I didn’t tell pretty much anyone this until last year but I’ve been published for more than a decade. I have a chapter in a book on combating bribery and corruption in the private sector. It is published by a major European press and available on Amazon for $150. The book is dry and boring in my opinion. I’ve barely read what I’ve written and can scarcely remember any of the contents.

Like many things, I stumbled into this opportunity. The work was part of a UN sponsored research team with representatives from various countries. The US representative had to drop out for one reason or other and through my advisor, I gor asked to replace her.

In any case, I write something decent and it’s used as one of the proofs that some progress was made on the overall project. The pay was ok, it tided us over. But there was an additional perk – a chance to attend a conference in Courmayeur, a resort town in the Italian portion of the Alps.

It was breathtaking. 

The conference had interesting people from all over the world. I meet up with the supervisor I went to Korea with a few years back. I meet a major general from the Saudi Arabian police, a world expert on prisons, and someone who would eventually play a role in my dissertation writing – who unbeknownst to me collaborated with another of my advisors, who is a mentor to this day. The dots connect in our lives. 

Anyway, the authors present. Those in attendance applaud but I think it’s out of courtesy. They eat it all up.

I learned a precious lesson that day. 

Don’t chase the applause. 

Make sure to chase something valuable. I realized sometime last year that we take nothing with us but it’s all about what we leave behind.  No one really remembers us other than the ones we touched in some way or other. 

The food though is quite good and I manage to visit my son’s godfather in Switzerland after the conference.