My 3 Words for 2014 - A Year In Review

‎"Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that

nothing that is worth knowing can be taught," - Oscar Wilde.

2014 will soon be a memory.  As has become my custom, early in 2015 I will publish the three words that will serve as my guideposts for the year. Choosing the words for the year has taken a different form each time I’ve completed this exercise, and this year will likely see yet another refinement of the process. Though it was not a stated or even consciously recognized goal of this list, I spent a lot of time in deep reflection this year which I found quite helpful.  You introverts, might be on to something.

Lessons Learned from My 3 words for 2014

1.  Breathe – Somewhere along the way I remembered how to breathe again.  I’m not sure where or when it happened, but at some point this year the drowning sensation stopped. I spent more time in silence than ever before in my life.  In my daily life, in conversations (listening more intently) and at a dedicated 5 day silent retreat – my breathe became more natural.  I continued my practice of Aikido, an art where breath power and ki breathing are central to the practice.  My fuse, which had been so shortened, began to find length again. 

2.  Climb – Of all my words this one took the longest to realize any progress.  Perhaps more to the point, I had the greatest physical difficulty with this concept.  It’s only in the past few months that I’ve been able to acknowledge that I’ve made any movement in this area at all.  In many ways, this word is tied closely to my expression of Breathe (above).  I still get caught up in the hyper-focused tunnel vision that causes us to miss opportunities.  This year, however, I’ve been able to force myself to take time to appreciate being in the moment.  These metaphoric (and not so metaphoric) vistas have been truly amazing stops along the way and provided much needed inspiration throughout the year.

3.  Flow – Developing a mind of compassion, as our Buddhist friends would say, has been fundamental to my ability to embrace flow. Following the events of 2012 and early 2013 I was hurt, angry, and determined to never be “a sucker” again.  Likely at the time I couldn’t see that I’d become difficult to be around, grumpy, and in pain.  Not very pleasant, I’m sure. Re-learning to enter the flow life and to fully embrace compassion (toward others and myself) brought me out of a very sad, lonely, dark place.  This practice, inspired by prayer, reading, meditation, spiritual direction, Aikido and the counsel of friends and family – helped me get back on track. 

These words didn’t solve all my problems, or any of my problems for that matter, but they gave me a framework with which to process life over the past year. Whatever it is I've learned thus far, I couldn't find in a book, training video, or seminar.  It had to be lived to be learned.  That said...

It’s been a pretty good year!

Now it’s time to choose the words for what is to come.  Events are already set in motion to give flavor to what is ahead, but these three words and the associated attitude will shape the lens through which I view the world for another year.     

Next post, My 3 Words for 2015.

Post Script:  In addition to my 3 words for 2014 I had some goals for the year.

Writing: Write 52 Short Stories by Dec. 31^st 2014.  – THIS DID NOT HAPPEN.  I wrote about 10 stories this year, yet none of them are ready to submit for publication

Fitness: Return to my 2011 goal weight by Dec. 31^st 2014. – I made progress, but did not make it by December 31^st.  I am currently 10.6 lbs from the goal.

ORIGINS – Author/blogger Mitch Joel at “Six Pixels of Separation” turned me onto Chris Brogan’s practice of identifying “3 Words” for the year.  These three words then serve as motivation and guidelines for all that you do during the year.  Brogan, explains it like this, “In an effort to tell bigger stories, I've found that the concept of three words allows me to think in more dimensions about what I want to do with my life and it lets me apply lots of tangible goals instead of what most people do when they focus on just a finite task.”

See my 3 Words for 2013

Chris Brogan: http://www.chrisbrogan.com/my-3-words-for-2013/

Mitch Joel   http://www.twistimage.com/blog/archives/my-3-words-for-2013/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TwistImage+%28Six+Pixels+of+Separation+-+Marketing+and+Communications+Insights+Blog+-+Mitch+Joel+-+Twist+Image%29

Confessions of an English Major – Re-Reading

I have stacks of books (not yet on shelves) that I have not read - yet.  A further list of some 150 titles lives on my phone in a file called “Books to Read,” and I periodically plunk away at the 100 Best Novels listing published by the Modern Library.   One might argue that I have no business re-reading any books.

I just can’t help it. 

