i'm leaving for DC tonight and decided since surfer was no longer practicing last night, that i too should clear out my evening and spend it with paul. it was the best decision i've made all week. we needed just a bit of time in each other's company, focused on each other, and it was a very sweet night.

i think this is the secret to leading a well balanced life... to acknowledge the times when everything else stops and you just focus on family and just being there, in the moment, with another.

and in doing so, i also talked about the novel, semi-non-fiction that i want to write. and paul listened. he really listened, and gave feedback. and that meant the world to me.