The First One

A while back, I decided to do out-of-the-ordinary things when I travel.

Like seeing something most people don't get to see.

Old underground nuclear bunkers, for example, are on that list. I'm not talking about the little ones that folks built under their houses. I'm talking about the big ones built by the governments in the Cold War era that have multi-story buildings and can house hundreds of people.

Or meet famous people.

But not just any famous people.

I'm not all that interested in TV celebrities or sportsball players.

Musicians would be fantastic, but I'm even more interested in super intelligent and innovative people or people who live alternative lifestyles, like nomads or homesteaders.

My super-big goal is to meet Elon Musk and fly somewhere with him on his private jet.

But how do you go about this?

Supposedly, we're only six degrees of separation from anyone, but I still didn't know how to start.

"Hey Siri, I'll be in Washington, D.C., next month. Introduce me to a famous person" did not work.

At all.

But, in the case of Washington, I did know that Dr. Robert Lustig would be there.

He's super smart.

He's innovative.

And, in certain circles, he's famous.

Lustig is a retired physician who's written multiple books, is paid to speak, has YouTube videos with millions of views, and is invited to podcasts, symposia, and forums around the world.

"Maybe I should email him and see if he'll have coffee with us?" I said casually and half-jokingly to Julia one afternoon.

The next day, she found his email address.

So I emailed and asked if he would consider a walk around town, a meal, or a cup of coffee together.

To my surprise, he responded.

"My schedule is tight, but perhaps we can have coffee at the conference."

That was a polite way of saying no thanks, and we didn't have coffee.

But I got to meet him just before his lecture that Friday.

"Hey, Dr. Lusting!" I said when I passed him in the hallway, "I'm the guy who's been pestering you via email."

Perhaps this is not the best way to open a conversation, but it's better than nothing!

The following Monday, we attended another lecture, and after that one, I was able to talk with him for about ten minutes.

Super nice guy.

He even posed for a picture with me.

And he signed Julia's copy of his book.

Thinking back on it now, it's funny that I didn't know how to get started.

Meeting people and doing things is just like anything else.

You get started by getting started.

And a lot of times, all you have to do is ask.