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| I did it! |
Since my wife and I went to an Orioles game (check another blog update for that), I am going with the baseball theme.
I have just left the Holiday Inn College Park and say fare you well not goodbye to my new friends there. You hit a homer in my book.
From Milton who greeted me each morning with a smile as I came for my morning coffee adreneline. I came back so much that he got me a bigger styrofoam cup. I told him in jest that he just did not want to see me anymore. Quickly he said you are always welcome and he showed it all four mornings. Thanks Milton.
To Lila who always checked to see if everything was okay and gave me a fist bump. Thanks, Lila.
To Ed and Sharon who took me anywhere I wanted to go in the hotel shuttle and brought me home. Sharon spent 15 minutes at the train station looking for a guest who had called for a ride only to find she had already found another way to the hotel. She said I always try to put myself in someone's shoes who is not familiar with the area and needs some help finding their way. Thanks, Ed and Sharon.
To Kee Kee (pictured above) and Christian who always laughed at my jokes and tried my physics experiments. Both of them were ready to give up on the nickel not flick inertia experiment but I kept encouraging them and they succeeded. You put a piece of index card about five centimeters square on your index finger and put a nickel on top of it and balance it. Then with your other index finger you flick the card not the nickel away. If inertia holds, the nickel stays on your finger. In the pic above, Kee Kee had just succeeded after several attempts. It was great to see the "big eyes" when someone gets it! Thanks, Kee Kee and Christian.
To Nakeisha who tried to act hard but really had a soft heart and would help you any way she could.
To Sandra in the restaurant and Barbara in human resources who made me feel special like the other staff members. Thanks Sandra and Barbara.
To Jonathan who looked and looked for a restaurant I was trying to find and was determined to help. He also engaged me in a great conversation when I suggested we should try a cell phone free day. He said he had written a paper on how we are too tied to technology and not to each other. Maybe we could go with a 30 minutes each day for starters. Thanks, Jonathan.
And, most of all, to Kylea, the extraordinary manager. She gave a jump start each day with her pleasant swagger as someone in charge. She is clearly a leader and should have a Kylea School of Leadership to benefit leaders in our world. She was persuasive but not dominating, gentle but not soft, and filled the room with her energy and confidence. Throughout the whole place, you could see her influence of establishing a culture of service and hospitality.
Thank you, Kylea, thank you, all! Like Arnold Schwarzenegger, I will be back.
