R.I.P. Steve Jobs

It's hard to put in to words the sadness I've felt since I heard last night that Steve Jobs had finally succumbed to cancer. I never met him. Didn't know him. I never got to attend one of his famed keynotes where he announced the next coolest thing that I knew I would want. I have admired his vision and creativity for many years.

We got an Apple II computer for Christmas when I was in 4th grade. I learned a little about running a business thanks to Lemonade Stand and in looking back, that was probably the first seed of wanting to work for myself someday. Over the course of the next few years I learned that Ole Paint wasn't the same as old paint, found excitement in learning how to make art with basic programming (even if it was just rudimentary pixels), and had fun shooting Nazis using a graphics tablet. I remember how awestruck I was when we had the very first Mac at our house for a few days. That little beige box that let me draw pictures on the screen with MacPaint via a mouse and drag things in to a trash can felt like magic. I remember the summer in high school when Shawner and I drank gallons of Mountain Dew and rotated Van Halen's 5150 and David Lee Roth's Eat 'Em and Smile endlessly while playing Test Drive on our Apple II GS. I think that is all we did that whole summer. It was great! I made extra money during college typing papers for other students because I was one of the few that actually had their own computer, a Mac Plus.

That Mac Plus was my very first computer, a gift from my parents for high school graduation. I have had many Macs since then. iPods, iPhones, iPads have since come. Steve's vision to make computers easy helped my grandparents email and my daughter create movies when she was less than 8 years old. His products helped bridge a gap that had formed between me and my Dad after my parents divorce. His Stanford Commencement speech helped me through tough times at work and inspired me to do what I do today. Even though I never met the man, his work has tangled itself into my life and dreams so extensively that I cannot imagine life without them.

Elsewhere on this site you'll find a quote from Steve: "The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work, and the only way to do great work is to love what you do." I wish I would have heard that earlier in my life, but I'm guessing I heard it when I needed to hear it. His commencement speech really struck me at a time when I needed to be struck. It helped give me the courage and inspiration to try doing something that I loved, rather than wasting time someplace I didn't.

I am happier now than at any other point in my life. That is why I grieve today.

Thank you Steve Jobs. Rest in peace.