2014 in Review: A Year of Monumental Life Experiences with Unfortunate Tragedy Mixed In

Happy New Year!

As 2015 begins, I wanted to take some time and reflect on a year that was filled with many experiences and a roller coaster of emotions. 2014 was a year where I had so many personal experiences and challenges arise and I couldn't be more grateful for all the support from friends and family I have had through all of this.

I want to go chronologically so I don't forget anything. I hope this inspires other insights as I go, but my goal is to reflect and remind myself about all the incredible things I've gone through in 2014.

January:
In the first month  of the year I left a company I'd been with for over four years, the Kansas City Chiefs. It was the right time for a change as a partner in Procurement Concepts, we really needed someone to start running the company full-time and this was my opportunity to do just that. I enjoyed my time with the Chiefs and without those four years, I wouldn't have received my MBA or gotten to know all the great people I did. This was a risk, but I knew I had to take it and things have gone very well.



March-May:
In March I began my campaign for Man of the Year for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in Kansas City. I was honored to be a candidate and a part of this wonderful fundraising campaign. The support I received was overwhelming and I ran my campaign in honor of my grandmothers, who were both cancer survivors. Defeating Cancer...One Stec at a Time was my motto for the campaign and t-shirts and social media helped me create awareness for the cause. Throughout the campaign, I heard from family and friends who were gracious with their donations and promotion of my campaign. As I recall the campaign and the incredible honor it was to be a candidate, I originally didn't know if I would win and even though I didn't, I felt like a winner just for helping contribute to the over $500,000 raised for the cause. It was an amazing accomplishment and something I will always remember as one of the most unique experiences of my life. Now I am on the committee for the Chicago Man & Woman of the Year campaign and I get to contribute more and tell my story to many different people.



April:
One of the scariest tragedies I've ever experienced happened in April of 2014. I've touched on this event in a past blog. To summarize: A man went onto the campus of the JCC in Overland Park (1 mile from my apartment) and opened fire on people in the parking lot before heading to a Jewish Retirement facility called Village Shalom to shoot another person. He was a former KKK leader and well-documented anti-Semite. Three people died, none of which were Jewish. The auditions for the KC SuperStar contest were going on and people from all over the Kansas City area were converging that day on the JCC to participate and this man decided he was going to ruin things. He failed to kill a Jewish person and instead of instilling fear in the community, the community rallied and showed their support by walking with each other during my BBYO kids Candlelight Vigil walk the Friday after the shootings. Thousands came from all over Kansas City and the kids did such an amazing job to put this together to honor the victims. This experience inspired my second novel, which is now finished in 1st draft version.

http://brandonsstec.blogspot.com/2014/04/love-wins-hate-loses-candle-light.html

June:
This year was also my final year as a BBYO advisor in Kansas City and my residency in Kansas City also ended in June, which made for a very busy birthday month. I spent four years as an advisor for Twos AZA, the second chapter in the history of BBYO and was blessed with an incredible group of teenagers whom I got to know well over the years and am glad I did. I encourage anyone to take some time to volunteer with a youth group and spend some time with a group of young future leaders. I still keep in touch with many of the teens and even though I ended up sacrificing more time than I originally thought I would, I wouldn't change a thing of the four years spent with Twos AZA. Being an advisor also allowed me the opportunity to become more involved in the Jewish community of Kansas City and found a community that accepted me and welcomed me and Jason (my brother) into their homes for the holidays. I couldn't thank the families of Twos AZA enough for making me and Jason feel so welcome and trusting us with their teens.


Also in June, I moved back to Chicago, ending a year and a half stretch of living with my little brother, Jason in Kansas City. This was the first time as adults we had ever lived together and I'm so glad we got to spend this time together. My brother and I have had our disagreements like any brothers, but we became much closer by living together for the time we did. I'm very glad to see my brother now successful in his career and happy with his life in Memphis.


The move to Chicago was not necessarily a fun time (I hate moving) as my apartment proved to have a smaller doorway and elevator than I anticipated, but once I was moved in, I was very happy with my decision to finally live in the city. One of the best parts of being back in Chicago is that I am now able to spend time with my family and long time friends and have taken advantage of being close to home to see my immediate family more often.



