A longtime friend of mine and her husband live in Hood River, Oregon and this is the view off their back porch in the spring. It’s an awesome property, some 8 acres, if I remember correctly, with bears and other wildlife. It’s been exactly a decade since I’ve visited her there, and I hope M. and I will be able to get there at some point. It’s a very peaceful place.

She was my boss at the very first high-tech company I worked for, more than 20 years ago. When I got to Silicon Valley, I found that it was largely a closed shop. If you didn’t have experience, or know someone, it was impossible to crack that job market.

After our interview, she said that she liked me and thought she’d take the chance. I never forgot it, and after we both left the company, within six months or so, we became friends. We both went on to bigger and better things.

It’s funny how life turns on chance. She took a chance on me and I used that opportunity to leverage myself eventually into an executive post in the high tech industry.

We all need someone to believe in them. A person who sees our potential and is willing to do something about it.

I like to return that blessing every chance I get.