Some books are as comforting as old friends or coming home after a long trip.  Familiar and reassuring, their pages turn with the easy knowledge that this story will turn out ok.  As bibliophiles we sometimes become very invested in the books we read often sharing the pain, frustration and anxiety of characters – or feeling it in their absence as the omniscient reader.  Reading new titles can be tiring.

A big part of what and why we read is left to personal preference, which I celebrate. And here is my general philosophy regarding the practice of re-reading. 

Sometimes I re-read to suss out deeper layers of meaning in a complicated plot line.  Often I return to a much-loved title break up other more strenuous reading.  Some books I read seasonally (LAMB, at least in part during Lent for the last several years).  Other books are just never far from my mind.  I think there are three or four print copies (not to mention two film copies) of The Hobbit at my house including one that rides around in my briefcase.  This last, in case there are a few moments to kill and I have nothing to read. (Yes, this is a concern in my life.) 

Mostly, I just like to re-read books that make me feel something. 

Why do you re-read?  

Here are some of my favorite re-reads:

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

Chronicles of the Shadow War by Chris Claremont & George Lucas

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

On Writing by Stephen King

Recent titles I’m adding to the list:

Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbrathe (aka J.K. Rowling)

Ghost Soldier’s by Hampton Sides

Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides

O Captain! My Captain! OR A Curtain Call for Mr. Williams

For the past two days, my newsfeeds have been dominated by the death of the late great Robin Williams.   There is no shame in my confession that I too have turned my thoughts toward the amazing life and body of work of this prolific entertainer. 

Mr. Williams was the first A-list entertainer that I ever saw in a live performance.  To say the show was memorizing would be an injustice – he was on fire and so was the audience.  Robin Williams is to my generation what Jonathan Winters and George Carlin were to my parents’: edgy, dynamic, irreverent, thought provoking, intelligent, intense, pure entertainment. 

Like so much of his life, and the comedy the fueled his work, the death of this giant of film and stage forces us to stop and think. 

What I’ve been doing, what we’ve all been doing over the last few days has been more than thinking.  We’re mourning.  I actually miss this guy whom I’ve only seen once in real life and never actually met.  What’s wrong with this picture? 

Whether we like it or not, we live a more plugged in life.  In this screen-dominated reality, the role that entertainers play in our perception of the world seems to be shifting.

This isn’t as far a logical jump as we might think.

Consider the child who lives across country from their beloved grandparents.  When interactions with Grandma and Grandpa are facilitated through skype, video-chat, video messages, pictures sent through email and facebook peppered with the occasional visit, there is a disconnect.  Really, how much different is that relationship than one with a performer who is seen perhaps more regularly on the same devices. 

Ask yourself how many of your friends do you claim you’re “in touch with,” but in reality your interactions consist of reading each other’s blog, following on twitter, and occasionally “liking” photos and posts on Facebook.  That’s not a relationship folks, once upon a time that was called stalking.     

Taking this one step further, each year there are fewer and fewer reasonable arguments that violent video games influence acts of extremeviolence in schools, shopping centers, etc.  It boils down to an ancient idea, that messages reinforced over time eventually become reality. 

If that’s the case as Lt. Col. Dave Grossman and his research shows, then why can’t the same principle work the other way?  The loss of a beloved entertainer may seem more real than it used to.

Robin Williams was “an airman, a doctor, a genie, and ananny,” but for many he was also a companion, a babysitter, a mentor, and a message of hope.   For several days we have tried to capture the feels associated with this loss. One of the best writers I’ve ever run into happens to write a blog for my local library, and he tackled this difficult topic with a style and grace deserving of Mr. Williams, you should check it out here.  

As for me and my house, we shall remember the joy and vitality that Mr. Williams brought to millions.  He inspired a generation by his life and turned international attention to the very real dangers of clinical depression by his death. 

“But oh, to be free.  Not to have to go…Poof! Whaddya need? Poof! Whaddya need?  Poof! Whaddya need?  To be my own master.”  Genie, Aladdin

For those who have posted disparaging comments about or questioning the reality of depression – I appreciate that you don’t get it.  Until you fight that battle yourself or stand beside someone you love who wrestles those demons it’s pretty hard to grasp.  But I assure you; once you’ve witnessed the pain caused by that great abyss of mental illness you will never question its power again. 

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends, and fans of Robin Williams. 

And to the man himself:  May you find peace wherever you are. 

There is no better way to end this reflection than with words borrowed from Mr. Williams’ own body of work, words which he in turn borrowed from Uncle Walt. 

