The dog (or Dogue for those who appreciate it, the link is in the comments) days of summer are over here in the DMV. In fact, meteorological Fall starts tomorrow.?When I started to write this,?we were suffering through multiple 100-degree days.?These lingering days of summer humidity (after our fabulous “false Fall” last week) are a catalyst to reflect on this summer as the days get shorter and shorter.
Two words dominated my summer: gratitude and resilience.
Gratitude for that extra summer daylight to grab some laps in the pool without waiting or sharing a lane. ?I am grateful for the communities that offer support through long work days: our NetApp U.S. Public Sector, Inc. team, our empowering NetApp Women in Technology community, and industry groups like my Professional Services Council (PSC) Vision teams.
I am also thankful for the opportunity to give back to communities in need. For the last decade, I have participated in University of Notre Dame's Family Volunteer Camp – a week at my alma mater where we live in dorms and work on a variety of service projects in South Bend. I am grateful that NetApp provides employees with volunteer time off for this type of service. A few years back, the ND camp featured the author of the "Paradox of Generosity". ?It is a good addition to fall reading lists.
Resilience is the other word that dominated this summer. My garden needed it – with little rain, only the hardiest perennials survived without regular watering. Resilience also showed up at service camp where the people we served and their caretakers are resilient by design. I always learn a lot from them.?Resilience dominated our IT world with the Crowdstrike issue and its impact on so many operational systems.?I heard the word "resilience" repeatedly at the late July DoE Cyber Conference and from federal agency customers. And who can forget the resilience of the Olympics - Cole Hocker's come from behind win in the 1500 meter race, the year after year performance of Katie Ledecky in that punishing 1500 meter swim,?and the the athletes who didn’t win medals but will compete in their sports long after the fanfare ends. The Paralympics athletes demonstrate resilience in spades.
The end of summer is as good a time to reflect as the more traditional end of the calendar year. Gratitude and resilience are the two words that will call to mind my Summer of 2024.
What words will remind you of your summer?
#summerreflections #gratitude #resilience #summermemories
