Reflection

I Went Back to Ibiza

May 27, 2026

Approaching Ibiza on Val Gal (aka Valiant Lady), the warmth of the sun and the sea breeze. Spanning the horizon to take in the architecture, geography and where our adventure was about to take us to. The sun’s rays, the calm as fellow passengers disappeared to get ready for their night in Ibiza. An adventure is unforgettable when we can close our eyes and morph back to the moments, immersed in the sensation of the sight, sound, touch and smell. Nick and I made the journey with this particular p[…]

The Miles Shared

May 11, 2026

Do you ever find yourself closing your eyes and yearning to go back to a moment, not to be in the moment but for how that moment made you feel? The people in our lives play such an influential role in our lives that all too often we don't realize it until things change. My last post was June 2020, Six years, give or take. Where has the time gone? Did it pause? Did it fast forward? What has changed? Did anything stay the same? When I close my eyes and reflect on the people around me passing throu[…]

“My God, I’ve arrived. I’m there”, why your life is not a journey

September 20, 2019

Thought evoking YouTube video, Why Your Life is Not a Journey. "We simply cheated ourselves the whole way down the line. We thought of life by an analogy with a journey, with a pilgrimage, which had a serious purpose at the end the thing was to get to that end, success, or whatever it is, or maybe heaven after you're dead. "

Pen to Paper, fingers to keyboard, what are they writing?

January 31, 2019

Flying home from New York (JFK) to Atlanta I notice two people seated one before the other along the aisle. Each in deep focus, broad, yet one can see, a different approach. The woman in 25E, MacBook powered up, PowerPoint open, scrolling through presentations, spreadsheets, listening to her air buds, frequently pausing, raising her hand to her face, searching graphics, tapping backspace, edit and delete. The gentleman in 26E, leather-bound journal open, fine point ink pen, listening to Spotify […]

Touch vs. Feel

April 25, 2018

A discussion about the senses earlier this week ran through my mind today. I reflect back on that afternoon; the smell of rain, dark clouds above and the sound of raindrops hitting the street. My friend reached out, quickly grabbing a leaf from each tree we passed. Not saving them, picking out a new one along the path. He described the rationale behind catching a small piece of each tree. What did he feel in each leaf? What made them different from the one prior? Had I felt a lamb's ear plant? W[…]

Cinderella Moment, Important Bucket and Change in

December 13, 2017

(Composed; 2017-Dec-10 ) Damn? I have no clue where to start. Where am I? Where have I been? At the moment I'm on a KLM flight from Helsinki to Amsterdam. I can finally manage to say, we have been to HELsinki. Passing through the aisle at the moment, the young female KLM flight attendant. I extended a genuine thank you and shared how her smile is nothing but infectious and she is beautiful. Of course, only made her smile more. A genuine compliment can go so far, a smile lasts, laughter can make […]

The Magnitude Factor of 49, The Math – Orlando

June 12, 2016

First thing this morning Nick began updating me on the Orlando news before getting out of bed. Thinking to myself, the counts have to be wrong, and once it's confirmed it won't be that bad. Departing the city and the connection online to kayak was a blessing. The Magnitude Factor of 49 (excluding shooter), victims that lost their life in Orlando early this morning. I believe those that lost are souls we lost, not simply victims. 49 - People confirmed as of 18:53. 77.9 - Average Life Expectancy i[…]

Farewell to my best buddy, my shadow, Jasmine the Beagle

May 4, 2016

I have been struggling over the past 10 days on coming to terms with the passing of my best friend, Jasmine the beagle. I felt it fitting to share the story of Jasmine in my life, how she chose me, and her final few minutes with me last Monday. In early November 2006, Victor and I were casually walking along Mag Mile. We entered the shopping center to visit Nordstrom, along the path we ran into a baby beagle rescue available for adoption. The scent of the puppy, nibbling on my fingers, my heart […]

The perfect piece of art, a song, and a napkin

February 22, 2016

Over the weekend Nick and I stumbled upon Sugarboo & Co at Town Brookhaven. I entered the store and froze, gazing at a piece of art while a song (Spotify: Heartbeats; Jose Gonzalez ) hit my heart giving me a sense of calm. A minute... or two passed, unaware of the price I grabbed the art and gave it to the employee to purchase it. This store has incredible things, all unique, many intricate things that you cannot find anywhere else. This new addition to the house needed to be in the heart of[…]

HURRY! Planes, Trains, Automobiles and Abraham Lincoln?

June 2, 2015

On Saturday, May 16th I was fortunate to tour the FAA tower at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport through the New PDK Airport Association. The tower has a 360 wrap around deck where you can see the entire airport and downtown. Photos | Exploring the tallest ATC Tower (ATL) in North America #avgeek Do you remember as a kid when you drew a Perspective? At a view of nearly 400 feet above the worlds busiest airport (2014 Passenger Volume), the wind whispered the word Perspective in m[…]

Effie, Brace yourself, Thank You Mrs. Doubtfire…

May 26, 2015

Today's Tuesday Takeaway, Mrs. Doubtfire In 1993, Thanksgiving ushered in a new character named Mrs. Doubtfire who continues to bring laughter some 21 years later. I'd like to share with you one of my favorite scenes of the movie, the interviews. Do you have a favorite character? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is0RMnx0sAo My favorite inquiry is a toss-up between I am Job and don't make me get the hose. While traveling over the weekend I debated whether a Mrs. Doubtfire clip from the movie woul[…]

How One Restless Night Changed My Life, The Human Element

May 18, 2015

Mantra: man-tra (noun) - (Originally in Hinduism and Buddhism) A word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation. A Vedic hymn a statement or slogan repeated frequently I often thought the phrase Happy Monday was an oxymoron. For those in the corporate world, it's the start of the work week and conclusion of the short two day break. The past thirty days has forever changed my perspective on life which will continue to ignite my pursuit in the better of humanity. People […]

7 Days Since Jet Drag, A Blank Stare

May 11, 2015

It have reached a solid brain block in deciphering what and when to compose next. All too often a very familiar trait I have learned of myself is that something which should be simple my mind sees it as quite the opposite. Overthinking, perhaps something with photos, screenshots, outputs, what else more? Do I need to write a longer post to appease people and keep them interested? Can I post an update about #theHumanElement out of sequence to the other happenings in my life? What I ca[…]

VIDEO | Towards the Sun by Rick Mereki #breathtaking #vimeo

March 22, 2014

Last month I ran across a vimeo by Rick Mereki called Move. In February he added "Towards the Sun". If you ever imagined some of the most breathtaking moments of seeing the sun, this video filmed in the Canary Islands, captures them. Take a moment, and enjoy the view. Kudos to #RickMereki . http://vimeo.com/86002097 […]

“31 Minutes to Take Off”, how Flying Evokes Emotion in me

July 14, 2011

While preparing dinner last night, Slacker popped up the album 31 Minutes to Take Off by Mike Posner. The song of the cover is only 53 seconds but what grabbed me was the album cover. Sitting on a plane at sunset, no one next to you, seat in front of you, and bound for wherever the jet is going to touch down. Whenever it is close to take off, I still get the feeling of excitement. The plane pushing back from the gate, being cleared to taxi, and finally rolling down the runway. Looking out the sm[…]

The Person Behind the Pursuit

I'm Douglas. Since 2015 I've been on a relentless pursuit to define The Human Element. The innate quality that draws us closer to one another. One name, one moment, one person at a time. I believe there is light in all of us. This site is my attempt to protect it.
Be humble, be grateful, be true to you.
Read more about the journey →

_{Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not reflect the views of my employer.}