When I was a little kid, I wanted to be an astronaut or a pilot, even a rock star, just like any other kid my age. I was about 10 at the time, and then my mom got me a computer magazine in a store near home. I read it mostly on curiosity, and ended up deciding that I wanted an Apple][e.
That is when my life changed.
Right there and then, I knew what I wanted to do with my life. 31 years later I'm still doing it, helped in no small part by the descendants of that machine. It may sound cheesy, but Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak not only changed my life, but actually shaped it. I can honestly say that whatever I am now, I owe it to them. My life would have been very different had they not gotten into that garage and started Apple Computer, all those years back.
I followed their work as closely as I could in an Internet-less world, shaping my career along the way. I was there through it all, the retire of Woz, the fall of Steve, the hard years… you name it. Still, one of my goals in life was to, someday, get to know both of them, just to exchange greetings, shake hands and say "Thanks". That would have been more than enough.
Then the Internet exploded, Steve Jobs came back, and Apple… well, you know how big it became. Suddenly, I was able to e-mail both of them if I wanted to but somehow, something always stopped me. The last time it happened was right after Jobs resigned his position as Apple's CEO, just a while back.
In the back of my mind I just thought "Don't worry, he'll be OK. You'll have plenty of time to meet him"
Shows you how much I know.
Yesterday afternoon, I was just coming back from a work related trip, tired as hell, and I decided to forgo TV, Internet and everything and just rest, so I was totally unaware. Then a very close friend called me on the phone and relayed the news.
Steve Jobs had passed away.
The world stopped. Right now I can't even remember what I said to him. I could just not believe it. This was it. The man who helped me shape my career and my life had just passed away and I never got to say "Thanks".
It hit me harder than I thought it would and I'm still feeling as bad (if not worse)… Anger, denial, sorrow, the whole nine yards.
I'm just writing this because I wanted to say thanks. Thanks for helping me to be the person I am now and for giving me my career, but also… Sorry. Sorry for not having the time (or the guts) for saying it when you were still with us.
As Steve Jobs once said, "It means to say your goodbyes".
Good bye Steve. Thanks for everything. It was a wonderful ride, and I hoped for it to last a while longer but, sad as it is, all good things must come to an end.
I don't think I can close this post better than with the closing paragraph of Ted Landau's post, so I'll borrow it from him:
"Steve Jobs died today. There are no words that can express the sorrow I am now feeling. The world was a better place because Steve Jobs was in it. Life goes on — as it always does. But the world will never seem quite the same again."
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