Lunching on a Warm Summer Friday

There’s something about a Friday lunch in the summer that hits different. Especially when it’s one of those just-warm-enough days where the sun feels generous but not aggressive, and the air carries a mood of "let's not rush anything today."

Today, I met a few industry colleagues for lunch. People I’ve worked with in different contexts, some clients, some collaborators, some somewhere in between. We picked a spot with a patio, naturally. The kind with a few too many umbrellas and a menu that unapologetically features burrata.

The Food Was Good. The Vibe Was Better.

It wasn’t really about the food. It never is. I mean, yes, we ordered salads and iced teas and debated whether to share or get our own appetizers. But the real nourishment came from something else: that rare moment of slowing down.

No decks. No agendas. Just easy conversation under summer sun, shaded by mutual understanding and shared war stories from work, like the project that got delayed three times, and still is delayed! And the person who left a big job to go build something smaller, and is now looking to get back to the big job! And of course what we would all do if we were independently wealthy...hint, hint, it has a perpetual beach in it.

Work, Lightly

It’s strange how, in these kinds of lunches, we end up saying the real things. More than we do in structured meetings or coffee zooms. Maybe it’s the fresh air. Or the shared acknowledgment that this job, whatever form it takes, is just one part of who we are. The industry and our jobs brought us together but what keeps us together is the effort we make to stay together.