What I tell myself when life is beating me down, I’ll be honest with you. I’m 55 years old and still find life hard. I still feel like a beginner at 18. I still feel mostly clueless. I still get scared and dread things. For the most part, things are hopeful. I’m productive, I’m exercising enough, feeling positive, and I am grateful for what I have. I can experience moments of brilliance, where I feel like I’m on fire, bursting with ideas. But there are times when I allow things to affect me too much, to push me back, to drain the life from my chest until it is hollow. It’s like losing my footing in the big climb of life, my grip has slipped, and I’ve taken a tumble. I have to dig in and set off again, a little more bruised than before. I know that there will always be things to be afraid of, and setbacks are inevitable. But I also know that they mustn’t cloud my mind to the point that I feel unable to do anything about it. I’ve had falls that have taken a long time from which to recover. But I’ve also been down and turned things around more quickly. This is why I’m writing this for myself and to my kids. To remind me how to stay up, when it can seem like things are geared to keep me down.