ast year, i began a new blog series, of sorts, in which i compiled a mix of the best music i had discovered in the preceding two months. the series and mixes are called, two in review. read the original post for details of why i started this.

**EDITORIAL NOTE: about 2 years ago, my best friend rob was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. since that time, he had hospital stays at both uams and md anderson in houston, tx. there were times that rob could have walked out of the hospital and conquered the world and there were times when he was preparing to leave this present reality. this morning, rob’s preparation for death culminated with just that. so, on the wake of his passing, i thought i would offer a few words about him here. i hope that after reading, you gather at least a small sense of how beautiful rob’s life truly was.**

we humans tend to see the world in either/or terms. it’s black or it’s white. it’s hot or it’s cold. it’s right or it’s wrong. it’s good or it’s bad. we live in dichotomies. in bifurcated realities where the middle is often lost.

so it is with people. we see good people. and we see bad people. we seek out opposing forces and divide accordingly.

but there is, in fact, a middle space. and maybe not even as much a middle space, but a blend, a melding somewhere in between where, on any given day, we must re-evaluate and find ours and others’ place.

so it was with my best friend rob.