The Jimmy Herring Band – Variety Playhouse – September 22, 2012 – Some thoughts and reflections

Humbling.  To see and hear music played at maybe the highest levels of mortal human capability.  Technically, it was jaw-droppingly stunning. I think I've only encountered two players anywhere close to this level of proficiency & dexterity - Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, and Allan Holdsworth.  Professionally the performance was of the highest quality – from the sound (after some gremlins were exorcised), to the lights, to the set-list and precision of the musicians.  However, the real magic that took place was in the interaction between the band members themselves.  There was an almost telepathic connection between all of them, seemingly being conducted through Jeff Sipe (AKA Apt. Q258) the drummer. He was ‘ground zero’ for just about everything that happened on stage – I’d NEVER seen or heard anything like it before (maybe I wasn’t paying attention before?).  Each player is a monster musician in their own right, but when they play together they ascend to a higher level.  They exemplify the Gestalt Theory of the’ whole being greater than the sum of its parts’.  The various dynamics taking place on that stage and in the theater resulted in a dizzying array and assault of the senses.  Jimmy has a tone he has perfected on his various Stratocasters and amp rig that cuts right into your soul.  His signature approach is a multi-modal scale run assault punctuated by impossibly melodic and beautiful chord overlays.   His tenure with Widespread Panic hasn’t stretched his ability, as much as it perfected his approach to the ‘jam’.  Jimmy has that rare and unique talent of playing just what the music calls for, not just gratuitous ‘shredding’ and show boating.  

The true highlight for me was to watch the interplay between Jimmy and Matt Slocum on Keyboards.  Throughout the evening I couldn’t help be reminded of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and how John McLaughlin and Jan Hammer used to spar with each other.  To round out this comparison they brought out Nickey Sanders on violin for a few tunes and strains of Jerry Goodman made the association complete.  You can tell Jimmy has been deeply influenced by McLaughlin, Holdsworth, Pat Martino, and Jeff Beck (to name a few).   

Part of the 2^nd set saw a decidedly ‘Beetlie’ influence with the George Harrison, Within You, Without You, and A Day in the Life.  The former tune started with an ethereal intro that took the entire theater to some mystic mountain in India, and then launched into a traditional Indian raga that transported us to another place & time, until Jimmy released the ‘Gods of Thunder’ and peeled our scalps back.  The latter tune, Day in the Life, was interesting in how Jimmy effectively used his guitar for what would have been the singer.  The song was spot on to the original, musically, until the part where it all comes apart, crashing and burning which then launched the band into a wild ‘free for all’ jam that blew the roof off.  The Col. Bruce Hampton made an appearance for a rousing rendition of, Fixin' to Die Rag and His Weirdness  delighted the crowd as he led the band through a hilarious 'play behind your head' routine that erupted into a wonder jam.  True to form, once the Col. was done, he put down his guitar and left the stage, even though the band was still playing - and he was gone as quickly as he appeared.    

They closed with what seemed almost anti climatic – it was a slow, low key interpretation of Ray Charles, Georgia on My Mind.  In a way, that was probably wise as it gave everyone a chance to start coming down out of the clouds.  I’m still in ‘shock and awe’ even as I write this Sunday morning. 

Its experiences like this that are not just life sustaining – they are life affirming!  

Food Insecurity in the U.S.A, Really?  

It’s a beautiful Sunday morning with a hint of fall in the cool air.  Bill Evans is playing On a Clear Day (you can see forever), and there’s fresh brewed French roast in my cup.  I’m in a contemplative mood and got to thinking about an article I read yesterday in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.  The title was, “US ‘Food Insecurity’ Hits Record Levels”.  The USDA defines this as, “…a household that did not have enough food at all times last year to sustain active, healthy lives for all family members…”  It said that a record 18 million U.S. Households, 700,000 more than in 2010 were ‘food insecure’.  That’s 15% of the total U.S. Households – 50 million people.  Of course, these rates were highest among households with children, those headed by single parents, and those black and Latino families. 

