It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get back up.- Vince Lombardi

I read this quote this morning, and it has stuck with me all day. I like it. I realize that, especially the past weeks, I have been preoccupied with a lot of details that just are not all that important. If you have spinach in your teeth, be grateful you have teeth. If you fall off the curb into a big mushy pile of leaves and mud, accept the hand-up proffered by your wife despite the fact she's laughing hard enough to almost lose her own balance.

I am really glad for where I am right now, and the fact that I am generally able to exercise my freedom and thought. I can maneuver around the big mud puddles, but if I fall in it just means I'll have to wash up. Big deal.

Which leads me to my less-existential day. Work has been very hectic, and fortunately I have Mary's smile to brighten the dark moments away. I need to say "thank you" to her. My evenings have been busy working on an art-project that seems to move very ponderously along; not that it is in any way lacking in inspiration - in fact quite the opposite, I think I have such an unusually detailed vision of its completion that I almost hesitate to put a brush to it in fear that I won't accomplish the exact right effect. Frustration in art is an odd thing - you look for perfection and if something goes wrong you tend to throw up your hands. Van Gogh chopped off his ear. We forget that paint can be wiped off, painted over and if all else fails there's a belt sander in the garage.

Its the vision that matters, how much paint you use is a detail...after you throw a fit, it's whether you get back up.

Thank you Mary!