July:
The summer marked one year since I was diagnosed with IBS. Although this is not a debilitating condition, there are many times where it makes for a terrible day or night. I've worked on my diet and changed many habits to battle my condition, but am still a work in progress. Things have been better, but when you have a condition that can be ignited by stress and you run a company full-time, it usually is not a great mix. I've always been very open about my IBS and am always interested to hear from people on different ideas on how to live with it or stories about their own battles with stomach issues. Special thanks to all my friends who've put up with or supported me on these changes.





October:
Late October was the worst part of 2014. We suddenly lost my Bubby and I didn't get the chance to say goodbye. My Bubby and I were very close and since my Papa passed 20 or so years ago, she was the grandparent I knew the best and spent most of my time with. We talked often and I still have the instinct to call her and tell her a funny story (funny to me, but likely not funny to many others) and she would always listen to my stories and always cared about how I was doing. Her number one request to me was that I constantly focused on being happy. Whether it was my writing or my company, she would ask for updates. I only have one grandparent left and my Grandma Jeanne and I keep in touch, but my Bubby was very special in my life. Many friends reached out and those that grew up with me knew how close we were and expressed their condolences, which I really appreciated. This has caused me to focus even more on my health as in the same year we also found out my dad has diabetes. My diet and exercise schedule has become more structured and I feel better as I continue to improve my healthy living choices. My family is small on my mom's side, but we have bonded together for the first time in a very long time and I know my Bubby would be very happy at how we have regained relationships. She wanted that more than anything, so that is our ultimate gift to her.



November & December:
It's winter in Chicago...so it's cold!

There have been many other experiences mixed in with these major events, but I can't go through them all. I'd never finish if I did. I finish with this: I do not have a specific resolution for 2015, but I hope to make it a year of more accomplishments and growing relationships. It will be another year of personal growth as I continue to fine tune the craft of being a writer part-time and running a start-up on the verge of expansion every day. My goals are lofty as always, but thanks to many past experiences, I know I can accomplish them.

In the words of Joe Dirt, "Alls I got to do is keep bein' a good person. No matter what, good things'll come my way. Everything's gonna happen for me, just so long as I never have no in my heart".

Happy Holidays Everyone! Thank you for reading! Comments are welcome and appreciated!

Brandon S. Stec

My review of Karin Slaughter's "Fractured"

Karin Slaughter's Fractured  Review: 

The first thing that stood out to me about Slaughter's writing is the incredible detail and description she provides along side all the tension she builds up between characters. I almost envy the quality description because it provides a perfect image of the entire scene throughout the novel.

There was obvious tension built when Paul kept calling Will "Trashcan" and there was implied tension when Will had to cram his body into Faith's Mini. I loved hearing all the different perspectives, from the Campanos to Faith to Will all struggling with different issues. The only reason I gave this 4 out of 5 stars is that I felt the wrap up dragged on quite a bit and was excessively detailed. This is simply a style preference. Once I knew the killer and they found Emma, I was like OK, cool on to the next story, but Slaughter kept going and going. I recommend this to all my friends who enjoy thrillers which are engrossed with fantastic story-telling and suspense.

Thoughtful Quote of the Week: Louis C.K.

Talking is always positive. That's why I talk too much.

- Louis C. K.


I wanted to use a quote today that was positive as I am currently turning a corner in my lifestyle in an attempt to be healthier in my mindset and healthier in my body. I have IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and it often makes me feel miserable and unmotivated to get up and do anything. So, recently I joined up on a 6-week Detoxitarian program to help me get more control over my diet and my health. This was a foreign idea to me and something that is a positive leap of faith to try and change some things in my life. Most of my friends who know me well enough know that I am usually one to talk things out, but not always. I usually only talk about some things, while others just eat away at my spirits. This is changing as I become "detoxed" and I'm excited about it. I'm generally a very happy person, not necessarily optimistic, but I'm happy with my life. I love to write and read and do all the things that occupy my days, but plenty of things bother me too and I am beginning to learn how to better deal with that. 

I encourage all my friends and readers and strangers to talk things out in life and share your thoughts. Staying silent is not going to solve anything. I'm still a work in progress, but I'm taking steps in the right direction and maybe after this six weeks, I can finally move past my battles with IBS and move on to something else that is more positive. 