     I am surprised by these statistics, however I’m not shocked.  The ‘Great Recession’ has affected all of us however it has disproportionately affected the most vulnerable citizens amongst us.  I think it’s time for a bit of a ‘reality check’.  Most if not all of us know friends or family who have been or are unemployed or under-employed, however I don’t have any friends or family who are ‘food insecure’.  Although we do have some friends who have been foreclosed on, they simply moved into an apartment and still have plenty to eat.  How many of us have no medical insurance?  What happens when you have an accident or, God forbid, get diagnosed with a disease such as cancer or diabetes?  Will you be able to afford the care you need without bankrupting your family? Clearly there are many, many people who need help.

     I’m writing this today because I think that sometimes we need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.  With over 300 million people now in this country, everything seems more complicated and the issues and problems are overwhelming.  However, the United States is a large, complex country with a tremendously dynamic economy.  We need to take care of the most vulnerable people in our country; however we also need to do it responsibly, and sustainably.  I don’t know the answers here; I’m just learning to ask questions.  Yes, we have an election coming up and there are two very different approaches of how to lead our country and take care of its people.  My opinion is that I think there really isn’t that much difference between the two men running for president – all you need to do is look at how President Obama led the past four years, and how Governor Romney governed Massachusetts to see who and what they are. However there is a huge difference in their Vice Presidential running mates.  There is even a larger difference in the platforms and visions of the two parties.  

     The real issue is Congress.  More to the point, the real problem and biggest challenge is Congress.  This scares me the most.  I don't have hard data to back up this next statement, but it appears that most people in this country are either a little right of center, or left of center, however the 5 to 10% of the most extreme wings of both parties are making the decisions and they are not good for our country.  We need to tell them that this is not a game for them to ‘win’ at all cost.  It is not, ‘us against them’; we are not fighting the Civil War any longer (although someone needs to tell the Georgia Legislature this).  As a matter of fact, the Georgia Legislature redrew congressional districts to insure a ‘super republican majority’ which they now have and one party is making all the decisions and they are still unable to work together, and the decisions they are making are NOT serving the people of Georgia.  It's true that people are going to need help buying food, and this is only going to get worse due to the recent mid-western drought that decimated our corn crops.  We all need energy to run this country and we do have plenty right here at home.  The issue is can we harvest it safely, and take care of the water and air we all have to breathe.  We need to also invest in clean, renewable, alternative energy sources - it's not an either/or choice - it has to be both!  No one can be productive if they are sick or injured.  Healthcare should be a right, not a privilege.We need to have jobs that pay a living wage, and everyone should pay their fair share in taxes.  Stuff gets old and breaks down, so let's fix it and maintain it so all can safely use our infrastructure.    

     Our system of government only works when our leaders have the best interests of ALL the people in mind when they make decisions that affect us.  Our elected leaders serve at the ‘pleasure of the American people’ and are obligated to make decisions that honor, and care for all of us, not just some of us.  So let's all stand up together and make them work together for all of us!  This is a great country and I know we can do better. So lets all roll up our sleeves and get to work.  

Music as the Soundtrack to Our Lives

"There are two kinds of people when it comes to music. Those who have music as the background to their lives; and those who have music as the soundtrack to their lives. I have always been the latter."  Rev. Al Green from his biography, 'Take Me To The River'

     I’ve written before about experiences that have 

provided the basis of who we are today.  For many of us, these experiences are rooted in music.  Some of you inspired me with your own stories, and I’d like to revisit this.  

So imagine for a moment, a 16 year old boy from a North Chicago suburb who just recently discovered the FM dial on his radio.  After a brief journey through what were at the time the progenitors of what would become known as Southern Rock: the Marshall Tucker Band, Charlie Daniels Band, and Grinderswitch to name a few.  He then stumbles on the Allman Brothers Band.  At the very same time he was also turned onto (some) Grateful Dead by his pal Joel Schwabe, however this was still a bit too weird and inaccessible to him.  Like many of us, this boy was listening to things created a few years earlier than what he was listening to, so the ABB records – Live at Fillmore East (1971), Eat a Peach (1972), and Brothers & Sisters (1973) which moved him deeply, in 1975/1976 actually saw this band in the process of imploding due to drug and substance abuse, coupled with too much money and inflated egos (amongst other things).  I offer Win, Lose, or Draw (1975) as Exhibit A J. 

