PERSPECTIVE from my friend, Tom

Read this week’s newsletter here.

BLOG:

That tall guy with the knee sleeves and muppet hair, fourth from the left, is Tom.

He’s always talking to you.

He’s asking questions, giving you his thoughts, and being completely engaged with you.

It’s what he does.

In organizational hierarchy, he is known as a facilitator.

For me, he’s become one of my closest friends.

Tom has just gone through it.

If you haven’t heard, the Fischer-family home burned to the ground last week, with almost every one of the family’s worldly possessions.

Clothes, cars, computers, passports, family photos.

Everything.

Nobody was injured, and the cat was rescued.

Our mutual friend, Theo, another OG TJ’s member, sent me this by text:

“Fortunately, this happened to a person who is capable of dealing on all levels.”

You see, Tom is as organized, intelligent, and motivated a human as I know.

His love of his family, fitness, and kiteboarding is equal to his other great passion:

Community.

When I spoke with Tom this week, he told me he has two takeaways from this whole experience.

Number one: Everybody is going through it.

Everybody has something going on that you can or can’t see, and they are doing everything possible to hold their shit together.

Your stuff isn’t more or less important. It’s just your stuff.

Don’t think for a second that it’s anything more than that.

Number two: Life is who you surround yourself with.

Tom has been blown away by the outpouring of love and support his family has received from their various communities.

From duffel bags of hand-me-down clothes, to homes to stay in, to cars to drive, to critical legal and financial expertise, all given without hesitation and with nothing expected in return.

I told Tom I wasn’t surprised.

He’s reaping what he has sowed.

His borderline obsession with checking in, engaging, learning, and caring about every person in every room he steps into has come back to him.

The Fischers are going to be just fine, and the best part is that so are we.

With whatever we are all going through, amazingly even during his time of struggle for so many.

Tom’s got our back.

Love you, Buddy.