I talk a lot too, Louis, but fortunately that is a positive thing. 

Thoughtful Quote of the Week: Robin Williams

"You treat a disease, you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you, you'll win, no matter what the outcome."

Robin Williams - Patch Adams

The loss of a creative and entertainment genius like Robin Williams was enough of bad news for one day, but to find out he suffered from depression and was battling addiction again truly was a message that something must be said and done about the epidemic of people suffering from mental disease going untreated in this country. I'm not an activist, doctor, or politician and I don't expect anything from this blog except to share my thoughts and express my desire to help. 

We all know about depression and addiction and the many stories of people taking their lives or accidentally overdosing because they were so addicted they couldn't stop. It's not a problem that strictly affects creatives or famous people. It effects many common Joes like me too. I am fortunate that I have no addiction problems (except maybe sugar), but I know people who have battled addiction or are battling addiction and I know how difficult it could be. Whether it is cigarettes or cocaine, a person should not be so dependent on a drug that it lowers their capacity to live so much that they don't want to live anymore. This country is not about that and as a community, we should do all we can to prevent that for our kids, friends, and families. Let's treat the person. 

I'm fortunate to have a stable of willing friends and family to listen when I'm mad or upset and to be a supportive bench to sit on when I need. We all need the support of someone. I'm more than happy to listen to anyone and if you are a Facebook friend or Twitter follower and feel the need to talk to someone, don't be afraid to send me a private note. I am not a professional or expert in any of these fields, so I would likely recommend professional help if it is needed. The stigma surrounding mental health and depression sickens me. These people are just like everyone else, yet they are embarrassed or scared to let others know of a condition or feeling. I've felt depressed before, I'm not ashamed of that. 

I'm aware there are many causes for depression and suicide, but it bewilders me that some of those causes could be controlled if people were less of assholes. Maybe this is harsh, but if we stopped bullying, hating, spouting discriminatory words, and abusing this world would have a happier population. 

Why do we hate each other so much? What separates two kids in high school or middle school so much that one believes they are superior to the other and therefore they have the right to belittle that person to something smaller than a nickel? Am I guilty of some of these behaviors? Sure. We all are in some way. Dislike and hatred runs in all of our blood for some reason. Do I intend to be that way? No. Just like everyone else, I'm a work in progress, but I've made a conscious effort to try and erase this behavior one at a time. I've let go of the past and often times, it feels good. My family has had a lot of conflict in the past and I'm proud of the point I am at, where I have a relationship with most everyone in my immediate circle now. Is it perfect? No. Just because you don't like someone, doesn't give you the right to make them out to be any less of a person than yourself. 



One of my all time favorite songs is Heal the World by Michael Jackson. 

                                                                  "Heal The World"

There's A Place In
Your Heart
And I Know That It Is Love
And This Place Could
Be Much
Brighter Than Tomorrow
And If You Really Try
You'll Find There's No Need
To Cry
In This Place You'll Feel
There's No Hurt Or Sorrow

There Are Ways
To Get There
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Little Space
Make A Better Place...

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

If You Want To Know Why
There's A Love That
Cannot Lie
Love Is Strong
It Only Cares For
Joyful Giving
If We Try
We Shall See
In This Bliss
We Cannot Feel
Fear Or Dread
We Stop Existing And
Start Living

Then It Feels That Always
Love's Enough For
Us Growing
So Make A Better World
Make A Better World...

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

And The Dream We Were
Conceived In
Will Reveal A Joyful Face
And The World We
Once Believed In
Will Shine Again In Grace
Then Why Do We Keep
Strangling Life
Wound This Earth
Crucify Its Soul
Though It's Plain To See
This World Is Heavenly
Be God's Glow

We Could Fly So High
Let Our Spirits Never Die
In My Heart
I Feel You Are All
My Brothers
Create A World With
No Fear
Together We'll Cry
Happy Tears
See The Nations Turn
Their Swords
Into Plowshares

We Could Really Get There
If You Cared Enough
For The Living
Make A Little Space
To Make A Better Place...

