I had an opportunity to watch a remarkable new show on Fox, Touch featuring Kiefer Sutherland. Aside from an astonishing concept that has global appeal and an emotional message of connection, this show hit the heart of some of my deepest thoughts.

As an addictive, 24 fan, my expectations were high for Kiefer Sutherland and I was not let down. Driven by the concept that we send millions of texts, connect through email, social networks and mobile tracking, the show derives that though millions of interactions occur around the world each and every day, how often to truly touch one another. Think very hard about that statement and see if you can comfortably address that question?

Through human interaction, decisions are made and actions are taken that have a true domino effect. Though in hindsight, one action may influence another event, but it truly can effect hundreds of other simultaneous or future events. We are all unconditionally connected to each and every thing. Is it coincidence, fate or another power that controls our actions?

The depth of life is a wondrous miracle. Human, animals, plants, chemicals, vitamins, all cohesively living in co-habitation on this planet with the goals of sharing resources to continue the gift of life.

Do we see this? For many, life is a bubble. It is a comfortable place of our core surroundings where we understand the actions, the behaviors and the people and places that collectively create our own personal utopia. This is our circle of life. For some it is a single town, a cave, a state, a country, a family or complete isolation. The truth is, the connection of life is endless. We can never truly isolate our being. No matter what choices we make, there are consequences on others. We are all responsibility for something much greater than ourselves.

There are moments in my life that I see things in a much greater light, but not often enough. It is almost a shame that a show needs to remind me, but then again, I saw the show because another connection reminded me.

How often do we hear people talk about “paying it forward” or “karma will come back to bite you in the ass”. In theory, every calculated and un-calculated event that is possible will happen at some time. When you allow yourself to be free of expectations and see each day of your life as something wonderful, almost magical, you will start to see things differently than you ever have before.

Lay in a dark room or a dark field and listen. Listen very closely. You will hear sounds that have previously been blocked from your sub-conscious. You will hear insects, birds and even wind but if you listen very very closely, you will hear the air and the sounds of darkness. There is so much more we chose not to see and hear. Imagine you could hear and see everything that is right before your eyes.

It would be a life experience full of the greatest wonder you could ever imagine.

“Sarah Burke in many ways defines the sport” – Peter Judge, CEO of Canada’s Freestyle Team

Sarah Burke – September 3, 1982 – January 18, 2012

On Wednesday, January 18th, after a tragic skiing accident in Utah, Sarah Burke passed away at age 29th. This was a personal story I had been following from the moment the news broke to the final announcement of her passing. Not because I am a personal fan or active participant in the freestyle skiing community, but the magnitude and importance of losing such a remarkable human being.

Sarah Burke was at the pinnacle of her life with limitless expectations to reach the stars. Winner of the X-Games 4 times, married in October, 2010 to fellow competitor Rory Bushfield, donning the cover of various magazines and the top advocate for half pipe and freestyle skiing in the Winter Olympics. After a number of years representing the excitement, the risk and the pure value of the sport, it was announced it would be included in the 2014 Winter Olympics. Not only would Sarah be proud to support her Canadian Team, but would walk in as the odds on favorite to walk away with gold.

As an outpouring of support and a momentous statement of the love for Sarah, in one day after the announcement of her passing and news of deep family debt from the medical expenses, the skiing community, family, friends and strangers donated over $200,000 to assist the family. That bring the smallest moment of warmth to my heart in the midst of saddening heartbreak.

As I reflected on this tragedy, I looked deeply at perspective and saw a number of comparisons to Jonathan Larson, who passed away the evening before the first Off-Broadway performance of Rent, a show that would come to define Broadway entertainment and send a message of love throughout the world.

Over 15 years later, his death remains in my head, more so with the countless times I have seen the production live.

When I take a moment to dissect the life of Sarah Burke this is what I see:

- Young, beautiful and incredibly talented
- A pioneer who defined the sport, took it to extremes and fought for its visibility and recognition
- A wife who embraced life with the simple pleasures of knitting, cooking and embracing the love of her
husband and family
- A leader in a sport that involves extreme risk
- A warmth that was a part of who she was both inside and out
- A champion. Four time X-Games winner and expected favorite going into the 2014 Olympics
- An athlete without limits. This was only the beginning for what would become a career remembered for
generations

As I look around and see others lives, Sarah’s death may not have been in vain but it really makes you think harder about your own life and about the contributions you are making to enhance our experience on earth. Many of us drink, watch sports or reality television, go shopping, eat, read the paper, sit on Facebook or just watch life happen without any significant impact. I suppose for some, that is the dream of life but it should not be. If your greatest daily accomplishment is renting RedBox or seeing how coherent you were in your drunk texts, it is time to reevaluate.

