When I was attending school, I had some pretty fun times, sometimes they were a little crazier than I should have allowed, but all in all it was a positive life learning experience on several levels. More recently, I've found myself under an amazing amount of stress, something I've deftly avoided for most of my life. Meditation and prayer have helped me find my inner peace on several occasions, and will continue to do so. I've actually considered starting to write about politics again, maybe just start parodying what I see every day in congress, the executive office, and various governments around the nation and world. At this moment, I don't see a whole lot which warrants endorsing, no movements that invoke passion that haven't already been fought and won or lost (mostly lost, but hey, that's the way life goes). One thing I tell Estee very frequently that there is always a reason to smile. For all of the negative moments of life, the fighting, the anger and hate in the world, all of the reasons to frown, there are so many more to smile. My family, my mom, dad, brothers, sister in law, niece, and nephews. My love, and the life we will spend together. My God. The beauty of nature in and of itself. Sometimes, when I used to walk every day in the neighborhood where I grew up, I would look intensely at the trees, grass, sky, and other various items and parts of my surroundings and take them in, understanding that while such beauty occurs naturally, it's all part of a larger plan. Something beyond my control, other than the lives I can touch personally. Smile. The reasons to do so outnumber and are greater than the reasons not to. Don't get to wrapped up in things you cannot control.