“Tales from the Hudson,” released in 1996, stands out in Michael Brecker’s discography. The album showcases Brecker’s virtuosic saxophone work and gathers some of the most influential jazz musicians of the time. This star-studded lineup, filled with my all-time favorite musicians, is one of the album’s features that sets it apart.

I was talking with some family the other day on a long drive about how being a millionaire was the mark of the easy life when we grew up. Having a few million made you ultra-rich. It was the dream of all monetary dreams. The difference in our world today is the growing number of billionaires.

Simplifying means doing or experiencing less in the moment. It also removes things from your life to make that more manageable, but it does not need to mean having less in total.

My wife and I went to see Marcin Wasilewski Trio last Saturday night. It was a small place - Paderewski Symphony Orchestra Academy of Music. We had never heard of the place; it seemed like a small private school affiliated with the Orchestra. Everyone there - everyone - spoke Polish. The entire audience seemed to know each other, and we did not hear a word of English from the crowd. We both loved the show, and I could not have asked more of a group I had wished to see live for a long time.

I was told something once, or maybe I read it—it doesn't matter, but it has always stuck with me. It is both simple and very complicated. It is easy to understand, yet it can take a lifetime to figure out. I was told, "You are not your feelings."

If we saw preparing as practice, this might help us maintain the daily effort. Practice is usually seen as a way to be ready to play in a sports match or to perform in an artistic or musical performance. If we don't practice and prepare, we will either lose or not perform to our ability.

Reflecting on my time spent in theaters during the 1980s, it’s a surprise when I stumble upon a film that I didn't catch at the time. 'Midnight Run' is one such film. I’m a big fan of Charles Grodin. His deadpan straight way of delivering comedy I’ve always loved. And the chemistry between him and Robert De Niro is really fun in this movie.

Generally, I wouldn't say I like business books. When I say “generally,” I mean I hate them all the time. I try to be open-minded. Maybe there are a few out there that I would enjoy, but I haven’t run into them yet. I’m also not a huge fan of self-improvement books either. Business books are like the worst of the self-improvement ideas written with big corporate words to make them sound impressive. I now only want to read book abstracts to help me through this process. If an abstract hits a chord with me, I might download the book. I’m not holding my breath for that, but who knows??

“This is the Way” . . .

On step at a time, over and over again. One sacrament at a time. Repenting over and over again. Praying to the Father and learning to be more like Jesus day after day. Returning to the temple to serve and learn over and over again. Enduring is not waiting, it is growing, learning, and serving.

Whether you know it or not, your life was changed drastically by John Warnock. All of our lives were. He passed way recently, but we all owe him more than you may know.

Malcolm Gladwell pretty much branded the concept of "10,000 hours of practice" rule in his book "Outliers." He is a respected author and can be very influential. In no way will I dispute his writing or his expertise. I have gained much from his work over the years. But the more I have thought about the 10,000 hour rule the more I have been depressed by it.

I have argued for a long time that 1978 was the greatest year in popular music. There are so many reasons way.

All of us are in this together and all have the same issues. We are all human. We all get colds, we all cry, we all feel love and pain, we all stink if we don't shower or wash up, we all poop, we all stub our toes, we all get old and get pain in our joints, we all have family that we struggle to get along with . . . no matter who you are.

Like other art forms, writing does not start with the piece of paper or white computer screen in front of you. I remember learning about and experiencing the "white canvas" problem while in art school. Sitting in front of a blank canvas is the toughest part of creating. Knowing where and how to start can be a big stumbling block.

The Hubble Field is an area smaller than a point of the pen held at arm’s length. The Hubble telescope took a look in a space exactly like that and found millions of billions (a very big number) of objects that are more then 30 billion light years away.

“It’s time to liberate our dusty ideas about what friendship is and who it’s for. We’ve gotten so used to the idea of moving through life with just our family and a tight circle of friends that we’ve lost our ability to imagine a wider web of connection encompassing a gorgeous mess of layers and levels of closeness. What if neighbor is just another word for friend?” - Shannan Martin

We sometimes look at getting our voice heard as a way to combat the others around us who we see as being wrong, or full of wrath themselves, when we should be looking for a way to not stir up wrath inside our own minds. “Turneth away wrath,” is just as much an internal struggle as it is a struggle with those around us.

Most people have no idea about what may be the most important part of the Cola Story. Someone needs to make a movie out of the facts I’ll share with you below. This is a good vs. evil story.

Planning is not going to give me one more minute of time. Being more productive just gives me more to do and I miss the weeks ticking by.

We will never figure it all out. We will never find a place where we agree with everything inside some organization, or some faith, or some group of people. We will never know it all in some subject, or with some skill, or in a profession. You’ll never fully understand your partner or your children. You can never read all the books and learn all the skills. You will never feel like you have arrived.