what Talon taught me

August 2006.

It was the first physical training session of ROTC at Texas Tech University.

Start time was 6am.

I decided I would be the first one there.

I arrived at 5am.

Talon was already there.

We were inseparable for the rest of college.

He was in my wedding. I was in his.

We served in the military together.

We fought and argued like brothers.

I loved him like a brother. He loved me like a brother.

We started the betterhumanology podcast together (now the better human business podcast).

...

November 2024.

I'm writing this as I fly to his funeral. It hurts.

I don't have many people in my life who I can say, "I would not be the man I am today if I didn't meet this person."

Talon is one of those.

Here are two things Talon taught me:

Thing #1 - keep an open mind

Talon taught me how to become unoffendable and to keep an open mind no matter the belief, idea, or theory. This lesson has served me greatly over the last two decades. It kept me open to many things I may have been closed off to. Things that led to personal growth and development.

Thing #2 - loyalty in friendship

Aside from my wife, there is no one in this world who I trusted as much as Talon. It took him years to teach me this and he knew he was teaching it to me. Over and over he would let me know I could trust him even when I didn't want to trust anyone. He always had my back, whether I was around to hear it or not.

Ultimately, he taught me how to be a friend. What real friendship looks like.

I'm not sure I was ever deserving of such a friend.

I'm not sure I'll ever have this type of friend again.

Talon, thank you.

I will miss you every day.

-JM