Photo credit: Robin Malmanger

About 100 yards into my daily three-mile exercise path, I got sidetracked. Approaching the marina’s coffee/wine/brew stop, the Quarterdeck, I saw some people I love. I adjusted my route. Reaching the deck, I happily discovered some more folks I love seeing every single time. The day was warm as we chatted and laughed and drank cold beer in the sun. Life felt oddly normal. Not without some missing pieces, but closer to nice than it’s felt for a while.

I like people smarter than me. A lot of people fit into this category; hence, I like a lot of people. Last night was rich with smart people I like. The conversations were interesting and inspiring. Ideas flew around, as did laughter. In my book, interesting people who laugh are the best kinds of people. I left the night with a happy little buzz, and not all of it from the beer. People who think and share and create and laugh are intoxicating, too.

Tonight, I walked in the rain. It was a different day. Each day is a different day, but I remembered the conversations and the reunions and was grateful for what I have. The water and the sunsets over the islands, and the friends who make them both better, are plentiful. I’m blessed for this. We have a lot of interesting, funny, and kind folks living in our midst. Our community is blessed for this. We have much, indeed.

Dave Markwell is a life-long Des Moines liver and lover. Former owner of Waterland CrossFit and the Waterland Arcade, Dave is now using his unique story-telling voice to help small businesses tell a better story, and his love for people to help folks live bigger and better lives.