"Hey, Keep in Touch"

Connecting with Friends

Ah, the pleasure derived through relationships. Examples from this past week:

Davide, a journalist from Italy now living in the U.S, (the “e” at the end… an Italian thing?) reached out ten days ago, apologizing for not staying in closer contact. He was coming to Iowa to report on two Republican presidential campaigns. Was I available?

Monday, lunch, Mason City. Davide selected the diner -- an uninspired choice -- but it didn’t matter. Food was backdrop for our life updates. Davide covers antitrust issues within the Department of Justice. He moonlights by covering political campaigns, which is how we met. Davide married an Italian woman one year ago, an actress supplementing her stage career with voice-over gigs. “So, does she have an accent?” No, he explains. Energy he directed toward better writing she routed toward better speaking. As a result, her diction is mildly exotic, vaguely European (according to her loving husband). We vow to stay in touch.

Tuesday morning, a “bluebird” invitation floats in via social media. Mark, a friend from high school, has an extra ticket to the Twins - Blue Jays baseball playoff game. Am I interested? Ha! Valued friend, good seats; great game, wonderful time. MOST important, a Twins victory!

Wednesday, I’m bound for Washington DC and an Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) evening gathering. Shortly after arriving, I meet Tom for lunch. He works for Congresswoman Grace Meng from New York. We discuss his recent Bolivia trip, where he engaged in mountain climbing and Amazon River rafting. I marvel at his adventure travel (many other examples), usually undertaken with guides. He shares a mountain climbing photo from 20,000 feet. His description: “I hated it while it was happening… and loved it when it was done. Now I wanna go back!”

Mid-afternoon coffee with “TD,” four years with the Teamsters, working from their impressive DC office building. We met eight years ago at an ADA event and have kept in touch since. His current portfolio includes work on Capitol Hill, plus advancing Teamster priorities in state legislatures across the country. We talk politics, discuss the recent UPS contract, and share national park stories. TD likes nearby Shenandoah National Park and talks about his recent encounter with a bear.

The ADA “virtual gala” is a success. Friends Amy and John host a house party, thirty people gathered to watch an hourlong awards program, the event that prompted my trip. I award lifetime achievement honors to Joe Uehlein, an activist/musician engaged in progressive causes for five decades. He tells about meeting the award’s namesake, the late Winn Newman, when they worked in Ohio. I visit with Newman’s wife, in her late 90s, and their son, both in attendance.

Thursday, lunch with Tony, scheduler for Senator Mark Kelly from Arizona. I met Tony five years ago when he came to North Iowa with a presidential campaign. We try to connect whenever I’m in DC. He’s smart and focused and accustomed to running on high. We talk politics and discuss his five-year career plans. Later that afternoon, John and I meet in a bar near the White House. John has been a friend for six, maybe seven, election cycles. We update each another on our families. He describes his current position as “lobbyist adjacent” and professionally satisfying, at least for the time being. We swap campaign tales, mostly stories about those we know in common.

Friday, flying into Chicago for a week with two charming granddaughters. Can’t wait!

For several years, we couldn’t safely participate in simple activities like dining with a colleague, spending an afternoon at a ballgame, or attending a house party. True, we might need to become more careful, more “transmission mindful” again. But this last week, I got to connect with people I care about, engage in honest conversations, track on interesting lives, and invest in meaningful friendships. All remarkably rewarding.

Relationships are a high priority for me. How about you? Do you engage in similar activities? You may find it well worth your while.

*****

Pleased to be a member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. My talented colleagues:

Laura Belin: Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights

Doug Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll

Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines

Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, Roundup

Steph Copley: It Was Never a Dress, Johnston

Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake

Suzanna de Baca: Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley

Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County

Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji

Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames

Jody Gifford: Benign Inspiration, West Des Moines

Rob Gray: Rob Gray’s Area, Ankeny

Nik Heftman: The Seven Times, Los Angeles and Iowa

Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilla

Dana James: New Black Iowa, Des Moines

Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo

Fern Kupfer: Fern and Joe, Ames

Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey

Letters from Iowans, Iowa

Tar Macias: Hola Iowa, Iowa

Alison McGaughey, The Inquisitive Quad Citizen, Quad Cities

Kurt Meyer: Showing Up, St. Ansgar

Wini Moranville: Wini’s Food Stories, Des Moines

Jeff Morrison: Between Two Rivers, Cedar Rapids

Kyle Munson: Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines

Jane Nguyen: The Asian Iowan, West Des Moines

John Naughton: My Life, in Color, Des Moines

Chuck Offenburger: Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines

Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politics Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.

Dave Price: Dave Price’s Perspective, Des Moines

Macey Spensley: The Midwest Creative, Iowa

Larry Stone: Listening to the Land, Elkader

Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona

Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Emerging Voices, Kalona

Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County

Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport

Teresa Zilk: Talking Good, Des Moines

The Iowa Writers Collaborative is also proud to ally with Iowa Capital Dispatch.