March 3, 2025: The Goodbye Tour

My first marketing job came with a mission: meet a rep from every local media platform.

And I did. Radio, TV, print, outdoor, direct mail — my calendar overflowed. I built great relationships with most, and a few became longtime friends.

Dan was one of them. From our initial lunch, we clicked. We talked about everything: his passion for family, his motorcycle adventures, and his beloved Atlanta Braves.

Then life happened. I moved, changed positions. We lost touch and a decade slipped by.

One afternoon, as I worked in my office, an unexpected face appeared around the corner. Dan.

For an hour, we caught up and laughed. Before he left, we promised to keep in contact.

A few months later, I received the gut-punch news. Dan had died from cancer. A mutual colleague told me I was part of Dan’s secret “goodbye” tour — one final visit to his friends. He never said a word about being sick.

That was ten years ago.

Today, I heard from a rep at his old company. The memories rushed back. For a moment, I just sat there, lost in them.

Dan.

Then I smiled and whispered to myself:

Go Braves.