The Business of Birthdays

After talking about it for over a year, a group of attorneys servicing a major client from my firm finally went on a client development-y business trip to Los Angeles.  It was a fruitful trip from my perspective: I’ve worked with this client for years, but I always worked under partners, counsel and very senior associates; I had no room to move up the ranks.  After meeting me in person, however, the client specifically requested that I be the lead associate on certain matters.  It was gratifying to receive recognition after years of busting my ass. 

One of my colleagues' birthday was on the final day of our trip; he spent the day on an airplane flying back to New York, and then dealt with urgent work matters after he got home in the evening.  I felt bad on his behalf; if it were me, you can be sure I'd be throwing quite the pretty self-pity party.  So when we all returned to the office the next day, I brought him a yummy Snickers cupcake and one of my cards.  The body of the fish is chocolate!

The fish is a fun foil-wrapped piece of chocolate that I got in Taiwan. One of the stores I wandered into had a huge bin of these fish chocolates, and I instantly knew exactly what I would do with the cute suckers!  Did I do good?  : )

I felt a lot of empathy because last year on my birthday, I was on business trip, too.  I wandered around a strange city in a strange country where I didn't speak the language.  It was incredibly lonely, and because I was so far away from friends and family, it felt like my existence was forgotten.  I took myself out to an incredible French meal at a Two Michelin Star restaurant, but it wasn't quite the uplifting experience I hoped it would be: I was seated at the "best" table in the restaurant, but it turned out to be one of those little banquet tables for two people to sit side by side at and that overlooked the entire restaurant... perfect for lovebirds eager to proclaim to the world their love, but quite awful for a single girl dining out alone on her birthday.  I endured many a curious stare from the other patrons and the servers.  

I did discover that I've got thicker skin than I thought; once I got over the discomfiting new experience of being pitied, I relished being able to savor every bite and people watch without conversational interruption.

Sure can't fit this one into an envelope... but who would want to anyway, seeing as how cute it is!

I'm happy that the business trip this past week allowed me the opportunity to connect on a more personal level with my colleagues in general, and the colleague I gave the card to in particular.  I have always really respected and admired him professionally, and it's nice to know that I respect and admire him as a person, too.