The Red Couch Is Mine — and So Is the Lesson 🤔

The Red Couch

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You know that old story about the woman in the flood? She’s on the roof praying, convinced God will save her. A guy comes by in a boat and says, “Hop in.” She says, “No, I’m waiting—God will save me.” Then another boat. Then a helicopter. Same answer. And when it’s all over, she’s basically like, “Lord, why didn’t you save me?” And the reply is something like: I sent you a boat, and another boat, and a helicopter—what did you think I was doing?

I’m not trying to get preachy here. I’m just saying I think some of us go through life asking for signs, and then we ignore the ones that show up because they aren’t dramatic enough, or they don’t look the way we expected.

I’ve been walking through this data center project—serious infrastructure, serious potential—and it feels like signs are showing up in a way that’s almost comedic.

First sign: you step back and realize the facility isn’t just “a data center.” It’s a switchboard. It’s power and compute potential, sure—but it’s also the connective tissue. There’s a major Latin America connectivity angle. There’s a West Coast / Los Angeles path. There’s positioning that matters when you think about how demand and markets evolve over time. And yes—there’s a spaceport vibe on-site. Satellite ground infrastructure. Dishes. The kind of thing that makes your inner geek stand there smiling like an idiot.

Second sign: the timing and the direction of the world. The headlines are loud right now, geopolitics is shifting, trade patterns and investment priorities move fast when things get unstable and then stabilize again. I’m not making grand predictions in a public blog post. I’m just saying: when you’re staring at infrastructure that touches multiple corridors—regional, national, and “pointing-to-space”—it’s hard not to feel like you’re looking at the kind of asset that becomes more relevant, not less.

And then the third sign shows up, and it’s the dumbest one—and that’s why it’s my favorite.

There’s this red couch.

Not “kind of red.” Not “close enough.” Not “we can reupholster it.” It’s my red. The exact red I use for richwashburn.com. #F00000. No joke. Like the couch is wearing my brand color as a uniform.

And it’s sitting there inside this facility that has a Latin America connectivity story, a West Coast connectivity story, and a spaceport component.

Tell me that isn’t a little on the nose.

Now—am I saying God cares about my branding? No. I’m saying sometimes you get these little winks in the middle of heavy work. Reminders. Nudges. Things that make you stop for half a second and go, “Alright, I see it.”

And I’m trying to be the kind of person who doesn’t ignore the boat, or the second boat, or the helicopter.

So yes, I’m calling it: that couch is a sign. Not a theological doctrine. Not a prophecy. Just one of those moments that makes me pay attention and stay grateful and keep my eyes open.

Also, practically speaking: I have dibs on it.

I’m claiming that red couch the way the guy in Office Space claimed his red Swingline stapler. It’s mine. Nobody else cares. I care. Deeply. Unreasonably. Permanently.

“Signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs,” right?

I’m just trying to be smart enough to notice the ones I’m being handed.

#redcouch, #infrastructure, #datacenters, #leadershipmindset, #systemsthinking, #technologystrategy, #founderlife, #signsandsignals, #futureinfrastructure, #notesfromthefield