Tuesday; June 17

Last week, one of the most influential individuals in American music passed away.  On Wednesday, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, died at the age of 82.  I have been around Wilson’s music all my life.  First, through the Beach Boys … and then, later – to a lesser degree – through his daughters’ group Wilson Philips.  I liked the Beach Boys’ music, but when I became aware of it, I was developing my own tastes in popular music.  Interestingly, as popular as the California sound was in the 1960s, there was another musical influence invading America.  The Beatles and the Beach Boys are synonymous with the Rock/Pop sound of the ‘60s.  Interestingly, Brian Wilson was quoted as saying, “There’s no outdoing The Beatles.”.  This didn’t mean the Boys weren’t going to try to sell records, but they also understood the realities of the day.

What comes to mind when you hear the world “humble”?  For some people, humility has to do with thinking less of ourselves, but I prefer to think of it as having an accurate appreciation of our place in our world.  A humble person doesn’t look down on themselves, they are just able to look out into the world and see where we fit.  Chances are, we won’t be anywhere near the top or the bottom, but when we find our comfortable slot, we’ll find contentment.  Just like Brian Wilson’s Beach Boys, we don’t have to always be Number 1 to be successful.

Think About It!

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday; May 27

Are you having a tough day today?  If so, why?  What has gotten you so wound up that you can’t relax and rejoice?  On those days when I have a bad day, I am finding that the cause is often something outside my control.  Maybe it is an argument between co-workers.  There are times it is a news story that has captured my attention.  As trivial as it seems, it might even be the fact that my favorite team is in a losing streak.  You know, there are times when it doesn’t seem to take much to suck the life out of me.  Now, while this may seem to be rather simplistic, I think there is some positive news.  You see, if it is something this simple that can make me feel bad, shouldn’t it also be true that something simple just might be able to pull me out of the doldrums.  If we are facing a bad day (not one of those terrible, horrible, no good very bad days … just a bad day), could it be that we just need something to turn it around?  As I wa...
Read more

Tuesday; May 13

Today is a special day for me.  While the official Law Enforcement Memorial Day is May 15, the Law Enforcement Candlelight Vigil is traditionally held on the evening of May 13.  It is true that people from all around the country honor the Law Enforcement Community on the 15 th – and many people gather in our nation’s capital to mark the event – it is in the quiet somberness that I find the most heartfelt emotion.  People gather together on the National Mall to hear a roll call of the names of our heroes and light candles in unison to remember the sacrifice these officers made for their community.  Standing there with thousands of friends, families and fans of these often unsung heroes fills my heart with joy and my soul with sadness.  Every once in a while, I will hear the name of someone connected to me, but even if they are all strangers to me, there is a relationship.  I have been blessed to have a connection to the police world for thirty years now and...
Read more

Monday; May 26

Happy Memorial Day! Throughout my life, Memorial Day has been one of my favorite national holidays.  I think that, when I was a kid, it was more about the timing of the day.  It was the beginning of beach weather, baseball season was in full swing, and we were counting down the last days of school before summer vacation.  Not bad reasons to have a holiday, right? As I have aged (and matured) I find that I still like Memorial Day.  These days it’s less about getting out the grill or having a day to fertilize the lawn; rather, it is a day set aside to reflect.  As much as we’d like to believe that we are self-made people, so much of who we are comes from the people who have gone before us.  Some of them fought and died for the freedom of our nation, but many more of them lived and taught us about what made us good people.  I am grateful that we take the time to honor our military heroes, but I also believe that we should take some time to give credit (an...
Read more