Love from: Tom Reilly

In trying to think of a memory of Lauren that no one else could provide, I recall the time that he recruited me to help run a Two Degrees promotional stand at JFK airport one cold winter's day in 2015.

The task was simple enough, the two of us set up a table in the JetBlue terminal and spent the day passing out samples to anyone and everyone that passed us by. Travellers by the hundreds, all of whom had woken up somewhere else in the world, now found themselves on the precipice of New York City. Little did any of them know they would be welcomed to the Big Apple that day by the warm, jovial visage of none other than Lauren Walters, with snacks in hand.

While our day in the airport was ostensibly a promotional business endeavor, I couldn't help but think that Lauren revelled in the fact that he had an excuse to approach each and every traveller he encountered and just engage with them on a human level for a brief moment, their paths having crossed simply by chance.

And wouldn't that be a nice way to arrive at any new destination? You get off a plane, one world behind you, another ahead, and there in that transitional moment, you behold the face of Lauren Walters, smiling, his curious ears open to whatever you may have to say, his kind hand outstretched, offering you a delicious snack.

Thanks for the many warm welcomes, fond goodbyes, and all the tasty snacks in between! Happy Birthday Lauren.