"O Captain! my Captain! Your fearful trip is done…”  Rest in peace. 

Dead Poet's Society: http://youtu.be/X6y2Y9i5Sj0

Confessions of an English Major: In Defense of a Liberal Arts Education

The value of reading has always been important in my family.  My involvement in Speech & Debate, Theatre, and Alpha, Delta, Rho Literary Society, also found general favor as appropriate extra curricular activities. 

The Ah, Ha Moment:  My senior year of high school brought with it a requisite unit on Shakespeare.  We had an amazing teacher (Mrs. L) who made the language come alive and inspired us to dive in head first assuring us that the water was in fact plenty deep.  That semester changed my life.  For one man to write such timeless characters and stories that reach into the heart of what it means to be human and strike a universal chord, amazed me.  Then Mrs. L introduced us to the concept of Shakespearian Archetypes.  The lesson on archetypes came home during a research session for debate when I cam across an article about non-biologically related look-a-likes. (Here’s a more recentarticle on the same topic.) It just made sense.  My friends Nate and Z, were not related yet shared spookily similar physical features, facial expressions, and movement patterns.  And my first major realization of the crossover from literature to real life took root. 

A few years later, when I announced that my college majors were going to be Communication (focus in Rhetoric) and English Literature, but I wasn’t planning to go to law school, the nervous looks started coming out.  

“What do you plan to do,” nervous friends and family asked.  My answers varied, but I had faith in the skills I was developing.  It wasn’t until much later, however, that I realized the real value of my love affair with the liberal arts.  The entire sum of my undergraduate experience can be summed up into three simple elements that have made all the difference: I learned to think, research, and create.

You can reframe these skills into much more resume appropriate, human resources approved, buzz-word savvy terms but they are the foundation of my intellectual growth and professional development. 

In the liberal arts we are taught to consume and analyze words, images, ideas, processes, history.  The best teachers push students beyond to learn about the systems and climates that inspired such creations, then a step further to really understand the impact those cultural artifacts had on the world ever after.  All things come back to the human experience, and what better way to understand that experience than to study literature, art, history, sociology, political science, religion and philosophy.  Everything else stems from and returns to this foundation. 

Please understand that I’m not downplaying specialized educational tracts.  We need to have highly trained nurses, engineers, accountants, mathematicians, and even lawyers.  But let’s also acknowledge the roles of the liberal arts majors who dissect social norms and organizational systems only to rebuild them stronger and more efficient than ever before.  It’s time to acknowledge the value in teachers who change plans time and time again because not all kids learn the same way or on the same schedule (even if that’s how the state wants it).  Let the student who majored in Philosophy and Computer Science be proud that he brings a heightened ethical framework to the projects he develops from code to front end interface. 

To all my fellow Liberal Arts Majors, to anyone contemplating a course of liberal arts study, and especially to the parents and friends of those young people: THERE IS GREAT VALUE to studying liberal arts.  Are there jobs out there explicitly advertising “Wanted: Liberal Arts Graduates,” probably not many.  Are there jobs that need liberal arts majors to do them well, you bet.  You see we are used to having to reframe and interpret material in innovative and exciting ways – even ourselves. 

Special Thanks to my parents for their love and support of my crazy academic wanderings

and to a few of my teachers (sorry for everyone I missed)

Bonnie Roehrborn

Janet Smith

Betty Buchanan

Anna Leichty

Traci Andis

Jeremy Bernstein

Monty Pedon

Bob Pickell

Br. Rob Reuter, C.PP.S.
Charley Kerlin

John Rahe

Heidi Rahe

Zachary White

Maia Hawthorne

Bill Mottolesse

Fred Berger

Fr. Tim McFarland, C.PP.S. 

Rob Pfaff

Sally Berger

John Nichols

Peter Watkins

Jody Watkins

Bill White

Mark Steiner

Fr. Ed McCarty, C.PP.S. 
Fr. Dr. Bill Stang, C.PP.S.

Confessions of an English Major: The Power of Words

My buddy Canadian Greg has offered a lot of sage advice over the years, but few conversations have stuck with me more than when he shared his philosophy on the power of words.   For readers who may not know Canadian Greg, he is an extrovert’s extrovert.  He’s a storyteller at heart and has rarely met a stranger. 

