We've all heard the phrase, "I've got it down pat."

I wanted to research that a little bit, but before I even jumped on a computer—before I let someone else tell me what it meant—I wanted to drop some notes on what I thought it meant.

I think the first time I came across that statement was when I was seriously involved in playing the drums.

Watching my father age, sometimes with grace and sometimes with challenge, has been an education I never expected to receive.

The truth is, watching someone we love grow older can be difficult.

Not only because we see their life changing, but because somewhere deep inside we are reminded that someday ours will too.

And I think that fear can cause us to look away.

I've been reflecting on my life these past few months and noticing just how little is actually predictable.

Sometimes that realization feels exhilarating.

Other times it can be downright frightening.

For nearly three decades, my career has been built around living in the unknown. Every morning I wake up not knowing what computer crisis, server failure, or emergency I'll be stepping into.

I was always fascinated by the old Hollywood stories.

The legend goes that Lana Turner was discovered sitting in a malt shop and by the next day she was a star. One moment anonymous. The next moment center stage.

But another theater tradition captured my imagination even more: the understudy.

As a kid, I was fascinated with juggling.

There were so many different things you could juggle. Balls, clubs, knives, even fire—which, of course, was my favorite. But what really captured my imagination was trying to juggle things that weren't the same.

Rubber balls and eggs for example.

One would bounce if I dropped it.
The other...well...Mom would not be very happy with me.

And she wasn't - but she indulged her boy that was always exploring the limits of what he could do.

There's an old saying: Walk a mile in my shoes.

And I think there's a lot of soul in that statement. Get it?

Recently, I've had to recognize that many of my attempts to understand a situation have been through the lens of my own experience rather than through the lens of the person I'm trying to understand.

Most of us want our feelings validated.

We want our experiences acknowledged.

We want to be seen.

But sometimes the invitation is to step outside of our own experience and place our feet firmly in the shoes of another.

People often tell me:

"Danny... when they made you, they broke the mold."

Well, I’m here to tell you... they didn’t break the mold.

Apparently they used it again.

I love my brother Tom. He’s twelve years younger than me, and I’ve known him for about sixteen years.

Now some of you may be doing the math right now with raised eyebrows thinking:

"Wait... what’s the story there???"

A Duck-Tale

The other morning Sarah and I got up, made our coffee, and looked out the window toward the backyard.

There, floating in our pool, was a little duck family.

How cute.

There was the handsome-looking mallard duck with his deep shades of green. You all know I’m a little partial to the animal kingdom. A peacock with all its colors and plumes, a mallard with its beautiful shades of green...

Why can’t I wear clothes like that?

Making mistakes is human.

Give me a break… give me a break.

And instead of breaking off a piece of that Kit Kat bar, maybe we break off a piece of compassion for ourselves when we make mistakes.

Perhaps we realize that sometimes the only way to learn something more deeply… is to trip, stumble, and fall.