5.5 years. Itās been five and a half years since Iāve had an office.
How is it that possible? And yet.
Shutting Poppy and ātaking timeā, and then Covid and then not having a team and then not warranting a whole space for only 2 peopleā¦ one way or another itās been too many years since Iāve occupied one of my favorite spaces - a sacred place that holds the fierce people and the audacious ideas within its 4 walls. Where we can be as bold and curious and tenacious as we need to be.
Itās not much - a beautiful box that holds some desks, crazy comfy IKEA chairs and a little conference table. Some plants make the place feel homey and weāll get to the fun wallpaper and art.
But the most important thing went up first - my whiteboard. A whiteboard that doesnāt need to be erased at the end of the day. A whiteboard that holds context and keeps us in our Future Distortion Field. Where conversations can extend from one day into the next. Where we can put a pin into something hard and come back to it later.
And the location? Iām in love. We chose it for its proximity to the very buzz of Palo Alto. Realizing that it mattered more that we could walk out into the energy of the place anytime we needed than the fanciness of the actual space. And while we wanted to stay in the city, we had to be practical: minimizing commute and maximizing time in here.
I didnāt realize how much I needed this until this very moment. When I unlocked the door at 7am, first to the quiet hush. Setting my coffee on my desk and clearing my thoughts for the work ahead, just as I used to. This ritual I had honed and then had had to set aside.
Iām tired of debated in person vs. remote. Different things work for different people, different companies, different challenges.
All I know is that given our realities and context - that weāre choosing to build a big bold audacious thing while both founders are also parents of young children and have partners with big crazy jobs of their own - this is whatās right for us.
I feel the thrill of electricity in my veins as I stand at this desk. Rooted to a place, this place, for now, for however long this is what we need.
Iām so happy to be back, to a here.