GM The Sixth

A preamble (starting at the end)

Waiting to board the plane from Vancouver to Montreal – on my way home from this year’s Automattic Grand Meetup (GM) – my colleague told me how much he appreciated what I do to welcome fellow Canadians to Automattic. “It might not be said often, but it’s always appreciated.” An older man also waiting to get on the plane turned to me and asked, with a smile, “Your boss?” I was confused at first. Why would he assume he was my boss? Maybe because he was a man? Or maybe it’s just uncommon for colleagues – without a hierarchical boss/employee relationship – to show overt appreciation for each others’ work. In any case, I found it interesting, and it made me think.

***

Last week, nearly 600 of my co-workers and I gathered again in Whistler, British Columbia, to spend time with each other at our annual all-company get-together. For the first time, I decided to teach a class (CSS: Basics and Beyond) instead of attending one myself or doing a project. While it was a lot of work to put together three days of material for the workshop, I had a ton of help from three wonderful colleagues, and it was a gratifying experience to help boost the CSS coding skills of our co-workers.

Other highlights include an attempt to see the aurora borealis (we didn’t – but the clear sky and endless stars were still breathtaking), a hike to Brandywine Falls with some of my theme-team colleagues, and a nice walk to Alta Lake.

It was a low-key GM for me this year – full of reflections on how it could possibly be my sixth one, how quickly the time passes, what the future holds for me, and how much I appreciate my friends and colleagues at Automattic. People who appreciate me in turn.

Want to see more from Automatticians about this year’s Grand Meetup? Check out the #a8cgm tag on WordPress.com or Instagram.