This morning, we welcomed a new member to our company’s West Team of Cardiometabolic Medical Science Liaisons. (And if you’re among the roughly 8.2 billion people in the world who doesn’t know what an MSL is, you can read THIS ARTICLE I wrote previously).  And I was reminded that our Team nickname is “Team Posh,” reflecting the refined and dignified tastes of our squad for the “finer things in life.”  And this is particularly hilarious, because I pretty much only eat plain Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, the next alcoholic beverage I consume will be the first, and I don’t even know what it means to have an LTI.  When I hear “401k” I think of the metric conversion for the miles I’ve ran this month.  And I routinely get stuck in the elevators at these fancy hotels; I just pray there is a back staircase so I can run up and down without using my Key Card.

I spent most of my life subsisting on Costco samples and crashing on various couches as I navigated various strata of academia.  I didn’t even own a bed until I got married, and I even lived in a trailer park with a one-eyed guy for a while during my first time in Grad School.  My typical wardrobe is a Bro Tank, track warmup sweats, and a hoodie, and I would rather bring Ziploc bags to conferences and scavenge available hors d’oeuvres rather than purchase meals…saves me the grief of an Expense Report!

I’ve been blessed more than I could ever imagine, and even though I couldn’t care less about material niceties, I’m grateful for the perks of having a ridiculously awesome job.  But ultimately, the greatest blessings from all my adventures are the people I’ve met along the way.  The most important gifts God gives don’t come in the form of paychecks, company cars, or other “wealth portfolio” accoutrements that I don’t even understand.  The truly priceless gifts are the people, and if wealth is measured in friends, then sure, go ahead and call me Posh Josh.