A weird note for you. I have no idea if anybody reads this newsletter. Could be a few dozen. A few thousand? Tens of thousands? It’s easy enough to find out, but I prefer not knowing. Too much of our lives are dictated by the need to perform. For me, this newsletter is a little pocket dimension that doesn’t carry the weight of expectations.
I have no idea if anybody reads this newsletter. Could be a few dozen. A few thousand? Tens of thousands? It’s easy enough to find out, but I prefer not knowing.
Too much of our lives are dictated by the need to perform.
For me, this newsletter is a little pocket dimension that doesn’t carry the weight of expectations. I hope to conjure something worthwhile for you on occasion. But frankly, these paragraphs are like texting an old friend. We enjoy each other, but there’s not much at stake.
In a world full of hustle-porn and pushy business tactics, that’s a big unforced error on my part. But given the nature of whisk(e)y and what it represents, I think the lean-back approach is fine. (sshh… just let me justify it.)
Whiskey offers that in a lot of ways. Assuming you have a similar relationship with the golden nectar, holding a glass is like showing the world a “temporarily closed for maintenance” sign. A good pour means it’s time to relax, take a breath, and just do something (or nothing) for its own sake.
Don’t get me wrong. There’s a time and place for the grind. But if you can't ever take a step back and appreciate where the grind has brought you, what’s the point?
For example, today I woke up to my little girl standing by my side of the bed. She was losing her first tooth and needed a bit of coaching.
One tooth later, I was watching her eat cereal by the window. The morning sun glowed through her uncombed hair as she poked at bits floating in the milk.
It was good.
The previous night's rain knocked the edge off of our Texas heat. When I stepped out the front door, I was greeted by a morning so crisp and clear, my laundry list of obligations took a back seat to a single idea.
Gratitude. (Thank you for being here.)
No one else was around as I walked to my car, so I wasn’t self conscious when I said out loud, “Oh, what a day, what a lovely day.”
There was a bit more growl in those words than I expected. It took a moment to dust off the archives and recall the source of that line. Shifting into drive and charging towards the day, I remembered the scene from one of my favorite movies. Mad Max: Fury Road is deceptively simple, but I’ve probably watched it more times than any other movie, and I adore this moment. https://youtu.be/W28kNzz50pw?t=32
Witness me, Bloodbag. Witness.
~ The Magnificent Bastard
YOU MEME THE WORLD TO ME
THE VAULT OF TRIBES
Check Out This Past Week's Videos From Our YouTube Channels Whiskey Tribe and Whiskey Vault.
In this video, Rex and Daniel talk about The Whiskey Tribe - a big, salty and ridiculous community of whisk(e)y loving MB's. They've raised a whiskey freak-flag...
Is your inner bastard Magnificent enough to salute?
Ian Piggott is our whiskey article curator - he gives us a glimpse of what’s happening with whiskey (and our whiskey brethren and sistren) around the world.
[+] Monkey shoulder goes stratospheric with new track
Whisky brand Monkey Shoulder is kicking off the summer season by launching a music track and video – as well as sending a bottle of whisky into space – to raise money for the live music sector.