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

You And For Me

Heal the world we live in, save it for our children

I ask all my friends, family, readers, and acquaintances to consider the words "Heal the world, make it a better place, for you and for me and the entire human race." The message is simple. 

Thank you Robin Williams for all the laughter and entertainment. I was a huge fan and will be watching all of your work from Aladdin to Good Will Hunting to Hook to get a few laughs this week. For those who read this and want to share the thoughts, please feel free to message me or comment. These thoughts are strictly my own and there is no intention to offend or disquiet anyone. I feel passionately about helping others and hope you do too. 

Thoughtful Quote of the Week: Simon Cowell

"My dad said to me, 'Work hard and be patient.' It was the best advice he ever gave me. You have to put the hours in."

-Simon Cowell

Patience is a virtue, or at least that is the saying. I believe patience is the most difficult virtue to acquire. In this day and age, patience is lost in the fold of immediate results, responses, and satisfaction. I am not a patient person. It is something I've been working on and have certainly have gotten better with. Simon Cowell's quote just puts it into perspective. It is so important to be patient and work hard and often that gets lost in the repetitiveness of the work day. Everything needs to be done right now and often times if you work hard and be patient the finished product would be so much better. 

I often need to slow down, even when writing this blog. Instead of posting this on Tuesday just to get it done, I went back and rethought the message I was trying to deliver. It is important to remember that everyone has the same number of hours in a day. Sure some people wake up at god-awful hours of the day because they want to get more done that day, or they stay up late like I do. Either way, you need to put the time in and put the hours in. The result is always more rewarding when you put the time in. 

I recommend everyone take the weekend to visit with this and see where you can find more patience in a day and try to work on that. We all can use more patience and even if something is urgent, don't lose your head because time is limited. Be patient. I worked on that these past couple days and I felt so productive even though my time was consumed with detail-oriented work, I got everything done and put the time in on a project that I feel I accomplished well. Now I get to implement the tool I built and it should make my days much more productive. 

HAPPY FRIDAY!!! Please share your thoughts!

Short Stories from Camp Boker Tov: Shawn's New Leaf

The Short Stories from Camp Boker Tov are a collection of tales involving characters who may all have some part of a future novel based at Camp Boker Tov. These stories are excerpts that dive into these characters more in depth and introduce readers to Camp Boker Tov and its various campers and employees. The depictions of the characters to real-life individuals is at no point intentionally done and even though many of my characters seem like people I've known, they are an amalgam of people I've known throughout my life and are inspired by those who've affected my life. There also is no character based on myself, but parts of me will show up time to time. Hey, I know me best.

I will be releasing these intermittently and each will be from the perspective of a different character and from a different time frame. 

Camp Boker Tov is a fictional camp based in the Lake of the Ozarks region of Missouri. The camp is a Jewish owned and operated camp, started as a high school age only summer retreat for leadership and life skill training. 

Shawn Maggid - Shawn's New Leaf

I was so excited to return to Camp Boker Tov for my second summer with the boys and all the new chicks were fresh meat. Never did I expect to have such an experience for which I was being sympathized rather than admired. I’d finally begun growing into my body and passed that awkward 'too skinny' phase with muscle from wrestling and football built on top of my 5'9 frame. I managed to put on 20 pounds that school year and I learned to make my pecks flex like you see body builders do or that guy from the movies, Cheeseburger Eddy from The Longest Yard.

One of my most memorable moments at camp was arriving at CBT in Neighbor's Village and as we piled off the bus the guys started chanting, "Naomi & Shawn, sitting in a tree, K. I. S. S. I. N. G." She blushed but everyone knew about our on again and off again roller coaster from the previous summer. This summer I was going to move on from her and already had plans to try and hook up with five new girls. I climbed down from the bus flexing all the muscle I could and wrapping big boy Kell Watts in a headlock. The big goof tried to squirm away so I rubbed his shaved dome with my knuckles. Kell was older than me by a year, but the fucker never had a spine to stand up to anyone so I always picked on him when I was bored. It never was intended to cause harm. Camp that year was being kicked off with a rainy day, welcome to fucking Missouri.