     However out of this collapsing star, was born a small group of great musicians who loved to play together and were making some real innovative, creative, and exciting music.  Jaimoe (Jai Johnny Johanson) on drums, Chuck Leavell on piano, Lamar Williams on bass (all members of the ABB) would get tired of waiting for Greg Allman and/or Dickey Betts to come to a rehearsal to record, or for a sound check prior to a gig, so they would jam together.  Jaimoe was the resident jazzman, and he never missed the opportunity to educate his band mates in the ways of the great jazz masters, but also injected this knowledge into his playing every chance he could.  Chuck joined the ABB after Duane died and brought a decidedly jazzy sound and groove to the ABB, and Lamar was brought in after Berry Oakley died (ironically also from a motorcycle accident almost a year to the day after Duane died).  Lamar was also a jazz and funk student and he and Jaimoe locked in tight, as friends and musical collaborators right from the start.  These three were making some incredible music together calling themselves the ‘We Three’, sometimes opening ABB shows.  After the ABB officially broke up they decided to bring in their friend Jimmy Nalls to handle the guitar work and Sea Level was born.

Sea Level-Grand Larceny (1976) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsbt8i25ccU&feature=related

     If you listen to Jessica from the Brothers & Sisters album you can hear what Chuck brought to the party.  Listen to his now famous signature piano solo – the melodic and jazzy riffs and runs that he creates in a subtle and rhythmic groove, which he then develops into an exciting and dynamic melodic single note run up and down the scale leading Dickey into his solo – it’s absolutely masterful and magical.  He’d never heard anything like this in rock music and it piqued his interest in the piano in a big way.  Sea Level produced their debut album in 1977 which he promptly bought with his hard earned caddying money.  What happened next, he NEVER saw coming!  The piano as a lead instrument, coupled with a tight rhythm section playing complicated time signitures, fuelled by a soaring electric guitar straddling rock and jazz (he was unfamiliar with fusion at this point) just peeled his scalp back.  All he could think about is where did this come from and how could he get more?  This experience opened up a whole new world – both in terms of improvisational music and jazz. 

     It wasn’t long before he discovered the Pat Metheny Group, Weather Report, and Miles Davis.  He was off and running.  The funny thing is that this also filled in the piece he was missing regarding the Grateful Dead.  He started listening to the way Jerry would develop solo’s over the incredibly complex and rich melodies and rhythms the band were laying down.  Improvisation started to make so much more sense to him, and became a goal of his – find more bands and groups who improvise.  This young boy from the Chicago suburbs found his new groove and it has provided him some of the most satisfying and sustaining experiences of his life. 

     What early experience can you tell us about that helped to define who and what you are today?  Extra points if it has a musical basis J.   

A Salesman Looks At 20 (with apologies to Jimmy Buffett)

I've done a bit of smugglin'
I've run my share of grass.
I made enough money to buy Miami,
But I pissed it away so fast, Never meant to last,
Never meant to last. -J.Buffett-A Pirate Looks At 40

This month marks my 20 year service anniversary at John Wiley & Sons.  This seems like a good opportunity to hit the 'pause' button on this wild ride called life and reflect on a few things.  When you consider how much time we spend working its no wonder that our sense of identity and self-worth get inextricably linked with our jobs.  It's also why the 'Great Recession' is taking a much larger and devastating toll on this country in terms of the number of people (many of our own family and friends) who lost jobs and with them their sense of identity and worth. I'm so blessed and thankful to have found a home at John Wiley and continue to make meaningful contributions.