Sarah Burke didn’t grasp the concept of slowing down for she knew what an uphill battle it was to gain recognition for her passion. Skiing was her passion along with her family, friends, husband and pursuit of extreme happiness. She was not looking to be in all the record books or define a sport or even become the most recognizable name but she was on her way. Her success, her motivation, her drive were all part of who she was.

Each day, was a journey. In 29 years, Sarah Burke accomplished more than most can ever imagine. For that, the magnitude of this tragedy is so escalated.

I did not know Sarah Burke, but the impact of her death should have all of us take a definitive look at life and whether was are truly embracing our own inner happiness.

As cultures and trends change, so to do the sounds we hear on 8 Track, tape, radio, CD, MP3 and IPod. As we reflect on our memories and look to the future, one thing is secure, music will continue to be a vital part of our lives.

Take a step back with me for a moment and look at the annual #1 Billboard hits from 1980 to 2011 and look have music has changes as each of us have grown.

CALL ME – BLONDIE (1980)

BETTIE DAVIS EYES – KIM CARNES (1981)

PHYSICAL – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (1982)

EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE – THE POLICE (1983)

WHEN DOVES CRY – PRINCE (1984)

CARELESS WHISPER – WHAM (1985)

THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR – DIONNE AND FRIENDS (1986)

WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN – THE BANGLES (1987)

FAITH – GEORGE MICHAEL (1988)

LOOK AWAY – CHICAGO (1989)

HOLD ON – WILSON PHILLIPS (1990)

EVERYTHING I DO (I DO IT FOR YOU) – BRYAN ADAMS (1991)

END OF THE ROAD – BOYZ II MEN (1992)

I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU – WHITNEY HOUSTON (1993)

THE SIGN – ACE OF BASE (1994)

GANGSTA’S PARADISE – COOLIO (1995)

MACARENA (BAYSIDE BOYS MIX) – LOS DEL RIO (1996)

CANDLE IN THE WIND 1997 (PRINCESS DIANA TRIBUTE) – ELTON JOHN (1997)

TOO CLOSE – NEXT (1998)

BELIEVE – CHER (1999)

BREATHE – FAITH HILL (2000)

HANGING BY A MOMENT – LIFEHOUSE (2001)

HOW YOU REMIND ME – NICKELBACK (2002)

IN DA CLUB – 50 CENT (2003)

YEAH! – USHER (2004)

WE BELONG TOGETHER – MARIAH CAREY (2005)

BAD DAY – DANIEL POWTER (2006)

IRREPLACEABLE – BEYONCE (2007)

LOW – FLO RIDA (2008)

BOOM BOOM POW – BLACK EYED PEAS (2009)

TIK TOK – KE$SHA (2010)

ROLLING IN THE DEEP – ADELE (2011)

Quite a list!
We hope you enjoyed this wild ride down memory lane…

The romantic gesture of sending flowers to your significant others work or a picnic in the park under the warmth of the sun or dancing in the rain in the middle of the road are all exceedingly beautiful actions to demonstrate the all encompassing aura of love. They are the truest of selfless acts that shows ones unconditional commitment to another.

But, when millions of women, watch Ben give a personal trolley ride through downtown San Francisco, scale the Golden Gate Bridge, have a national recording artist sing in City Hall or get kissed during a personal fireworks show, the bar gets set a little bit higher; almost to the point of unattainable.

The influence of the show has furthering affects on our environment. During a pivotal scene showing the conclusion of a date with Lindzi, he played piano to David Gray as they kissed the evening away. During my twenty minute drive home this fine night, I heard “Babylon” twice. hmmmm. Coincidence? I think not.

Fortunately, after the show has ended, the morning water cooler talk has subsided and the Facebook comments are settling in, we are back to reality…until next Monday when they horseback ride in Park City, Utah and whisk the night away with wine and hot tubs.

We as men do take solace in knowing the producers of the show do lend a bit of assistance as most common men cannot break into City Hall, reserve a city trolley and have a personal fireworks show over the San Francisco harbor, but the illusions remains.

So what do we do? Obviously, take comfort in knowing we are in bed with the one we adore and she cannot walk through the television and into the world of reality shows. For now at least. But, we still need to take notes and keep her on her toes. The Bachelor should not be our only point of research. Though most men hate to admit it, we do browse through Cosmopolitan and Vogue to help us with the ultimate dilemma, understanding women. This truly complex formula, more intricate than anything Galileo or Einstein ever theorized, is one that has baffled men from generation to generation. As hard as we try to impart our wisdom on the next generation, they too will fail as did we. We will continue to smile and celebrate with high fives the way men should when we gain even the smallest of victories.

