Waves of Life: A Collection of Poems

Thoughts About our Friend Don Mueller

Where you meet someone can make all the difference.

I met Don on a bicycle, going up a hill, both our shoulders sagging under the effort. Age did not matter. Career didn't. Where you lived or what you had. None of it. It was the effort, the focus, the comradery that can only come from shared endeavor--competitive and friendly alike that leaves each of you drained.

Where you go together matters more still.

I was lucky for the many days of friendship that followed, not just the hours on the bike together but the way our lives began to overlap. Whether on the road, on a run, with a glass of wine, in a conference room . . . The Don Mueller emerged. Here are a few of the lessons that I took away . . .

- You only get someplace by effort. One day, one week, one month, one year, one decade. If you haven't put in the miles, the race is already gone.

So, put in the effort.

- Everybody fails sometimes, sometimes small and sometimes big. The problem, though, is often you just don't realize it until it is long past. After others have been hurt. After you've hurt yourself. All in ways you never thought possible.

So, try to come clean, even if just a bit. Make amends when you can; how you can, even to yourself. And pay more attention going forward.

- We all have a role. Sometimes you're a star, most of the time a member of the chorus. They all matter, and they are all just as important

- Barry Sullivan

Don Mueller was born in 1946 and grew up in suburban Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Redford Township High School and went on to earn degrees from Albion College and, after being drafted and serving in Viet Nam, Michigan State University. Being unable to find an advertising opportunity in the Midwest, Don headed to Hawaii, found his first job, and eventually became a partner in the firm of Peck, Sims, Mueller, which became one of the most successful advertising agencies in Hawaii. Don had been a college swimmer, took up running for conditioning and after moving to Hawaii added cycling. He hung out and trained with a cadre of close friends who pushed each other and competed regularly. In his 40s, at the zenith of his competitive life, Don was a top triathlete for his age group in North America. After some setbacks, Don moved to California where, for a number of years, he owned a high-end audio and television installation business. Early in 2021, Don learned from partners that a long-delayed business opportunity in Hawaii might finally materialize. In June 2021 Don returned to Honolulu and lived on Waikiki Beach overlooking the ocean he loved. For a decade or more Don had been in declining health. During his last months, he wrote most of the 100 poems in this collection reflecting on his life. Until the very end, Don possessed a positive spirit and remained thankful for the life he had lived. Don's life ended and he began his next journey in January 2022.