Ah, recess, such a better sweet experience when you were younger.

On one hand, you had the freedom and joy of escaping class for an hour, but on the other,

it also brought about the dreaded moment where teams needed to be chosen.

You'd shift from foot to foot with your eyes staring at the ground, trying to make

it look like you weren't even paying attention. But all the while, your heart was racing as you waited,

hoping for someone to yell out that magical phrase, I'll take you. It's funny that in our early years, we already understood the

idea of the chosen ones, of being picked, and how powerful, how important it felt to be selected,

to be part of it, to be part of the team. But it was more than just that, because those childhood memories, those moments, realize it or not,

they gave us the opportunity to learn about ourselves, about our ambition, tenacity, and personal standards, even resilience.

For this reason alone, getting picked for a team, or not,

served as special moments in our formative years

that somewhat shaped who we are today.

A listener wrote me the other day,

which, by the way, it's truly humbling how many people

take the time to write.

I never would have guessed that someone so small as myself could receive email from so far and

wide.

And although it takes me some time to respond, rest assured that I'm reading each letter with undivided attention.

The kind words, the stories, the, hey, could you talk about this?

That just continue to pour in. It lifts my spirits no matter the mood that I'm in. So I truly

appreciate being connected with so many wonderful people around the

world. So thank you. And for those that don't know, you can write chat at comment downpodcast.com.

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