Back to the topic at hand. Has The Bachelor set the bar too high for men to ever achieve the level of romance that women want? As a single opinion in the vast melting pot of relationships, I say yes. Our women may not say it out loud, but we know they are thinking it.

When they say “Honey, I adore you so much”, they are thinking “Why can’t he be more like the bachelor”
When they say “I love the little things you do”, they mean, “Why can’t you get off your ass and do something special for me”

Do we know how to read between the lines and just ignore it accepting we are the best we can be or do we truly not get it. Some do and some don’t. We have to keep some secrets to ourselves you know.

In the end, for two hours on Monday night, a fantasy world is created for 12 million plus women living vicariously through the 25 women who are fighting to extend their fifteen minutes of fame. Is The Bachelor really about romance? That is for you to decide America.

From the words of a writer and a poet, romance is a blessing. It is the true escape to a fantasy world where illusion becomes reality and the soul is drenched with the impulse of love. It captures our senses and warms the deepest corners of the heart. Love gives us the strength to find hope in despair and happiness in a sea of sadness. It is the most powerful force we can ever encounter and provides us with a reason to live.

Not everyone needs a reality show to see why we all desire even for a moment the ultimate feeling of love.

Creation: The action or process of bringing something into existence

“What can you ever really know of other people’s souls – of their temptations, their opportunities, their struggles? One soul in the whole creation you do know: and it is the only one whose fate is placed in your hands” – C. S. Lewis

We are often told through childhood and grade school that the opposite of death is life when in fact the true opposite of death is creation. Creation is the innovator of all humanity. It is the ability to take nothing more than a thought or concept and through the remarkable ability of our minds make something amazing. It is this gift that each of us possesses that allows us to not only evolve as a society but surround ourselves with wonder.

As we embark on a new year, we look at January as a symbolic gesture of a fresh start. Through the power of resolutions, we are able to relinquish our misfortunes from the previous year and start over. The ability to journey down a road undiscovered and take on the risk of a better tomorrow is quite a unique phenomenon.

What differentiates greatness from mediocrity, is the ability to take conscious thought and implement an action plan.

Do not make this a year of creation, make it a lifetime.

The creation of life is only the beginning. It is the gateway to all potential. Don’t wait, don’t hesitate, don’t resolve to make a difference. We are on the edge of complete insanity as technology is manipulating our culture and bringing us to the brink of global mayhem. If there was ever a time to stand up and allow your imagination to become the next generational icon, this is it. Immortality is a state of being. It is the legacy you leave behind that will define you for generations to come.

We are all blessed with the gift of imagination and the knowledge tools to become the ambassadors of change. Look deep inside yourself and search for the answers that have been waiting to be unleashed. You and you alone are the bearers of creation.

Your time on this earth is now. Own it and set a path for greatness because you have this reverence chained up in your brain waiting to be released.

Don’t wait for the world to come to you. Take it by the hand and guide it down the eternal path of absolute spectacle and astonishment.

“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.” – George Bernard Shaw

“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” – Maya Angelou

During our lives there are some things we get comfortable with almost to the point of taking advantage of them. It is this comfort that we benchmark our lives against and always find a sense of ease and safety with each passing day. No matter how far away we go, home is always there for us. It never leaves us, cheats on us or turns its back to us.

It’s allegiance and loyalty is without question and the sense you feel as you close you eyes, feel its touch, breath in its smell and see every memory race through your head is priceless. It is the warmth and coziness of home that continuously reminds me who I am and how I became the person I am today.

Every time I return home, I see something new. Though nothing changes, it is always different yet still the same feeling I had as a child.

This is my ode to Hopatcong, the safe haven that bore me and raised it. It is a town with a quiet rich heritage that continues to shine.

Its the parks, the diners, the locals, the morning dew, the local sports, the children and the air that we breath that makes home the only place you will ever know.

Be free, see the world and experience the magic and wonder of different cultures and different great natural wonders but never forget where you are from. It is and will always remained ingrained inside you.

Home is always safe in your heart!

“When you finally go back to your old hometown, you find it wasn’t the old home you missed but your childhood” – Sam Ewing

<

“No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home.” – L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

“Home is the place, where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” – Robert Frost

“I’m laying out my winter clothes and wishing I was gone,
Going home, where the new york city winters aren’t bleedin’ me.” – Paul Simon, The Boxer

“Home is not where you live, but where they understand you.” – Christian Morganstern

“A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams.” – Unknown

“Home should be an oratorio of the memory, singing to all our after life melodies and harmonies of old remembered joy.” – Henry Ward Beecher

If you could describe the love of your life (Wife, Husband, Partner, GF, BF) in one sentence, what would it be?

