Breaking from my usual again. Maybe this is the new normal.

Before I get started I want to talk a little about what makes something a favorite. And I don’t mean just for me, I mean for everyone.

I think each and every one of us has a certain set of themes that repeat throughout our lives. These themes may be influenced by personal preferences. Or maybe they’re driven by personality – that un-quantifiable mixture of nature and nurture.

One thing I do know, we humans seem to learn in cycles. We...