There is so much joy in what we do

Hello blog.

I know it has been a a week since I posted. I want to apologize and explain it is not out of a lack of love, just a tremendous amount of travel. And of course, the fact that I also have this guy to take care of. (And yes, that is us in a plane – although he’s not with me on this trip sadly).

In fact, I want to reiterate what I said during my closing remarks at the Code for America Summit – inspired by the Hold Steady I remarked (maybe even yelled out!) that “There is so much joy in what we do.”

These communities that I’ve stumbled into, the opengov, open data, civic hackers, the people in the Code for America family, the O’Reilly Network, that activists, the entrepreneurs, and the public servants, there is so much joy in what they do. I know it doesn’t always feel that way – as one major city CIO whom I respect deeply put it to me, that highs are real high but the lows can be real low – and I know it doesn’t always come through in my writing enough.

So I wanted to say it again.

There is so much joy in what we do.

That doesn’t me we shouldn’t do better, try harder, be more critical, but it is nice to have joy. I’d say doubly so at a time when my life is feeling a little unstrategic, and the impact of my contributions feel a little unclear, it is nice to have that joy. And it is nice to be surrounded by those who feel it too. Thank you to everyone out there who helps me feel it. I hope I help you feel it a little too.

Dave

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