  This expository article presents an overview of research, conducted mostly
between the mid-1990s and late 2000s, that explores a link between commutation
relations among a family of asymptotically stable vector fields and stability
properties of the switched system that these vector fields generate. This topic
is viewed through the lens of the author's own involvement with it, by
interspersing explanations of technical developments with personal
reminiscences and anecdotes.
