Perquisite

Sometimes this corporate traveling gig works. This week, I got to return to Shanghai for the first time in four years. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the city. Given how fast it changes, I wondered if it would still feel like "my" Shanghai. Nor was I certain about the value of the meetings I was flying 24 hours round-trip to attend. One thing I was certain about: joy at the prospect of seeing some of my dear friends again. Turns out the city, even in its hyper growth, has not changed so radically as to alienate my memories of it. I felt affection for the place on every sidewalk I wandered. Even the meetings that were the reason for the trip were worth the effort. But the real treat was as expected: getting to see some of the folks so dear to me. Though there were a couple of notable absences at the tables, the continuity of the love in these friendships ambushes time and distance and pummels them into submission. ..