Family and friends often tease Greg about his prodigious abilities to start and hold conversations with total strangers and life-long-friends alike.  This ability also makes Greg a phenomenal businessman and leader in his field. Despite all of the conversations he participates in, Greg maintains a tremendous respect for the power of words. 

On some level, Greg acknowledges that between the words involved in formal and informal conversations (not to mention contracts, business e-mails, and client letters) millions of dollars and the livelihoods of dozens of families depend on him and the words he chooses to use and not to use. 

“Words are real,” he once told me while we were hiking through a Canadian Nature Preserve.  “People aren’t careful enough, eh?” (he’s Canadian remember) “You have to pay attention to what comes out of your mouth and what you write, because those words have power.  Like electricity you can guide them, but once they’re out of your mouth (or pen) a lot can happen and you can't take them back.” 

I still talk a lot.  So does Greg.  But ever since that conversation, I’ve tried to be more mindful of what I say and how I say it.  Writing, like sculpting, is often best approached as a process of refinement.  Distilling words down to their most elegant form.  Words represent ideas, and inspire action, giving each syllable a real world power to influence lives.   

More than any English Professor, Debate Coach, or professional mentor, I have learned some of my most important lessons about the power of words from farmers, grandma's, EMTs, secretary's, Firefighters, nurses, outdoorsmen, mechanics, and housewives.  Wisdom, when she comes, takes the least expected and most effective path.  

This post is the first in a series that will focus on the power of words, literature, writing, reading and general observations on the language that we use and misuse on a regular basis.    

My 3 Words for 2014

“Come friends, it's not too late to seek a newer world.” ― Alfred Tennyson

At the dawn of a new year, we have the chance to seek a new world.  This opportunity is present to us each day, but the beginning of our calendar year offers special time to reflect and try again. 

Seeing with new eyes.

Several weeks ago I started actively mulling over ideas for a lengthy ‘year-in-review’ dissection of 2013.  At first it seemed like a good, responsible, author-ish attempt at accountability, but in the end it became an exercise in tedium.  You see, I had become preoccupied with the business of living.  It turns out that though 2013 presented some soul shaking challenges, it held abundant blessings as well.  My 3 words (simplify, presence, and guts) provided a language to navigate both extremes. 

There was no metric, rubric, or other quantifier to determine my progress.  I sometimes get a little caught up in the measurement and recording function of a project, so I purposely left them out.  Yet, unlike my attempts at ‘resolutions’ in the past, these three words remained with me throughout the year.  They became more of a mantra than a mission statement, and served to bring focus in times of chaos.  I call that success. 

My 3 words for 2014:

1.  Breathe – I have a tendency to stop breathing.  This first came to me in the athletic arena when several coaches, lifting partners, and trainers would yell “Breathe” as I was completing a rather difficult task.  I simply stop breathing mid-lift, or while swimming during a race/time trial, and for sure while running.   This habit has matriculated into other compartments of life and I tend to approach challenges by holding my breath, gritting my teeth, and running full tilt at the problem. 

Breath restores oxygen to the blood and helps us relax.  Taking time to breathe can have physical, mental, and emotional benefits.  In keeping some time sacred to breathe, celebrate, play, pray, write, and to recharge the likelihood of being ready to face challenges increases.  My ability to serve others will be improved as well, if I am focused and fresh.  I choose to take time to breathe more, to hold back the flood of “should’s” and “could’s” in the name of finding focus. 

2.  Climb – Climbing is a lot of work undertaken in exchange for a single moment of rest and glimpse of beauty at the top of a mountain.  At the summit, there is a sense of accomplishment and a chance for restoration and celebration.  We are always climbing, working our way up toward a goal or regaining footing after a fall in the darkness.  Facing daunting assents and mitigating sharp descents can keep us hyper-focused resulting in missed opportunities.  Along the journey unexpected treasures both internal and external add value to the climb.  We train, gather tools, and pack supplies all in order to push our limits when climbing. 

My goal in 2014 is to keep climbing.  To commit myself to getting up each day and facing the challenges and goals with a sense of adventure, knowing that there will be beautiful moments along the way. 

3.  Flow – I love the water, especially rivers, streams, and waterfalls. There is something soothing in the sound and captivating to watch the movement of water.  Bruce Lee and Hermann Hesse both use water as an image for higher states of being.  While serving in AmeriCorps*NCCC I had the opportunity to take these ideas and experience them for myself while serving in some of our nations greatest parks.  Sitting on a rock in the middle of a river, or hiking to the base of a waterfall allows a person to appreciate the power of this force of nature. 

