The inception of Tagline formally began on an unforgettable day. One on which I will recall. But first, I must regale back a bit further.

The dash on my faithful Honda CRV has a rectangular nook meant for storing odds & ends.

 Perfect, that’s a bit odd.

The jowls on my faithful companion occasionally store a tennis ball.

 Neat, that could end.

Well, in accordance with odds & ends, I wedged a once round tennis ball into that rectangular alcove.

What? Why? Brah…

My best friend Zac was often incredulous of the arrangement. In particular, he was simultaneously puzzled and amused that the ball remained wedged year after year. I reciprocated his wonder with eloquence.

It’s the long game. I’m producing square balls. Behold the prototype.

I return to the inception. Oh, that fateful day!

It was around the holidays, as I recall. A cold, New England evening. Zac and his lovely fiancé Danaé were hanging out in the kitchen with my family and I. The aforementioned square ball was the impetus, and the finer details escape me, but we were onto something - Tagline.

Similar in format to a game like Apples to Apples or Cards against Humanity we took turns coming up with a product or service, while the rest of us would anonymously submit an (in)appropriate tagline. Oh, what good-natured family fun, a cherishable moment indeed.

We were just warming up. In classic New England fashion, the power went out, and so we lit the fireplace. As Zac and I so often do, we expanded our gathering. Many of our friends lost power, and perhaps the universe recognizing the lovely nature of the moment was guiding them to our gathering.

The game was upon us! With a sturdy hearth as our light, we were scribbling taglines on slips of paper, sharing guffaws, and engaging in healthy competition!

All the Light We Cannot See

In that very moment the lights came back on. One of my friends was sharing with me the name of a book she was thoroughly enjoying. It was fantastic. The book title, the timing, the moment - perfect.

I hope to never forget the inception of Tagline. And I believe I owe it to my friends and family to one day digitize the game.

Some code has been written. But there is much to do, and honestly the project is on the shelf at the moment. But I have still not forgotten.

I hope the same memory lives on with my friends and family.

May God bless them.