Firsts are always hard.

My son is in his first speech class at school. Yesterday, I was helping him prep, and I found myself saying: the middle doesn't matter as much as the beginning and the end — but you definitely can't screw up the beginning.

Funny how quickly the tables turn. Today I'm sitting here, trying to kick off this little site, wondering where to start.

Meanwhile, my kids are in a lovely (and hopefully not short-lived) musical rabbit hole, requesting songs I'm happy to listen to on repeat. One of the latest, now on daily rotation, is "Space Oddity" by David Bowie.

After enough listens, both of my sons started asking questions. Who is Major Tom? What happened to him?

That the answer isn't easily available is part of what makes the song so compelling. Does Major Tom die? Does he tumble off into space toward somewhere new? Is the whole thing an allegory for a drug trip?

Like any great piece of art, both things are true: we can never really know, and it's open to interpretation. I've always read it — and I don't think this is an exotic theory — as being about man's relationship with technology and the inevitable hubris that comes with it. It's also a story about an exciting beginning where the end is mysterious and elusive.

That's how I feel writing this first post.

I'm excited to have a place to explore ideas. I've tried things like this before, but there's a new feeling I haven't experienced. Maybe it's a tiny dose of wisdom in older age, but I'm more excited about having this than having anyone see it. If that makes any sense.

Don't get me wrong — I hope people eventually find this, maybe even find some of it interesting. But right now, that's not really the goal. Right now, I'm most excited about having somewhere to follow rabbit holes, explore ideas, and share them along the way. Somewhere to look back on as my journey develops.

That's it. My first post. I'm not sure I nailed the opening, like I coached my son to do — but I'll cut myself some slack.

Away we go. Commencing countdown. Engines on.

✌️❤️🚀