I don’t write much on this blog about how I started it. It began from conversations with friends, yes. But the real impetus was that I was taking care of my grandmother during the pandemic and it was exhausting and soul sucking.
My cousin, father and I had been rotating shifts to take care of her. I have no idea now how I spent 2 weeks in Boston, 2 weeks at home for a few years, driving back and forth. I loved my grandmother immensely, obviously, but caretaking and trying to juggle one’s life 500 miles apart was challenging. My business floundered. Keeping up relationships was challenging. In an attempt to keep my center, I began the Choose MY Happy Place book and this blog. The process of writing helps me to better appreciate and craft a life well spent. (That’s why you see so many writing prompts in the Thursday happy hours.)
After my grandmother died, as we cleared out her house where I spent so much time, I was immersed in poignant memories, old photos and letters. It’s amazing how something simple like an iced tea glasses can precipitate so many memories.
We also came across some delightful surprises. As we went through the bookcase papers, I found a series of letters between my grandfather and Freeman Dyson, the famous physicist author, doing research for one of his books.
They wrote about solid state physics, number theory, and WWII. Interesting, I thought. I had heard of Freeman Dyson, but had not read his books. I then noticed that all of Freeman Dyson’s books were in my grandparents’ house and that might be why I’d heard of him.
I nearly dropped my phone as I googled him, to realize he was the father of Ester Dyson. I’d been lucky enough to meet her when she was the founding chair of ICANN, and I was working at the internet registry in 1999. Ester Dyson was legendary in my world.
My grandfather worked in physics, I worked in the internet, both of us as worker bees. The Dysons were writers who looked at the implications of technology and science on society. Ester Dyson’s writing had a profound impact on me and how I thought about the internet, ethics, and my own work, as I imagine her father’s writing had on my grandfather.
This realization made the world seem both smaller and vaster.
One of my last visits with my grandfather, in 1987, he was analyzing data to determine what time scale the elder Dyson was looking at to conclude climate changes to that point were within historical norms. My grandfather was skeptical of that conclusion, and I believe the data since would have convinced them both. While my grandfather thought very highly of Dyson, the important thing was the exchange of ideas that led to better thinking for the benefit of all.
The takeaway today- impactful work is more than achieving personal goals; or corporate goals, it's about work that benefits humanity in large and small ways. This is how to transform your work into personal fulfillment with a greater sense of contribution.