I live life in full color - I am itinerant, restless, bold, adventurous - we only get one shot at this lifetime and I’ve taken a lot of risks - and have lost much... but I’m grateful for the lessons learned and the challenges yet to come.

Everything in moderation - I forgive myself the occasional indulgence, knowing that it is the very pursuit of balance and equilibrium in life that will bring about contentment.

Holding my beautiful niece Rebecca in my arms for the first time - staring into her profoundly blue eyes, feeling her warmth, smelling her purity... imagining all of the life, love and sorrow ahead of her.... all only a month after being with my grandmother who raised me at her deathbed... holding her hand, looking into her eyes and having a rare honest moment - we both acknowledged through our gaze that this part of her journey was coming to a close... Both events tapped into a massive wellspring of wonder, awe and oddly, joy - life is such a precious gift. To this day I revert to a teary mess just thinking of it.

My niche is a surprising one to me at times. . . I won't be the Life of the Party - I'm not the guy with the funniest jokes, who was the cool kid in school, who every one wants to be. I'm the guy who is so gad damn vulnerable all the time, is super sensitive and wears his heart on his sleeve that even the stoic of men will feel safe to talk about the most difficult things in their lives. I stand fearlessly in the full light of all the mistakes I have made and have yet to make, and say that half the time I'm only doing the best job this imperfect flawed mess of a man can do with what he was given. The rest of the time I'm screwing up. I'm the guy you know will never judge you for anything you have done "wrong", and certainly will celebrate you for all of the good things you are. People feel safe with me.