Ripples bounce back

You’ve all heard the analogy… even a tiny pebble thrown into the ocean creates ripples that eventually become waves. The point is that when you do a seemingly small thing for another person, it can have a much larger impact than you ever thought possible. Now imagine the “water” is in a confined space. I…

Inspiration is contagious

Nothing makes me prouder than to see inspiration passed on to the next generation.  The letter below was written by my son Evan.  He was inspired by my marathon fundraising run last year, and is now inspiring his fellow students to join the fight against cancer. (I hope the dance group posts a video on…

Born this way

Sorry Gaga fans, this post is NOT about Lady Gaga’s current song, but it IS about music.  Last night I saw my friend Greg Hill rock the house with his band Dammaj at the Avalon in Santa Clara.  It was an old school heavy metal reunion show, with driving drums, thrashing guitars from the Gilbert…

Butler’s great expectations

Disappointment is relative.  In my experience, it usually comes from not meeting expectations… but what or who actually determines those expectations?  Opinions from so-called experts and the general public can be arbitrary and out of your control.  Expectations you set for yourself are more controllable.  Or are they? In 2010 the Butler basketball team wowed…

The elastic limit

Our high school science teacher passed out rubber bands to the class and asked us to slowly stretch them between our fingers.  A little more.  A little more.  Each of us stopped when we knew it was about to snap.  He was illustrating the concept of the elastic limit, that point where an elastic substance…

Good news top 9

It’s been a rough couple of weeks and I am literally looking for good news today. If you clicked to read this based on the title, you’re probably looking for good news too.  My current mental state is a result of recent human loss, hostility and uncertainty on a worldwide scale. Even the weather is depressing right…

My brother’s keeper

When you catch a fish big enough to take home, that’s called a keeper.  When you hear a bit of advice that’s big enough to take to heart, that’s a keeper too. In the midst of my brother Jeff’s battle with Multiple Myeloma, he uttered a keeper today. We were talking about what keeps him…

The time of your life

Much has been written and sung about the passage of time, and whether we make the most of every minute. We cruise along the road of life like a cross-country family vacation, stopping at pre-determined attractions to have the “time of our lives.” If we look out the window in between, we can also see…

Turning points

The employee holiday party at the skating rink was raging, and there was no rule against alcohol.  Thursday afternoon was the only time available for our party and we were having a great time.  Some were skating, some were playing free Asteroids and some were having a few too many Molson Goldens. The problem with…