Last night was the holiday party for Microsoft’s West Michigan office. I work at home, and I report into a different organization than most of the people who work around here – heck, my boss is based in St. Louis – so I only get to see my local coworkers once or twice a year. The last time I saw people like Tom and Matthew and Kim and Robert and Nate was at last year’s holiday party.

I had a conflicting work call (Smart Bear Live recording), so I walked in late to the dinner. Like many people, I have slight social awkwardness about such situations, essentially thinking “I wonder if any of these people will remember me?” But when I walked in, I was greeted so warmly that I was almost embarrassed. It was a really good feeling.

After dinner at The BOB, we went upstairs to the comedy club and watched a pretty decent open mic followed by two quite funny professional comics. All in all, it was a very pleasant night.

Driving home, I remembered how nice my coworkers made me feel when I walked in, and I couldn’t help but ask myself – how often do I make other people feel that way? Something to think about.