2013 reminded me that life is impermanent, constantly growing and changing.  It is left to us to appreciate that which is in our lives and accepting that situations, both good and bad, can be important in our journey.  To me, learning to flow means exercising compassion toward others, as well as, myself.  If we hold that, “life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it,” then it is possible to become more like water adjusting to the rocks in the stream. 

Now it is time to act.

The words have been chosen, now it is time to give them body through action.   

What are the 3 words that will drive your 2014?

GOALS – In addition to my 3 words I have some goals for the year.

Writing: Write 52 Short Stories by Dec. 31^st 2014. 

Fitness: Return to my 2011 goal weight by Dec. 31^st 2014.

ORIGINS – Author/blogger Mitch Joel at “Six Pixels of Separation” turned me onto Chris Brogan’s practice of identifying “3 Words” for the year.  These three words then serve as motivation and guidelines for all that you do during the year.  Brogan, explains it like this, “In an effort to tell bigger stories, I've found that the concept of three words allows me to think in more dimensions about what I want to do with my life and it lets me apply lots of tangible goals instead of what most people do when they focus on just a finite task.” 

There and Back Again, and Again, and Again

I choose to embrace my geek side.   If that bothers you, it’s probably best to stop reading now.  It’s only going to get worse.

To date, I have read The Hobbit in excess of twenty-five times.  Each read brings out something different for me.  At first, it was just a great story with heroic characters.  Then in middle school, I saw myself as Bilbo Baggins – a pudgy, timid, character who had more to offer than anyone expected – including himself.   Through that lens the book became a tale of hope.  Each subsequent reading uncovered some new insight, pearl of wisdom or subtle humor that further endeared me to the story. 

Rereading the book in anticipation of the film release I discovered sympathy for the character of Thorin Oakenshield.  A leader vested with the responsibility of leading his people, yet a character in pain after suffering a great loss.  At his core, Thorin is driven by a desire for justice and a good heart.  His focus to look out for his company, his team, was so great that it almost led to their collective demise.  Tunnel vision that becomes attachment, which then crosses into obsession is not all that uncommon in how we operate in the professional setting.  Tolkien calls it the dragon sickness, now we mostly call it drive or ambition.  When infected by this sickness achieving the objective or completing the mission becomes our focus – at any cost.  Results matter more than methods. 

We are called to do more, to be more.  Completing checklists and accomplishing goals possess no more inherently “bad” qualities than does being rich or successful. It is in the pursuit of these objectives and conditions surrounding them, which brings the moral imperative into question. 

Author and Aikido Master, Terry Dobson addressed the roots of this problem in his book Aikido in Everyday Life. 

“There’s nothing wrong with winning, provided that what you are winning is a contest.  The problem…is that, over the years, we’ve let the win/lose frame of reference shift into areas of our lives that are not contests.   [We’ve] bought into an imaginary, arbitrary system where everything’s a contest and there are no ties—just sudden-death play-offs and a long walk to the showers.” 

Within the metaphor of The Hobbit, Thorin too was blinded by the prize.  His focus, his greed, ruined relationships and ultimately cost him his life – though not without an 11^th hour conversion.  Whether intentional or not, the story of the Dwarf-Kings mania speaks loudly as a cautionary tale. 

In our own professional lives it’s easy to let one more project, one more sale, one more case closed, one more patient served drag us deeper down the rabbit hole.  Not that any of these things are bad, but when their pursuit chokes out others aspects of our character, ethic and humanity then we really have a problem.  

Power of Language

Words have power.

Spoken or written, it makes no difference.  The right words, arranged in the right way, delivered at the right time can begin a ripple the swells to a riptide.   Don't believe me; think about the last book you read that really spoke to you.  In the hands of a gifted writer we can experience suspense and horror (Stephen King) or humor and love. 

The artful use of language the ability to inspire such strong emotions in both the creator and audience it is wise to respect its natural force.  It's because of this power that we tend to fear words and how they are used.  

Writing takes guts.

Ask anyone who's ever written a piece that they care about, and if they're honest with you a little part of them self went into that composition.  Once words emerge from our brain, either as speech or written copy, the corresponding thoughts are out there.  Permanently in the public domain to be evaluated, judged, and criticized -- all experiences that most people avoid.  

