a movie. It opens up with you randomly reflecting on distant memories from the days of your youth. You fall into a tranquil state as you time travel back to more hopeful times when all things were possible. You form a roadmap of your odyssey from the innocence of youth to the jaded perch of impending old age. Your coming-of-age story includes noble victories and ignominious defeats that serve as signposts along the way. It almost seems unreal watching yourself. This could easily be about someone else, but it's not-it's you!

Rebel Without a Clue is the highlight reel of my time on earth and nostalgia is the bridge connecting all the moving parts while people, places, and things come and go. One minute they are front and center, then in the blink of an eye, they have faded from view.

This is about struggle and the rewards of perseverance. Humor, especially about oneself, is the glue that holds faltering self-esteem together when things go wrong. Music is also a constant thread providing calm amidst the chaos. Time keeps roaring by like a runaway train, yet there is a continuity to the changes within myself and all around me.

Ironically, self-reflection eventually transforms itself into empathy for others. Through the lens of Rebel Without a Clue, I now appreciate the journey others have taken with their own highlight reels. Maybe my story is just dust in the wind, but it's a universal whirlwind blowing through all of us. The passing of time can separate us from who we once were, but the power of our memory is stronger. It is through memory that our stories are preserved forever.