I once had a boss who challenged me by saying something like, "the reason you work so hard is because you are afraid you'll fail".  I took great exception with this statement and told him he couldn't be more wrong.  I work so hard precisely so that I don't fail.  The difference, subtle as it may be, is in how one defines success.  In sales this is pretty easy - either you make your sales goal or you don't.  But it's not always so 'cut & dry'.  In 20 years I've only missed my sales goal 4 times (and until this past year it was always by only a few percentage points - which means my company made a lot of money on me, but I didn't). My point here is that in those years that I didn't make my goal, I did other things that I knew were important to the organization. One thing I learned many years ago is that when you play by other people's rules, you will lose more than you will ever win because these rules weren't written with your unique strengths and skills in mind.  Although the goal is the same, you need to create your own rules to enable you to use your God given talents to achieve these.  You can miss a goal and still be successful.  I haven't always been so conscientious about these things, however what I did was simply get into some habits where I actually didn't think much about them, I just did them.  Whether it was work or family related, exercise, diet, etc.  I just did it.  Sort of like when you're at the top of the mountain skiing down - if you stop and think about what you're about to do, it gets very scary and too easy to change your mind about the route.  Sometimes it's best to just go (be careful) and do the best you can.

In all seriousness, the one true and perhaps best measure of success for any of us is, at the end of the day, can we look at ourselves in the mirror and say, "I did my best".

"All I I can give you is my very best, and when I do that, I ain't gonna worry about the rest" - Ann Peebles - Give me some Credit

Everything Breaks Down Once in A While

"Everything breaks down once in a while

And you can't believe your eyes

Or trust a strangers smile

Everything you always thought you knew

Doesn't ring the same to you

Even your sky is faded through" - R.Bramblett/J.Slatten

     It seems like everything around me (including me!) is breaking down these days.  From my house & yard, to my cars, to my bike, to my knees.  Right after Christmas I learned that the Water Main running from the street to my house was leaking and had to be replaced. With my bank account $2000 lighter and a 'scar' that runs right up the middle of my yard, it's funny in that it reminds me of the 6 inch 'zipper' scar I have on my left knee from when I had broken cartilage removed some 25 years ago.  

     

     Today's chautauqua will explore some of those things that a hammer, wrench, screw driver, Home Depot, Roto Rooter, or a good orthopedic surgeon can't help us fix.   It's interesting to think that all you have to do is nothing and most things will run down, wear out, break, or just stop working. One thing I learned through my friendship with Mike Schwass, a quadriplegic since his senior year in high school as the result of a neck injury during a hockey game, is that the average lifespan for 'quads' is 5 years.  Incidentally, Mike beat these awful odds living for 35 years as a highly functioning and contributing member of society! There are many reasons for this, but the one that usually kills the physical body is the lack of use.  All machines need to be maintained and supplied with energy to work.  They also need to be 'tuned up' and cared for regularly.  The human body, possibly one of the most complex, intricate, and amazing machines EVER is no different.  The 'nerve center' or brain, which is also part of this organism & system also needs regular maintenance, tune-ups, exercise, stimulus, and above all challenges to remain healthy and working properly.  I'm reminded of my favorite bumper sticker:  

"Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open"   

      Spring is a great time to clear the clutter in our lives both physically and metaphorically.  There is a wonderful book by Brian Luke Seaward called, Quiet Mind, Fearless Heart: The Taoist Path Through Stress & Spirituality where he discusses what he calls the Seasons of the Soul.  He discusses how Autumn is the Centering Process; Winter is the Emptying Process; Spring is the Grounding Process; and Summer is the Connecting Process.  Spring for me is a great time to renew many things in my life.  It corresponds conveniently with the season of Lent which adds an additional challenge for me.

