The view from the airplane isn't as nice as where you're going, but it's worth seeing.

I'm going to make a list of things that I like in the hopes that this overwhelming sense of being overwhelmed will fly away from me like a fluttery thing with a reputation of flying away from things.

1 underdog stories
2 hearing my kids laugh really hard
3 seeing something I've done received with appreciation
4 throwing a knife at something and having it stick
5 the way Jack always, ALWAYS falls for it when I make a coin disappear from my hand and then reappear in his ear
6 seeing an old tree standing all by itself and thriving
7 playing a game with Jack and, just when I'm about to win, he rolls the miracle number to slip in for an improbable win
8 hearing that people have been saying good things about me behind my back
9 feeling genuinely glad to see a friend
10 the look on my kids' faces when their efforts are rewarded
11 when one particular daycare kid randomly runs up to me and hugs the crap out of my leg

Wow. That actually worked. I still feel overwhelmed, but I also feel appreciation for this brief life.

Thank you,
Matt Beers