My Big Brothers

Almost a decade since we had all been together

I was sad to leave the comfort of the Austin Airport Delta Sky Club, but I was so excited to see them. M’s flight had been delayed from the east coast by a couple of hours and the work I was able to get done added to the sense of “rightness” of this trip. Time well spent is an incredible reward.

I was nervous that the bag I checked and long since left on the baggage claim belt would somehow be gone, but as walked up to the Delta desk and spotted my suitcase tucked in with other unclaimed bags, the sense of rightness of this trip increased. There it was, waiting for me, as I now prepared to wait for M.

When he texted the three of us, I hastily packed my things and headed out of the lounge. Now as I waited at the bottom of escalator 5, I was filled with emotions I had kept bottled for the last 48hrs.

The two friends I was meeting are the closest things I’ve had to big brothers. Both men are older than me, good fathers, good husbands, and have successful careers. I’ve learned and continue to learn so much from them and at one point, we all lived in Morgantown, WV.

I’ve met so many wonderful people during the decade we lived there; lifelong friends who have and continue to change my life for the better. These two “big brothers” have shaped and affirmed my identity as a Black man in ways only an older sibbling can.

Both R and M are Blerds (Black nerds) who are in to tech, photography, sci-fi, and just generally doing the right thing in life. Both are some of the smartest, creative, intellectual, and introspective people I’ve ever met. I strive to be like them in so many ways and I try to live in a way that they are proud of. Just like I would if I had big brothers I looked up to.

All of these emotions hit me as I turned to the voice that had just said, “What up good sir?”

There he was. M. Looking just like I remembered him seven years ago when I last saw him in person (Black don’t crack). A quick dap and hug, and we were off to meet R in the city.

The conversation was just as easy as our weekly conversations over zoom. We talked family, fatherhood, career, and nerdy stuff. We watched and listened at the event as R hosted a dope gathering celebrating an artist’s brilliant work on white supremacy in American over the last half decade. M bought us Old Fashions and we sipped allowing our thoughts and observations of the work presented and significance of the moment build.

We three are a contemplative bunch.

I was hanging out with my big brothers and there was nothing I’d have rather been doing at that moment.

Over the next couple of days we ate some of the best food I’ve ever had in my life, watched Dune: Part 2 (excellent film), drank amazing beer, and talked about everything from how the Halo video game story line matched the show’s story line - M has an encyclopedic memory of video game and comic book lore - to how the rising tide of open white supremacy was likely to impact our careers and lives.

These are some deep brothers, but not in a Hotep kind of way.

The entire time, but especially this next day, as I reflect on what made this time together so special, I kept thinking about how sad it is that three of us and our families no longer live in the same place. How my children won’t have the benefit of being raised in part by two men I admire so deeply.

In many ways I loath the nuclear family model and how patriarchy and racial capitalism shapes our abilities to relate to one another. And given the challenges facing down humanity - the necessity of disentangling ourselves from systems that are killing us - time spent with people we love and admire is everything we need more of during these darkening times.

Thus, R, M, and I have planned to not let seven years go by before we all gather together again. Life is too short to be without the people you love. And the people we love are the ones who are going to be able to sustain us.

Our species has been able to thrive on this planet, not because we are the strongest, fastest, have the most acute senses, or even because we are the smartest (whatever that means). Humanity thrives because of our ability to cooperate and communicate. We need each other so deeply that isolation is interpreted by our minds and bodies as torture.

I hadn’t seen my big brothers in nearly a decade, and being without them was a form of low grade torture.

If you’ve made it to this point in this week’s newsletter, please take the time to reach out and plan something with the people you love. Tomorrow is not promised. Your ability to navigate tomorrow the way you were able to navigate today is not promised. Reach out and tell the people you love that you love them, that you miss them, that you appreciate them, and that you need to see them soon. We were not meant to be without the people we love, our family, our kin.

I love you big brothers! You’re everything to me. Thank you for being such awesome people.

BECOME A PATREON MEMBER!

I’ve launched a Patreon account for those interested in support my content production. I’ll continue to offer this newsletter and the YouTube content for free, but I’m curious to know what, if anything, this content is worth to you.

If you’d like to, or having been thinking about providing some monetary support for my work, that’d be greatly appreciated, but if not, I’d really appreciate knowing that as well. Cheers!

New Video Content

The latest 40-Year Old Business Virgin video. With a special offer to Patreon members. Watch to find out what that’s all about.

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Black History Month is over, but you can still support a Black-owned business.

Wild Food Update

The trees are giving generously this year and the maple syrup stocks are replenishing. I’ve made some changes in our operation that I’ll share in an upcoming episode of OTJ, but suffice it to say, I’m very grateful and happy for the gift of the maple trees, this land, good friends and family, and the economic and time surpluses that make sugaring possible. More to come!

Recommendation

The Delta Sky Club lounge.

I’d always wondered what it must be like to hang out in an airport lounge. Last year I got a credit card that gave me access to Delta Sky Clubs and I don’t think I’ll ever be without the option to use these facilities.

The food isn’t life changing, but the bathrooms are.

On this latest trip to Austin I was able to spend nearly six hours eating, drinking, and working in a very comfortable space with a great view and only two obnoxious loud talkers. I got a tremendous amount of work done on the business and was just generally in a great mood after an unexpected two hour delay.

Are airport lounges classist monuments to capitalism? Yes. Are the drinks free? Yes. Are most of the people who work and maintain these spaces Black and brown folks who likely can’t afford access to the lounges otherwise? Yes. Is the wi-fi twice as fast in an airport lounge? Yes. Should everyone have access to the same level of amenities when they travel? Yes. Does it feel like you’re part of a special club when you enter into that space? Yes.

I don’t know what to tell y’all except that life is full of contradictions. I love airport lounges and I hate them, but my 41 year-old Black ass is going to keep parking my 41 year-old Black ass in these spaces so long as I have the means. Sorry, not sorry.

Business Update

I HAVE A DIGITAL PRODUCT STORE!

For months I have been searching for a service that I could host my digital products on without having to pay upfront for said service. Shopify, Squarespace, and the like all ask for a subscription fee, which is fine for folks who expect consistent revenue, but I really just want a place to direct people to the free stuff I’m offering.

So I was really excited when I found Payhip.com based off a recommendation from a YouTuber. The site is free and perfect for small online businesses just starting out. Right now I have two digital products on my site that you can download for free. If you’d like to pay for them, you can choose any dollar amount to give, but you don’t have to, and I really like that feature.

Thanks for checking things out! More digital products to come!

Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter!

-Jonathan