I glimpsed Naomi Reznik hopping off the bus in her tiny elastic shorts and lime green tank top. She tried to cover her hair with her fashionable outdoor purse and I laughed loud enough for her to hear. I’m told my laugh is more of a cackle and sometimes the guys make fun of it, but I think they are just being dumbasses.

Naomi saw me laughing and boldly came over to confront me. She gave me a smack in the arm and tried to melt me with her toothy smile. We were close friends and I think the romance in the past was due to boredom, but everything that happened was because of that damn smile. She had me wrapped around her finger, but luckily she didn't know that.

“What up?” I muttered.

“Why didn't you sit with me on the bus?” She inquired.

“I was hangin with my boys. I’m gonna sit with you at dinner though.” I saved my ass for a second by encouraging her to sit with me, when really I’ll be talking to some of the new girls.

“Ok.” Another smile. “I’m gonna get Abba to bring my stuff up to the cabin. See you at dinner, babe.”

I almost groaned out loud, but caught myself. I hated the romantic nickname shit she did around others. It was her way of telling others that she had some claim to me. We've fought about it before, I’ll be sure to say something stupid later.

I escaped the conversation by grabbing my large duffel bag filled with clothes and goodies. Isaac Kellner and Brett Green were waiting for me to head up to the cabin. Our counselor, Abba Critz, was smart enough to put us in the same cabin rather than letting us terrorize someone else’s and it is easier to keep an eye on us when we are in the same sleeping quarters. He’s never caught me doing shit though. This year I brought enough weed to last the whole session. Luckily, my mom was eating a lot of Altoids before we left.

I fist bumped the fellas and headed up the hill to my cabin. The wonderful cabin number five with its frequent toad and spider visitors and squeaky bunk beds we turned into a mega bed for most of camp. Why? No one knew.

Isaac and Brett thought they were so cool now that they had thick beards growing in while Tanner Dobson and I were still waiting for our facial hair to come in clean, but they looked like doofuses wearing NBA jerseys and shorts to camp. Isaac was larger than me, so I never told him, I just laughed with Tanner about it. Brett would argue its merit with me for hours for no reason at all.

The rain wasn't that bad, but I didn't like walking in all the mud, so I tried to move the guys quickly, but it is like herding cattle. I noticed Jamie Olt walking the other way and saw her slip in the mud with her bag falling behind her. The struggle was hilarious so I pointed and cackled. The guys joined in. One of our other friends, Austin Hill ran over to help her. They will hook up.

We spent twenty or thirty minutes in the cabin unpacking and hiding our paraphernalia. That summer Brett brought a shit ton of weed too and Isaac had a bottle of vodka. Tanner was a pussy and didn't bring anything. He was always more of a mooch anyways. The rain didn't stop even though we waited for a bit, so I changed shoes to my shitty sneakers and we headed down for the first Shabbat meal of camp.

Halfway down the path from Boys’ Village, Abba was walking the opposite direction and he was on a mission with his eyes on the ground and his pace rapid.

“Already busting someone, Abba?” Tanner joked.

“Shawn, I need to speak with you, bud.” Abba replied with an ironic nickname for which he didn't find any humor in at the moment. His morose tone is what really struck me with fear.

Did he already know about the weed? Did Naomi say something? They are close, but I don’t think she’d rat me out especially since I promised her some. I thought to myself and Abba lead me to the basketball courts to stand under the shed and talk. He was silent the whole way and I was jumping out of my skin. He kept his voice calm and slow as he started telling me this important information.

“Your mom called me when we got here.” He started out. “I just got the chance to call her back. I wish you’d told me your dad moved out. I didn't know him well, but you could have mentioned something, man. I thought we were tighter than that.” He paused to allow me to say something but I stayed silent wondering where this was going. “Unfortunately, your mom had some bad news and wanted me to be the one to tell you. I've never done this before, so I hope I’m doing this the best way. Your father was on a bender last night and was found at the bottom of a ravine in the Ozarks inside his car. They said it didn't look like he tried to stop.” I realized what he was saying and it hit me all at once.

