The Best Cocktail Lounge on the Planet

Do you have one place that’s your absolute favorite? A place nowhere else compares, especially when sharing it with people you love?

Beam me and our all-guy bromance group—including my brothers, family, and close friends—to a peaceful lake at sunset in Northern Wisconsin aboard a pontoon stocked with cocktails, beer, and enough food to sustain us until we dock at a local pub once the horizon fades. I should mention the lake is peaceful—until we get there.

We will set sail at 5 o’clock somewhere, returning only when the stars blanket the sky. Some nights, the water is so still, and the stars reflect so precisely off the glass lake that our equilibrium gets thrown off—we can’t tell if we’re floating above or on top of the sky. Of course, what once filled our now-depleted coolers might help to contribute to our thrown-off equilibrium. 😎

The magic begins when the sun hits the tops of the pines. If we’re lucky, a full moon rises on the opposite side of the lake, wrapping us in a panoramic world where time seems to stand still. It is the best cocktail lounge on the planet, but it’s just a pretty scene without the love and fun camaraderie.

Angels Watching Over

We coined a term for our chats on the boat in the middle of the lake: free talking. We let loose the goofiest, nonsensical banter our unfettered minds can muster. It might look like utter chaos to an outsider, with ten topics flying around all at once—but for us, it all makes perfect sense. Unlike back home, the best part is that no one will call you out for not listening. 😄 😗 🧐

We’re not battling for our homeland; we’re just melting into the moment. But, to exaggerate our mood, Mel Gibson’s cry of “Freedom!” from Braveheart sometimes echoes across the lake.

Naturally, a song was born from this moment—one song with two versions.

The original, which I call the Brother’s Version—because friends and family are brothers up there—hasn’t been recorded professionally yet, but I’ll share an exclusive rough demo below. Maybe it’ll make the production queue soon.

The second, more “Universal Version,” is about why sunsets resonate with all of us. That’s coming in the next newsletter. 😄

Thanks for reading!

Let’s “make this journey a smoother ride.”

—Michael

THE SETTING SUN • ROUGH DEMO

“BROTHER’S VERSION”

Verse 2

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