     Fixing things around the house is easy, compared to the work that Lent requires.  My Christian friends are well versed with what Lent is - a time to think less about oneself, and more about their relationship with God, and those people around them.  It's about denying yourself in this life, to prepare you for the next life.  This however is not what challenges me; my struggle is more with the human beings that seem to think they can speak for God.  Nothing makes this more clear than when my parish issues the Lenten Regulations.  Hmmmm?   Regulations?  Really?  The latest and possibly biggest challenge I'm struggling with is the recent stance the Catholic church has taken on contraception.  I am finding myself fundamentally at odds with this stance.       The question I keep having to face is, how can I reconcile this hypocrisy and still remain a member of this organization? When I speak with practicing Catholics about this, they give me the standard 'party line' which is oh so unsatisfying.  It's like how they justify taking a 'pro-life' position while still supporting organizations and positions that kill people.  It may seem like I'm picking on the Catholics, but I think you could plug just about any organized religion into this discussion.
     Please don't misunderstand me, my intent is NOT to take a stance (political or religious) but rather to let you know what I'm struggling with; if I can simply get you thinking about these, and other complex issues that are important, then this was worth taking the 10 minutes to read.  My belief in God is in tact.  My belief in my fellow man is what requires some maintenance this spring.

     What are you struggling with this spring?

Equality, opportunity, & Prejudice - who do you look down upon?

Monday is the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., arguably one of the most important Americans born in the 20^th century.  But why is he important? What did he do that would justify such a lofty statement?  At Mass this morning our Pastor began his Homily with a simple statement, “Who do you look down upon?”  His point was that no matter who you are, or how enlightened or pious one may believe they are we all carry some prejudice against someone, or some group.  Where did this come from?  Are we born with it?  Or do we learn it? Who instills it? Who nurtures it? Who inflames it?  

I grew up in a northern suburb of Chicago and from my earliest childhood memories I remember my Uncle Willie who, usually after a Boiler Maker or two, would refer to African Americans using the most ugly and offensive epithets imaginable.  Unfortunately he wasn’t alone in his views.  Although my parents did not condone this sort of talk, they didn’t shut it down either. This was the mid to late 1960’s and it was a tumultuous time in our country where racial issues and tensions were divisive, explosive, misunderstood and very delicate. I don’t think that my parents believed what my Uncle Willie said, and I don’t think they consider themselves racist.  However, this is where the nurturing part comes in.  All you have to do is listen to someone discuss racial issues and you will learn what they really think.  Not necessarily by what they say, but how they say it; their body language, and most importantly – what they don’t say will give them away every time.  I know what I believe, but often there is this voice I hear in the back of my head (these aren’t the voices that medication silences J) where I hear my Uncle Willie and this infuriates me!  Why does this STILL come up?  Although I believe I have moved beyond racial and gender prejudices, I know I still prejudge certain groups of people. How about you? 

Each year at this time I make it a point to read what I feel is the greatest, most powerful, and potent speech ever given in my lifetime.  This is the speech that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the Washington Mall on August 28^th, 1963 which has become known as the, “I Have a Dream Speech”.  Many believe this was the defining moment of the Civil Rights movement where he called for racial equality and the end of discrimination.  If you haven’t read this, or maybe not in awhile, please take a moment to read it:

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm     

Although the times have changed, we haven’t made as much progress here as you might think.  Yes, we have an African American in the White House, and that’s huge, however racial tensions and issues in this country are still front and center. Just look at the immigration debate taking place throughout this country.  As I look around, you can replace his use of the term, Negro with Latino, Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, Eastern European, Immigrant, Homosexual, Woman, Man, Caucasian, Poor, Homeless, fill-in-the-blank.  Justice, opportunity, and happiness are not relegated to just skin color, gender, or sexual orientation.  The socio-economic status of each of us has much to do with this as well.  The whole Occupy Wall Street movement (which remains poorly defined) is a powerful indication of how the middle class is being diminished and the wealth/income disparity is widening at an alarming pace.  Paul Krugman wrote a thought provoking Op-ed piece in the New York Times on January 8 entitled, America’s Unlevel Field.  My point in bringing this up is NOT to embark on a political argument, but rather to get you thinking about what is actually taking place in this country of ours, and it’s not at all what our politicians would have us believe from their 30 second sound bites. 

