Connection Surprises

Certainly one of the many memorable points of my vacation, was a visit to the Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh. This is a wonderland for plant and flower lovers. That's me!

Deanna and Bob Schmitt, my BNI connection in Pittsburgh, are also my out-of-the-box, experiences, friends. Whenever I visit, Deanna always has something surprising planned for us to do.

We had visited the Phipps in a previous trip and of course I was enthralled. But this time it was amazing. You see, the renowned artist, Dale Chihuly, has an exhibit of his wonderfully bright, sparkly and unbelievably creative glass work, spaced among the plants. I can't find words to describe the experience, other than, if you are in the Pittsburgh area, drop everything and visit this exhibit. You won't be sorry.

Which takes me back to connections. The relationships I build are always full of surprises. Deanna is one of my very best friends. Our friendship spans close to twenty years. She is the one I go to with business questions related to networking. We produce a podcast together called Networking on the Chin. We rely on each other for all kinds of things. But the best part of the friendship is what I call my cultural wing. She stretches and forces me to use it to fly.

What friend helps to round out your life in ways different than you expected when you first met them?