Failure Coach XXXIV

Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Miami International Airport (MIA)\

The time in Miami was good for the relationship between Jan and Dan. They were serious about each other but most evenings they had to retreat to separate homes. Jan was not hiding the emerging relationship from her daughters but she didn’t want to flaunt it either. She had joint custody with her ex and they were working things out. Dan did not want to be a father figure but he was supportive with the girls. They seemed to appreciate his friendship and were getting use to him being around during family occasions: pizza night, watching movies together in the family room, soccer games and such.

Jan was always working. She was obsessed with her smart phone with its various news feeds including some about popular culture and healthcare. She read several industry blogs and followed Twitter. She traveled with a computer so she could write. She liked to take time in coffee shops to keep up but never admitted to being caught up. Dan had similar obsessions about devices but did not feel compelled to keep up with anything in particular.

The business partnership was fruitful since Daniel was good at keeping clients excited about thinking about things strategically. Since they joined forces Dan and Jan managed to shore up a meaningful ongoing relationship with Alan Edgewater through the Alan Edgewater Failure First Scholarship Fund (AEFFSF) of which they had become indispensible. Coach Siena kept them in the loop with Sazerac as much as he could in the context of his contract role as a Midwest sales coordinator. Dan was able to invest in networking with less stress at Abbeshire & Bluestone than at his previous shop. Jan’s healthcare practice paid the rent and revenue was more predictable from public relations ongoing business.

Miami Beach had a calming effect on Jan. It seemed to energize Dan. He believed the quality of light in the sunshine state made everything brighter and more beautiful. Being close to water, sand and palm trees gave them both a feeling of serenity they did not feel in St. Louis. They agreed the weather in St. Louis was often uncomfortable: cold and wet in Winter:  hot and sticky in Summer. They loved the warmth, sunlight and ocean breeze in South Florida but both looked forward to the Autumn colors and mild temperatures at home. As staffers fixated on the final games of another St. Louis Cardinals baseball season Jan and Dan savored the last day of their Art and Deco get-away.

Johnny Appleseed was a Cardinals fan too. So it was fortunate that he was able to get the Cardinals on a big screen at the University of Miami Rathskeller in the student union. Dan and Jan were happy to visit the campus and treat Johnny and his friend Rachel to lunch. A business expense charged to the AEFFSF that would be approved by Coach Robert Siena. They talked about baseball, sociology and social media.

Jan and Dan left Johnny and Rachel at the Rat with plenty of time to take the South Dixie Highway/US1 to LeJuene Road to the airport/MIA. In the rental car, they talked about ways to showcase the AEFFSF winners but agreed that the first two winners had yet to accomplish anything newsworthy other than being lucky enough to be selected for this unique scholarship program. They agreed it was an anomaly that Johhny Appleseed had already had this brush with the law that was as the coach said a non-event.

Jan was impressed with what she saw at the University of Miami but she was hopeful that her girls would eventually consider schools closer to home: The University of Missouri (Mizzou), Southern Illinois at Carbondale (SIU-C) or Saint Louis University (SLU). Dan reminded her that that decision was still a few years away and to enjoy her girls while they were still at home.