lilo– n. a friendship that can lie dormant for years only to pick right back up instantly, as if you’d seen each other last week – which is al the more remarkable given that certain other people can make every lull in conversation feel like an eternity.
I’m very lucky that I get to travel and meet so many people, and that I have the opportunity to see many of them time and time again at different events. I’m truly blessed in this way.
I have lilo with many people, close friends, good friends, casual acquaintances, even new-I-just-met-you-for-five-minutes-once friends.
With many people, when I see them again, we can pick up a conversation or a familiarity right away. I don’t have a great memory for names, which is why you might see my look at your name badge, but I remember faces well. When I was a bartender, I knew many people by what they drank, but few names.
In the tech world, I pick up friendships once a year with some people, less often with others. A quick story.
I met Nate many years ago at the PASS Summit. I can’t remember if we met in the convention center or in the hotel up the hill, but we got to chatting and enjoyed a few minutes together. Since then, I’ve seen him at a number of Data Community Summits, and we always take time to stop and catch up and see how we’re doing.
I look forward to lilo every year, thinking I’ll get the chance to see Nate and get a hug, a picture, and a conversation. I’ve missed him the last couple of years, but was delighted to see him in 2024. I hope we both keep making the Summit or some other event until we both get to retire.
From the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows