limited power outlets and waited for a charge. What happened then?

We talked. In line for coffee, sitting outside with our coffee, long after the coffee ran out. We talked because our phones were dead and we weren’t wearing headphones - we had no power at home (for up to 6 days) and there was nowhere to go really. We actually made eye contact and laughed at the moment’s absurdity - as an ice-breaker for deeper conversations.

I met a woman from Ukraine who lives in my town. Her parents met in Ukraine when it was part of the USSR – her dad is from Moscow, her mom from Kiev. We brushed on history, politics, war, life in America, the weather and merits of Seattle vs San Diego, and her daughter studying for mid-terms. Though our lives had begun very differently, it was remarkable how much we had in common.

The next day, still in need of a charge at the same coffee shop, I sat next to a software engineer, originally from Turkey. We traded power cords, shared an outlet (and a raspberry scone), and talked about AI, the pressures he faced to speed up, investment capital, and yes we also weighed merits of Turkish baths vs Scandinavian saunas. I laughed and learned - with a new perspective about AI, one of the hottest topics in play today which I easily could have read 10 articles about and not had the insight he gave me about life in his shoes.

I started thinking more about the times I’ve met strangers and struck up a conversation that stuck (and realized there were many more times when I did not). Last summer I met someone on a Eurostar train from London to Paris. I was a split second from putting in my headphones when we started to chat – what did he do, what did I do. A two-hour train conversation led to follow ups, then fast forward to today, and I serve as a board advisor for his startup company.

These moments remind me of a crucial truth: Our most meaningful experiences often happen when we least expect them—and when we put down our devices and open ourselves to...well...people.

Conversation is our most underrated medium, capable of bridging divides, challenging assumptions, providing nuance, and reminding us of our shared humanity.

As the year winds down, new eras begin, and there’s opportunity to mingle on a train, plane or in a coffee shop, it's a good time for faith in the simple human magic of truly seeing, feeling and experiencing one another.

So, the invitation this season is simple: Look up. Listen. Connect.

(And let’s get coffee!)