He's moved on from 2009's year of negativity when the divorce seemed anything but a beautiful dance of protons:

http://twitter.com/zeldman/status/1558664990 & http://twitter.com/zeldman/status/12644932699

And it was only six months ago when he said it's necessary to have been abandoned, betrayed and ridiculed and to have a "restless, broken heart" in order to succeed: http://www.zeldman.com/2009/10/22/dirty-little-secret-of-suc...

Just his own output seems to demonstrate that maybe it does take some pain to feel truly grateful for what you do have, but, sadly, I doubt most people will appreciate that until, well, they've been through the mill too.

I tried. I tried really hard. I really wanted to see it this way. But hey. Sorry. I can't. This is just a mockery to me. I can't stand it anymore, happy faces, banal everyday stories "what are you doing tonight? I am… blah blah!". So you are happy, you are doing fine. Great. I can't help myself. Sorry. I don't mean it, you're fine person, I am sure you are. But I hate you.

(Pardon me, HN. I don't feel good after reading this story and I am trying to help myself a little. I know it's silly. Downote this as much as you like, it's ok, I don't mind it, I just wanted to write this. Sorry.)

As the father of a [teething] toddler [with a chest cold] and someone who has to travel with increasing frequency, I completely understand how Jeff felt last night. I'm not sure how he drew a connection between the awesomeness of family and the beautiful proton dance at the office, but if the point was to reemphasize the importance of perspective, it was a good read.

This (posted on HN a few weeks ago), is quite a bit more coherent, though: http://patterico.com/2006/12/03/putting-things-in-perspectiv...

I love this bit:

“Dad, there are poopy turds on the floor,” my daughter said.

“I know, I’ll clean them in the morning.”

“Dad, there are poopy turds on the floor.”

“I’ll go clean them,” I said.

it reminds me of the Louis Kahn quote:

“And if you think of Brick, for instance, and you say to Brick, "What do you want Brick?" And Brick says to you "I like an Arch." And if you say to Brick "Look, arches are expensive, and I can use a concrete lentil over you. What do you think of that?" "Brick?" Brick says: "... I like an Arch"

Kids (and bricks) have a way of getting you to do the right thing.

Is it just me or does it seem cruel to keep this dog alive. If it is having seizures on a fairly routine basis that cause shrieks that "testify to his terror and pain." The more humane thing at this point would be to let this dog go. It's way harder for you then it will be for the animal and at some point is just being selfish.

Domestic animals give love freely to the least deserving, but their lives are short and their ends are often brutal. And it’s worth it. It is all worth it. Every day, even a sad day blurred by headaches and filled with business meetings, is magical and infinite.

I know this is hn, but thanks for the great thoughts.

This is the first time I have talked about this...

On October 8, 1991, we found a box on our front porch containing a kitten and a note, "Please take care of me." We named her Sarah.

Sarah was a cat who acted like a dog. Every time I came home, she came running to the car, screaming for me the whole way. She sat on my lap every single day as I wrote thousands of lines of code. She was my best friend and companion for years, longer than any human.

This past February, Sarah had started walking into walls. My vet thought she was going blind, a different reason for each eye. We started treatment immediately. She didn't sit with me when I worked anymore.

Then on March 8, 2010, I was in the middle of an intense piece of work and took my eye off her for 5 minutes. She walked off the balcony and fell to the driveway below. Her injuries were too much; she had to be put down.

I was surprised at how I reacted, inconsolable and unable to function for about a week. I sat at my terminal, but for the first time in my life, no code came out.

OP was right. Our companions can be magical and mystical. And no matter how much it hurt, it was definitely worth it.

The code is flowing again like it did for years with Sarah on my lap. Except now, it's her urn beside me, between my laptop and my monitor. Tonight was the first time I smiled about it. Thank you, OP.

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” --William Arthur Ward

Thank You for giving me that present.

Yes, yes. Lucky man praises luck.

Well done.. even more powerful because this isn't typical fare on this website. If read on a personal development website, it would read like more content fodder. Read here, it reads like amazing.

I'm sorry to rain on that parade, but that last paragraph is really glued on there. I don't disagree with the sentiment, but that exposition went straight in to a brick wall.

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Fluff ? On my HN ?

My first undeniable indication that HN has "jumped the shark." But I'm relatively new around here. Maybe I just didn't notice the rot before.

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