You win some. You lose way more it seems. You are broken. You rebuild. Dead weight makes way for smiles. In the constant struggle of keeping score, you realize the moments that felt like defeats were actually victories of the greatest beauty.

...When we look back at our past disappointments, whether they are the loss of a friend, lover, or job, the agony and recovery was probably always the same. Through our anger and loss, we tapped into some new hope that resides sometimes too deep within, not easily accessible, but always begging of us to channel its power.

Loss and tragedy have a way of making us so much stronger. We cannot fight it; the lessons that come along with both must be allowed to breathe deeply into us. It will ultimately teach  us a lesson we just cannot comprehend when we feel like we are in the muck. But we will get it, at some point, like some epiphany, so simple, that  it will all make sense. At  some yet undetermined point in your life, it will hit you with the force of a Mike Tyson punch. The realization that you are a better person because of it will leave you with a serene smile on your face.

We all have dead weight we need to shed. When I reflect on my life, music has always been the major force to help me deal with anything and everything. And while I got older and my moods more complicated, music was always there. As a kid posters and magazines took me away to a magical world. As I grew older, I started tailgating and going to live shows. Now I write about music and help as many bands as I can. But through all my incarnations, from weird kid to who I am now, music has always been that shot of optimism that has helped me deal.

Anger, disappointment, tears, loss and devastation have always been replaced by ear shattering music, smiles, a sense of connection and purpose and a big finger telling those that hurt me that I won. My recovery was always set to music. This week, I have decided to shed the dead weight holding me back and I will set it a new and exciting soundtrack and I ask you to do the same.