Tears exploded out of my eyes and I fell to the ground. The rain and mud didn't bother me anymore. My father had died alone and depressed, a feeling I’d become more familiar with this past year. I didn't tell Abba about any of this because I knew he’d worry about me and keep an eye on my behavior. Now I was beating the ground with my feet and wiping phlegm and tears into my shirt while Abba patted me on the back and stayed silent. I thought about my little brother, who was back home with mom, hopefully handling it better than I was. The kid was strong, while I’d become a wreck quietly retreating to my weed-induced blur. I felt ashamed. I felt angry. I felt everything.

Abba finally found more words to say and while I sat there trying to stop crying, he shared the rest of my mother’s conversation. “Your father left a letter in his hotel room. One for you and one for your brother. She’d like to give it you at the funeral. We are going to coordinate getting you home and I've already told her that Tanner, Isaac, Brett, and whoever else are welcome to join you on the trip back for support, but I need to speak with their parents. I’ll handle all that. Just know that we are all here for you, bud. You may act strong and unbreakable, but we all know better. Or at least, I do.”

Luckily, nobody saw me sitting there crying, but I wasn't sure I’d be able to keep it together during Shabbat and asked Abba to be excused from the meal. He reluctantly allowed me to go back to my cabin and be alone for a while. I rolled a joint and smoked it. I didn't care about any of the damn rules or getting caught breaking them. I was alone with my thoughts. It was then I decided I will never be like my father. Alcohol killed my dad and with Mary Jane as my witness, I was never going to allow it to happen to me. I drank a lot sophomore year and knew I’d need to get control of it. This was my chance to reach out for help though. I should have taken it.

I smoked four joints that night and cried twice more. Isaac and Tanner cried too. Brett was a great friend to all of us and they all agreed to go to the funeral with me. Naomi texted me sending her condolences along with an invite to come visit later that night; I didn't go. Austin, that dog, was the only one to sneak out and he hooked up with Jamie, as expected. My friends were the only reason I made it through that night. I’m a loyal friend to this day and couldn't be more grateful to those three guys for sitting with me that summer night as I cried over my dad and my life.

Six months later, I was awarded my first honor roll grade report and took the ACT where I ended up getting a score of 32. I finally began setting myself up for college and partying less. My only vice was weed, but that’s not really that bad of a vice. No one has told me otherwise. It will be legal here soon anyways. I need the chill it gives me. I had 100 other good reasons stored up in case anyone judged me. Abba also was a big help. He helped my mom get a scholarship due to financial hardship, so I could go to camp again the next summer. That first night of camp has reformed many of my behaviors and attitudes, but it’s all about my friends. I would do anything for my friends and they have proven they would do the same for me.

Shawn Maggid, Naomi Reznik, Brett Green, Isaac Kellner, Jamie Olt, Kell Watts, Tanner Dobson, Austin Hill, Abba Critz, and Camp Boker Tov are fictional characters/settings. These anecdotes are fictional designed as such where character traits and personalities can be derived by each reader to connect with these characters each in their own way.

Thoughtful Quote of the Week: Courtesy of Kenny G

I've always been inspired by different quotes and sayings. I've decided to share one of the quotes I come across each week and what thoughts these quotes derive. This writing exercise is simply a chance for me to share thoughts and ideas as well as motivate others to think about things in life.

"Maybe the biggest thing that I've learned musically is that anything is possible. Things can work when maybe they don't seem like they can."
- Kenny G

 

Musician Kenny G is talking about music possibilities in this quote, but one can apply his thinking to almost any situation. The optimism of believing in the impossible being possible is a lost art where many believe if something seems impossible, they don't bother trying. Some examples I think of are Stevie Wonder, Muggsy Bogues, Hoosiers, and Jim Abbott.

If you are unfamiliar with these people/things, read up on them. They are all intriguing stories of what many would call the impossible becoming a real possibility and a successful one at that. Surprises are something everyone loves in some way. Whether it's the surprise of winning the lotto or a birthday party. Keeping the faith in something good occurring should always be in the back of our minds and I want to remind everyone that even the impossible is potentially possible. I've certainly learned this lesson over the years as I've had my share of surprises. Most recently was picking the NCAA tournament bracket winner correctly when I chose UCONN to win it all. My brother called me crazy, but guess what...IT HAPPENED!

 

Please share your thoughts and thank you for tuning in! (See what I did there..."tuning in" and a Kenny G quote?)