The year that my marriage started to unravel my writing took a turn to abstraction.  What little autobiographical writing I produced dried up, perhaps for fear that if it is written so it shall be done.  I became hyper-focused on the few positive moments and messages of hope.  All this, to no avail as the end result did not spare any pain.  The words were not at fault, however, despite how much I feared them. 

For all the damage that words can do, there is equal opportunity for words to usher in kindness, healing and love.  The scene from V for Vendetta comes to my mind, when Evey finds the note scribbled on the pieces of toilet paper from the former resident of her cell, Valarie.  At her breaking point simple words of truth and kindness are enough to set Evey free.  Inspired by those words she finds the strength to face her fears.

Power can be used for good or ill.  

As writers, readers, and communicators let’s all take a moment to think about the words that we use, misuse, and abuse on a regular basis.  We’re all guilty of being sloppy with words, “If you do that again I’m going to kick your….”  Seriously, how many of us have followed through with that threat.   Sometimes, however, it’s the words that we don’t say that hurt the most.  A few words of encouragement (even scribbled on a piece of toilet paper) may be what someone needs at that moment in time.  You never know. 

"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny."—    Lao-Tze

Blue Monday: Ramble On

This song kicks ass. 

I really was hoping for a much more eloquent opening line.  I tried, but they all seemed flat, and fake.  After several revisions, however, this one just seemed to fit.  It’s honest and exactly what I would say to you if we were talking about music face to face.   Ramble On just simply strikes a chord with me on so many levels. 

For my money, this is Led Zeppelin, at it’s best. 

There is a musical purity that exists with the way this song was constructed and performed.  It reminds me of summer car rides with my dad and brothers with the windows down and the radio up.  Very happy memories.

The lyrics are poetry.

Beyond my utter joy in the Tolkien reference in verse 3, the lyrics possess an epic quality.  They tell a story, a story with which we can all relate – searching, questing, craving freedom. 

Each time I hear this song it speaks to me.

Sometimes our only functional strategy in life is to “ramble on.”  Suffering is not optional, it happens.  The Gollum’s of the world sneak in and sweep away what’s precious.  It’s unfortunate and unavoidable.  This lesson is true if you are 16, 26, or 66.  

All we can do then is follow our hearts and ramble on, singing our song.

Blue Monday, Part I: Soulshine

When I was getting ready to go to college my cousin Steve took me on a road trip to Chicago.  That trip started a tradition of mini-pilgrimages focused on good food and the Blues.  For each subsequent trip a new Blues Mix or Playlist was created specifically to introduce me to a new artist, song, style or writer.  

It was on those trips that caught the Blues. 

Building on this newfound interest, my dad introduced me to Duke Tumatoe & The PowerTrio a local group with a great sound.  Then he shared his collection of Kenny Wayne Shepard, Stevie Ray Vaughn, ZZ Top, Eric Clapton, and B.B. King.   Not all of these are strictly Blues, but Dad helped me to see that they all influence one another.  Seeing this connection helped me deepen my love of the genre.  

Last weekend, Steve and I continued the tradition after a long hiatus, and fell right back into our pattern.   This time, however, I was able to contribute a little more to the conversation as I’ve become a little better versed in the Blues than I was at 18. 

One of the songs, I heard for the first time this weekend was Soulshine, by Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers Band and Gov’t Mule).  This song has it all.  Well written and performed with all of the soul you’d expect from a performer of Haynes’ caliber.   I think that’s what I love about the Blues, the soul.  It’s hard to fake the feelings, the pain, the suffering.  It’s hard to fake the Blues.     

A friend once asked how I could listen to all of that depressing music all the time.  The Blues aren’t really about the dark and the sad.  The Blues talk about on pain and suffering, but often times the song is about survival, making it through the pain and suffering of life.   The Blues are about the hope for better days. 

The Blues are about the power of the soul to shine through the darkness.  It’s about soulshine.  Better than sunshine, better than moonshine, and damn sure better than rain.

"Now you got to let your soul shine,

Just like my daddy used to say.

He used to say soulshine,

It's better than sunshine,

It's better than moonshine,

Damn sure better than rain.

Yeah now people don't mind,

We all get this way sometime,

Got to let your soul shine, shine till the break of day."

~Warren Haynes

Soulshine video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf0BNlYY_RA