My buddy, Bryan sent me an old picture he had taken while we were young and the blood was obviously not getting to our brain yet. We had gone to some friends’ house on the top of a hill to try out Bryan’s new (to him) hang glider. I am not sure I was the first to try it out, but I do remember being way higher in the air than I felt in any way comfortable about falling. That was my first and last time hang gliding. It was a lot of fun, but the consequences of failure seemed dire, even for a guy in his mid-twenties.

Seeing this photo made me think of how grateful I am that God was merciful to me in my youth, keeping me alive long enough to start trying things that were meaningful rather than just fun or, worse, things done to make an impression on someone. To this day, I am amazed at my own narcissism sometimes. All the same, there was a lot of bonding that went on during those years. Bryan and I always talked about more consequential things than just fun, fame, and money. I am grateful for that, too.