The Beauty of Bourbon

"Maybe that's why I love it so much."

A friendship spanning decades and cities.

I always knew he loved bourbon, the ever-expanding collection, the dedicated shelf in his home, the reverence in his pour.

But I never knew why.

I assumed it was about taste. Habit. Ritual.

Until one night, over conversation and a bottle he'd been saving, he offered something deeper.

"It's the history of it. The fact that they make something… to sit."

He paused, looked down, then back up.

"I'm always running so fast. It's the idea that they make something to be intentionally slow. To sit. And the longer it sits, the better it gets.

It's something that has to slow down to be good. It's the opposite of my life. Maybe that's the true beauty of bourbon... and why I love it so much."

The words rolled off his tongue smoother than the Blanton's in our glass.

In that moment, he realized something he'd never put into words, not only about bourbon, but about himself.

It wasn't just about flavor or tradition. It was about what it represented.

Stillness. Patience. The value of slowing down, something he rarely got to do as a high-performing leader, pushing hard at work, showing up at home, always in motion.

It's easy to go fast. It's hard to go slow.

But the things that last, the things that deepen, mature, and resonate don't come from the rush. They come from the stillness.

The beauty wasn't in the bourbon; it was the stillness it symbolized.

What in your life invites you to stop running, to pause, and reconnect with yourself?