I’ll leave you with two things.  First is a link to Mr. Krugman’s article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/09/opinion/krugman-americas-unlevel-field.html?_r=1&ref=paulkrugman

Secondly, an excerpt from Dr. King’s speech:


“…But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force…”


So, who do you look down upon?  

Sustainable Success in 2012 and Beyond

                    

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village.    

An American tourist, who was a

consultant, complimented the Mexican

fisherman on the quality of his

fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and

catch more?" asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch

was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta

with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends,

have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs . . I have a

full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help

you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell

the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger

boat."

And after that?" asked the Mexican.

With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second

one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of

trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then

negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your

own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, 
Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well my Friend, That's when it gets really interesting,"

answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big,

you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" said the Mexican.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the

coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a

siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying

your friends."  - Anonymous


I love this story!  It's a great launch into today's chautauqua.  I'm calling it Sustainable Success in 2012 and Beyond.  Everyone strives for success, but just what exactly is success?  The achievement of a goal?  Sure, but who defines it?  
Can efforts that fail be successful?  
Who determines whether you succeed or fail?  
Why can this differ depending on who you ask?

I want to talk about how we determine success.  
More specifically, how we should determine success.   I've learned over the years that when I have allowed other people to create the rules of my success, I would fail just about every time.  It sounds so simple, but the trick is for you to create the rules of your success.  God has given all of us unique talents, skills, and attributes.  Just as it's possible to arrange a finite set of notes in infinite sequences to create music, the same is true with the way we use our God given talents to achieve our goals and dreams. The story of the Mexican Fisherman is a great example of this.  Both the Mexican and the American had the same goal, however each had very different ways of accomplishing it.  They also each share very different definitions of success.  


As a professional sales person one of the biggest, most important goals I strived for was being recognized as the Rep Of The Year.  Besides the plaque, money, and Rolex watch (which are ALL fabulous), the real prize is being recognized by your sales professional peers as being  #1. 
It's the equivalent of achieving an Olympic gold medal (in my opinion).  

The problem is that there are so many sales people who are better than I am at so many things and there is NO way I can beat them. After years of beating my head against the wall and intense disappointment, I decided to hell with this and just do what I do best. 


This is where the sustainable part comes in.  
I simply couldn't keep up the incredible and stressful sales effort, month after month, year after year, so I came up with ways to make the day to day grind more manageable and even enjoyable.  This allowed me to tolerate the long hours and mind numbing detail work.  It took me 11 years, and when I least expected it, I did finally achieve Rep Of The Year in 1996.  I am going on 28 years of working this crazy job with all it's unreasonable and often mind numbing travel and nonsense, but I've been able to sustain a level of performance that allows me to be a sales leader in my industry.  


When people ask me what my secret is, I tell them something no one wants to hear.  That being there is no secret.  Just sustaining a reasonable effort over a long period of time, making small and incremental changes regularly.  It's my opinion that greatness is not about winning the race every time. It's about finishing it - time after time, after time. Because what you'll find is that with each race, fewer and fewer people will finish. Excellence therefore is sustainable effort.  The simple test is to place this powerful adjective before any aspect of your life, and see if it is indeed true.

Just to put this into some perspective, I have been jogging since I was 16 and although I was never very fast, I was consistent.  As the years went on I got slower, covered fewer miles and skipped many days.  I conservatively estimate that I have been able to sustain a very modest record of jogging between 2 to 3 miles, 3 or 4 days a week over these 34 years. If you were to average this to say, 9 miles a week, x 52 weeks a year (468 miles a year).  Then multiply this by 34 years you get a total of 15,912 miles jogged.  That’s more than three quarters of the earth’s surface!  Think about it this way, it’s like running from Chicago to Beijing China, and back. Oh yea, then to Costa Rica for some beach time and rest.

Little changes sustained over a long period make a profound difference.   Who are you going to let define your success in 2012?   Let 2012 be the year that each of us introduces the power of sustainability to the important aspects of our lives. 

May you find sustainable peace, Love, friendship, good health, and prosperity in the new year.