VIEW ALL RESPONSES

Here’s an excerpt:

The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 130,000 times in 2011. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 6 days for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

This is not intended for the passive Facebook user or the professional user. This article is about the rarest of Facebook breeds. The ones hidden deep in the trenches of locked up bedrooms covered in music posters and pink polka dots and basements with hundreds of thousands of mint condition comics. Yes, the truest of Facebook users, the Facebook Addict!

The most refined addict is very much aware of their actions and behaviors but there are some of us that are sub-consciously brainwashed by the ultimate social network that we don’t even realize we have hit that status.

Time to wake up, smell the pokes, the uploads, the status updates, the friend lists, the stalking and the narcissistic real time comment responses and see what is right in front of you.

A Facebook addict generally has one main weapon, the smartphone. With its ability to be mobile, take instant pictures and video and upload faster than a speeding bullet, this tool is the weapon of choice. Whether it is an IPhone, Droid or…wait are there any others, is a personal preference.

We all know the Dark Knight has an IPhone.

We are all envious of celebrities. We look to the tabloids, fashion and entertainment magazines, paparazzi shots and flock to download the music or see movies. We all want the “Rock Star” lifestyle. Now we can have it.

The number one reason Facebook can take a John/Jane Doe and make them a Justin Bieber or Adele is “Instant Celebrity Status”. If you go to a blowout party, hike a mountain, finish a marathon or come up with a life changing affirmation, you can now provide the details through a choice of media solutions (video, picture, words) instantly to your profile so all your friends and acquaintances can live vicariously through you. If you are sitting at home one evening and you see what all your friends are doing on the social circuit, there is a little bit of jealously running through those veins. We are now celebrities with just a simple click.

Frequency of check ins enhances our celebrity status by showing your circle of social life what a public butterfly you can be.

Comments are the key. What is the point of a status update if no one acknowledges it. We want everyone to comment. Even if it is only a virtual friend whom you have never spoken to. They count. They ramp up your popularity numbers. Look at Klout! Does anyone know what it all means? No, but we still strive to increase our Klout score.

Unlike real celebrities, we are in control of our image. There are no paparazzi around but we do have to keep our eyes open for wandering smartphones who could capture our image at the blink of an eye. If we take a shot that does not get approved by the board of “You”, it can be deleted for a better shot.

You have the ability to set marketing trends. When you try on outfits or buy a new car, ask your friends what they think. Planting these images in their heads will sent subliminal messages and give you the unspoken credit for marketing/promotion.

We are moving toward making therapists extinct, except for Los Angeles. It is just plain trendy out there. If we get dumped or suffer from the loss of a loved one, we pour our emotions out. People flock to provide advice and sympathy. Though not professional, it is the multitude of comments that helps us feel a little better about our situations. Those many profiles of deceased are kept open as memorials so that we can continue to reach out as if they are still beside us in their earthly state.

The most important thing to look for in a Facebook Addict is instant gratification. How quickly do they partake in an activity or event and get that shots/video up on Facebook? Is it a few weeks, a few days, or a few minutes? The quicker the upload, the more critical the addiction status. They also expect the comments to come flying in rather quickly as well.

We all want to be liked. We all want to feel loved and wanted. We all want the appreciation of feeling like a celebrity.

Facebook may have began as a site to rate the looks of students, but has created a culture shifting from 15 minutes of fame to instant celebrity status.

So to all the Facebook addicts, get out there and embrace life. Live it to the fullest but make sure you document every second. It is not enough to scale the Grand Canyon or surf Maui anymore. We are all a part of the Truman Show.

Lights, camera, action.

No one knows what it’s like to see the world through your eyes.
Your tired eyes, worn from life’s trials

It is in those eyes that I see life in all it’s majesty and beauty
A lover with the skin of a warrior
Fierce, but gentle

In all your weariness, a glimmer of hope for the true vision to arrive and welcome you into a home of solitude and warmth

It is dark now
A stillness has chilled the night air
You can hear your past hidden in the shadow, laughing at the power it has encompassed over the vulnerability time has presented

Now is the time to look beyond the darkness
A light has cast an incandescence of exclusionary love

A sentimental crush waiting patiently for your time
Now he extends his arms with selfless passion to you

His world is sacrificed to heal your wounded spirit

Now together a new path is drawn with unknown expectations but a promise of a continued brightness