I write sans WiFi at the first open power outlet I could find, six gates away from my own. I am on my way back from Atlanta where I attended the Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC).

Believe it or not, I'm an introvert. While I'm fine (some would say happiest) in front of a crowd, meeting and greeting new people takes energy.

This year I wanted to make a special effort to push past my tendency to want to stare out my window.

I leave it to others to share what they learned as far as using nonprofit technology. I'd like to share what I learned about the community I am a part of.

The people I met genuinely care about you. They don't appear pleasant for pleasant's sake but want to know how you are doing, not just how your job is going.

In particular I spent some time with John Merritt, Jess Rodgers, Manny Hernadez the folks at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and Civic Actions and just a short conversation with Amy Sample Ward. In each case, I know that I have made connections that I can't call "contacts" or "prospects." They are folks that I would be blessed to call friends.

Two missed connections this year with Danielle Brigida and Chad Norman.

This is the second year in a row that Danielle said something about social media that I will quote all year and will make me sound smart. She gets it. I'm so thankful we don't work with organizations that have to compete with the brand she is building for National Wildlife Federation - we would loose.

Meeting up with Chad Norman was going to be completely self serving. I miss doing a podcast and I think I could be a decent panelist on the Baudcast. I was hoping conversation about my family in Mount Pleasant over a beer at the Brick Store would show my sparkling wit.

If this reads as a bit of a love letter and your worried that the old cynical, arrogant East Coast dude is on the outs, I don't know.

Perhaps it is only in long shadows of Hartfield's C Concourse with the warming sun well balanced by an occasional air conditioned breeze that I can fully appreciate others. Or perhaps I as I am closer to 30 than 29, I can now appreciate that even if I'm as good as I think I am, it isn't as good as what I can be if I work in community.

And perhaps this is the lesson that NTC is designed to teach.