February 19, 2012 ..... Carlsbad, CA
If you are reading this in the future, I trust the feeling of pride this Dad has for his son in this moment still radiates from this page. Three weeks into his Kickstarter campaign for Aiko & Egor, Casey and his team have $10,745 committed to their project. The "Assembly of Backers" includes family, friends, school-mates, autism professionals, and parents of the children who will directly benefit from the products See Beneath, Inc. will produce. These are all people Casey has touched, directly or indirectly, from as far back as 1986. They have taken the time to help make the goal of $12,000 attainable (or is it obtainable?).
I can't help but reflect on Casey's path to this moment, remembering each step of the journey and the decisions made about which college, what major, work study jobs, internship, first job out of university, and meeting Gerin and Jim to begin creating Aiko and Egor.
My philosophy can be distilled down to this: there are no mistakes in life if you learn from your experiences. I always tell Casey that each decision should be made with eyes wide open. Analyze the pluses and minuses, be intentional about considering your options, then choose with confidence in the moment knowing that the road ahead leads to valuable experiences, lessons, and ultimately more decisions built on a new collection of wisdom.
In the light of keeping this post simple and to the point, I'll end by sharing a moment on the sidewalk in front of my sister's home on Francisco St. in Berkeley: Casey on the right and Leland on the left. Taken during a visit with Frankie; James' wife and the mother of Leland. I met them while volunteering for the MS Society in the Bay Area. James eventually passed away from complications of MS and to thank me for my service, Frankie gave me one of my most treasured possessions: a full sized hour glass (see photo). The sands of time continue to flow and we all are simply a tiny grain on the surface of a beautiful planet.
If you are reading this in the future, I trust the feeling of pride this Dad has for his son in this moment still radiates from this page. Three weeks into his Kickstarter campaign for Aiko & Egor, Casey and his team have $10,745 committed to their project. The "Assembly of Backers" includes family, friends, school-mates, autism professionals, and parents of the children who will directly benefit from the products See Beneath, Inc. will produce. These are all people Casey has touched, directly or indirectly, from as far back as 1986. They have taken the time to help make the goal of $12,000 attainable (or is it obtainable?).
I can't help but reflect on Casey's path to this moment, remembering each step of the journey and the decisions made about which college, what major, work study jobs, internship, first job out of university, and meeting Gerin and Jim to begin creating Aiko and Egor.
My philosophy can be distilled down to this: there are no mistakes in life if you learn from your experiences. I always tell Casey that each decision should be made with eyes wide open. Analyze the pluses and minuses, be intentional about considering your options, then choose with confidence in the moment knowing that the road ahead leads to valuable experiences, lessons, and ultimately more decisions built on a new collection of wisdom.
