Between Meetings & Meals — Episode 010
Tradition, technology, and the things that still matter most
I made it to my 10th Episode. Thank you to all who have subscribed to my little creative outlet. I look forward to hearing from all of you. Comment, text me, call me, let me know what resonates and what adds value. I welcome the feedback, and I’m enjoying the process. Here goes #10…
The Pour
We opened a bottle of Austin Hope on Friday night.
It’s one of Anisa’s favorites, so it already had a good start. We were meeting up with some friends from work, and it was one of those nights that was supposed to be quick… a couple hours at most. But it didn’t end up that way.
We sat around the table, poured a glass, and just started talking.
About our kids, work, travel, life. The kind of conversations that don’t feel forced or rushed. The kind that just unfold over time. One bottle turned into a full evening, and somewhere in the middle of it, you realize this is what you needed.
The wine was great, like it always is. Bold, smooth, easy to go back to. But more than anything, it became the reason we were all sitting there in the first place.
It was the catalyst.
By the end of the night, we were already talking about doing it again… maybe even planning a trip together at some point.
All from one bottle.
The Table
Easter this year felt like a reset.
We ended up celebrating a day early because of the weather, which honestly made it even better. No pressure, no rush, just everyone coming together because we wanted to.
My dad fired up the grill, like he always does. We had family over, invited some friends, and even had neighbors stop by. The pool was ready, the kids were in and out of the water, and for a few hours, everything slowed down.
There’s something about those moments that never really change.
The same setup. The same traditions. The same feeling of just being around people you care about, with nowhere else to be.
With how busy everything gets, it’s easy to drift away from that without even realizing it. But sitting there, eating, talking, watching the kids run around… it pulls you back in.
It reminds you what matters.
The Edge
I had a conversation with a friend this week about AI and where things are headed.
We were talking about how fast everything is moving. How the tools are getting better, smarter, more capable. The kind of work that used to take years to learn is now being compressed into something you can access in minutes.
And it led us to a bigger question.
When our kids grow up… what’s actually going to be left for humans to do?
Not in a negative way. Just honestly thinking it through.
If AI can handle the technical work, the analysis, the writing, the systems… where does that leave us?
And we both kept coming back to the same thing.
Human connection.
The ability to sit across from someone and make them feel comfortable. To communicate clearly. To build trust. To understand people.
Those things don’t go away. If anything, they become more important.
Around the same time, I had been talking with my son about what he wants to do when he grows up.
And the truth is, it’s a hard question to answer right now.
Not just because his world doesn’t exist yet… but because the world I’m living in now didn’t exist when I was his age. A lot of the things I do for work today weren’t even options back then.
So when I think about his future, I can’t even fully picture it. If things have changed this much in one generation, I have no idea what his world will look like when he’s my age.
That’s what makes these conversations so important.
They’re shaping how I think about what I’m teaching him… and what I’m trying to teach all of my kids.
This weekend, that showed up in a simple way.
Alanah and Addy asked if I could help them start YouTube channels.
I know people have opinions about kids being online, but I didn’t see it that way. I saw it as a chance to teach them something real.
So we sat down for a couple days and worked through it together.
They used ChatGPT, Canva, and CapCut. They learned how to create cover photos, build profile icons, think through the tone of their channel. They even had ChatGPT interview them to help figure out what kind of content they wanted to make.
They recorded voiceovers, stitched together clips, and published their first videos.
And the whole time, they were locked in.
They were learning.
They were building confidence.
They were figuring things out.
But the part that stood out the most to me…
They weren’t just consuming anymore.
They were creating.
They were taking something they already loved and stepping into it differently.
Learning the tools… while also learning how to express themselves.
I don’t know exactly how this will benefit them long term.
But it feels like the right direction.
Teaching them how to use what’s coming…
while also helping them become the kind of people others want to be around.
That balance feels like the real work right now.
And I’m figuring it out in real time, just like they are.
The Lesson
I don’t think it’s one or the other.
It’s not tradition versus technology. It’s not human connection versus AI.
It’s both.
The future is going to reward the people who can adapt, who can learn quickly, who can use the tools that are available to them. But I also think it’s going to reward the people who don’t lose themselves in the process.
The ones who can still sit at a table and have a real conversation.
The ones who make people feel comfortable.
The ones who people actually want to be around.
That part doesn’t go away.
If anything, it becomes more valuable.
So when I think about my kids, or even myself, it’s not about choosing what to focus on.
It’s about building both at the same time.
Learning how to use what’s coming…
without losing what’s always mattered.
Because no matter how advanced things get, there’s still something about sitting around a table, sharing a bottle of wine, and talking about life that can’t be replaced.
If this resonated, the newsletter is where it continues — one honest email at a time.